Tap Dance Sensation Savion Glover Performs with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Feb. 13-15

Program includes works by John Adams, Michael Daugherty and Duke Ellington

Baltimore, Md. (January 13, 2009) - Tap superstar Savion Glover will dance alongside Music Director Marin Alsop's podium as she leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Symphony with a Twist^TM on Friday, February 13 at the Music Center at Strathmore and on Saturday and Sunday, February 14 and 15 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Glover received rave reviews for his last performance with the BSO in March 2007, hailed by the Washington Post as "scarily gifted" and "a force-of-nature performance that brought down the house." See below for complete program information.

At only 35 years old, Savion Glover is at the top of the fame chart when it comes to tap dancers worldwide. After making his Broadway debut at age 10 in The Tap Dance Kid, his career has climbed as fluidly as his choreography. In 1989 he co-starred in Tap with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. and from 1990-1995, he was a regular performer in the cast of Sesame Street. His even bigger break came in 1996 when he choreographed and starred in the musical Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk, picking up a Tony Award for Best Choreography. Since then, he's completed several solo tours and performed alongside countless orchestras and chamber ensembles.

His choreographic style and technical precision are as unmistakable as his looks. His usual uniform consists of his trademark dreads, untucked dress shirt, baggy yet somehow securely fastened pants and worn black tap shoes. His choreography is based on a wide gait, loose arms and hips, flailing arms, fancy footwork, a hunched over stance and flashing a smile at all the right moments. The Washington Post described him best as "50 percent rubber and 50 percent exuberant grin."

For this Symphony with a Twist^TM program, Alsop will lead the orchestra in A. Jack Thomas's Mirage: A Fantasy of the Desert and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture during the first half of the program, minus Glover. The selections chosen for the second half of the program present a wide range of rhythms for Glover's exhilarating choreography and improvisation. John Adams Lollapalooza brings a Latino flavor, Michael Daugherty's Desi introduces big band swing, Arturo Márquez's Danzon No. 2 infuses Afro-Cuban rhythms and Duke Ellington's "Vortex" (from The River) is the most intense piece, melding jazz and classical themes. To give Glover a chance to cool down, the Orchestra will perform James P. Johnson's Drums: A Symphonic Poem in between his two musical sets.

Marin Alsop, conductor
Hailed as one of the world's leading conductors for her artistic vision and commitment to accessibility in classical music, Marin Alsop made history with her appointment as the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. With her inaugural concerts in September 2007, she became the first woman to head a major American orchestra, which mirrored her ongoing success in the United Kingdom, where she served as the Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony from 2002?2008 and now holds the title of Conductor Emeritus. In 2005, Marin Alsop was named a MacArthur Fellow, the first conductor ever to receive this prestigious award. In 2007, she was honored with a European Women of Achievement Award; in 2008 she was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2009 Musical America named her Conductor of the Year. Maestra Alsop is a regular guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic. She also appears frequently as a guest conductor with many distinguished orchestras worldwide. After a highly successful 12?year tenure as music director of the Colorado Symphony, Ms. Alsop continues her association as conductor laureate. She also continues as music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California. Marin Alsop attended Yale University and received her master's degree from The Juilliard School. In 1989, her conducting career was launched when she became a prizewinner at the Leopold Stokowski International Conducting Competition.

Savion Glover, tap dancer
Savion Glover, a performer, choreographer, director and producer, is the 1996 Tony Award winner for choreography for Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk on Broadway. Mr. Glover made his Broadway debut at age 10, starring in The Tap Dance Kid, and his film debut, at age 13, in Tap with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. In 1997, he created a dance company with which he performed nationally and internationally. He also toured with tap legends Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown and Diane Walker, and in 2001, created a new dance company called Ti Dii. The choreographer of the award-winning Nike spot: "Free Style," and star of Spike Lee's feature film, Bamboozled, Mr. Glover is the recipient of the 2004 Capezio Award which was presented to him while performing at the Joyce Theater for a sold out series of his new show Classical Savion in January 2005.

COMPLETE EVENT DETAILS:
Symphony with a Twist™: Marin Alsop and Savion Glover
Friday, February 13, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. -The Music Center at Strathmore
Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. -Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (JMSH)
Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. -JMSH

Lobby opens at 6:30 p.m. for light fare and cocktails on Friday and Saturday.

Marin Alsop, conductor
Savion Glover, tap dancer

A. Jack Thomas: Mirage: A Fantasy of the Desert
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
John Adams: Lollapalooza*
Michael Daugherty: Desi*
James P. Johnson: Drums: A Symphonic Poem
Arturo Marquez: Danzon No. 2*
Ellington: "Vortex" from The River*

*featuring Savion Glover
 
Tickets for these performances range from $25 to $80. Tickets are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

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