Baltimore Symphony Adds 10th Performance of Holiday Spectacular Due to Popular Demand

Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly leads BSO, Broadway Star Ann Hampton Callaway and Capitol Quartet in Broadway-style Performances at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Dec. 18-23

Baltimore, Md. (October 5, 2008) – Rivaling the glitz and glamour of a New York City production, BSO Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly will lead the BSO and Tony-nominated host and vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway, the Capitol Quartet, bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch and more than 150 other entertainers in 10 performances of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s fourth annual Holiday Spectacular, December 18-23 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. To accommodate demand for this popular, Broadway-style variety show, the BSO added a 10th performance to the original schedule, to take place on December 20 at 7:30 p.m. Holiday Spectacular creator and BSO Principal Pops conductor Jack Everly promises a performance as spectacular as families have come to expect, including new songs, sets and two perennial favorites—the “Santa Tap” and “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”—featuring dancers from the Baltimore School for the Arts. Please see below for complete concert details.

Ann Hampton Callaway is best known for her Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song to the popular TV series “The Nanny.” Callaway is a Platinum Award-winning writer whose songs are featured on five of Barbra Streisand's recent albums. She made her feature film debut opposite movies stars Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon in the Robert De Niro film The Good Shepherd, performing the standard "Come Rain or Come Shine." She also recorded "Isn't It Romantic?" and "The Nearness of You" in Wayne Wong's film Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah.

Capitol Quartet, comprised of saxophonists who are on the faculty of America's leading music schools and alumni of the premiere U.S. Military bands, is prominently featured in this season’s revamped Holiday Spectacular. Since its formation in 1991, the Capitol Quartet has performed regularly at major concert venues throughout the United States, earning wide acclaim for the ensemble's musical versatility and innovative style. The Quartet's February 2007 performance of Philip Glass’ Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was lauded in the Baltimore Sun for "..superb technical control... seamless blend and exceptional wealth of character in their phrasing."

While there are new songs on the program, returning favorites include the high-kicking Tap-Dancing Santas closing the first act with their rousing kick line. Song selections include holiday classics such as “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Deck the Halls,” “I Wonder as I Wander” and “O Holy Night.” This year, the two, 30-foot tall Nutcrackers will again grace a lavish holiday set designed by Gregory Hill.

BSO Principal Pops conductor Jack Everly, whose SuperPops concerts have earned him a loyal following in Baltimore, conceived of a musical holiday program 14 years ago for the Indianapolis Symphony before bringing a new version to Baltimore. In its four-year run, drawing audiences from across Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic States and beyond, the BSO’s Holiday Spectacular has become a new destination for holiday-themed performances and a beloved tradition for Baltimore area families. “With so much variety, humor, poignancy and music from the heart, this is the family holiday event each and every year,” Everly said.

Jack Everly, artistic director and conductor
Known for his innovative programming ideas and his knowledge of and love for the pops genre, Jack Everly is principal pops conductor of the Baltimore, Indianapolis, and National Arts Centre (Ottawa) symphony orchestras. He is also the artistic director of the Indianapolis Symphony’s A Yuletide Celebration and the BSO’s Holiday Spectacular.

Music director of American Ballet Theater for 14 years, Mr. Everly conducted thousands of performances and dozens of world premieres for that company. In addition to his ABT tenure, he has teamed with Marvin Hamlisch in Broadway shows that Mr. Hamlisch scored including, The Goodbye Girl, They’re Playing Our Song and A Chorus Line. Mr. Everly has appeared on “In Performance at the White House” and has been music director on numerous Broadway cast recordings, including Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He conducted the PBS “Dance in America” at New York’s City Center as well as the PBS telecast from the Metropolitan Opera House of the Prokofiev-MacMillan Romeo and Juliet.
 
A frequent guest conductor on the world’s concert, opera and ballet stages, Mr. Everly’s appearances include the National Symphony of London, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Teatro Colón, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
 
Mr. Everly is also the music advisor for the Symphony Pops Consortium (SPC), an alliance formed by the Indianapolis, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, National and Seattle symphony orchestras. The SPC is producer of programs that include A Celtic Celebration—The Music of the Emerald Isle, Those Glorious Musicians—A Tribute to MGM and Pops Goes British featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
 

Steven Reineke, guest conductor
Steven Reineke is the principal pops conductor of the Modesto and Long Beach symphony orchestras, and associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Mr. Reineke has also written and arranged for pops conductors Doc Severinsen, Jack Everly and Michael Krajewski. His arrangements can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops recordings and have been broadcast nationally by PBS.

Mr. Reineke’s recent guest conducting appearances include the orchestras of Cincinnati, Toronto, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Edmonton. In 2008, Mr. Reineke made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting The New York Pops 25th Birthday Gala. In 2007, he made his Hollywood Bowl debut with the multi-faceted entertainer Wayne Brady and returned to the Hollywood Bowl in 2008. He also conducted, arranged and orchestrated the music for Mr. Brady’s new orchestral show that debuted in October 2007 with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. In 2006, Mr. Reineke collaborated with rock legend Peter Frampton as conductor, arranger and orchestrator for Mr. Frampton’s orchestral show.

Ann Hampton Callaway, host and vocalist
A born entertainer, Ann Hampton Callaway’s unique singing style blends jazz and traditional pop, making her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters and jazz clubs as well as in the recording studio, on television and in film. She is best known for Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series “The Nanny.” Callaway is a Platinum Award-winning writer whose songs are featured on five of Barbra Streisand's recent albums. The only composer to have collaborated with Cole Porter, she has also written songs with Carole King, Rolf Lovland and Barbara Carroll.

Ms. Callaway has been a special guest performer with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood and is featured at many of the Carnegie Hall tributes. She has sung with more than 25 of the world's top orchestras and big bands, and has performed for President Clinton in Washington, D.C. and at President Gorbachev's Youth Peace Summit in Moscow. Callaway performed with her sister, Broadway star Liz Callaway, in their award-winning show Sibling Revelry at London's Donmar Warehouse, and has performed twice in Berlin's famed Philharmonie Hall by special invitation.

Capitol Quartet
Comprised of saxophonists who are teaching faculty at America's leading music schools and alumni of the Premiere U.S. Military bands, the Capitol Quartet has captured the imaginations of critics and audiences alike. Since its formation in 1991, the Capitol Quartet has performed regularly at major concert venues throughout the United States, earning wide acclaim for the ensemble's musical versatility and innovative style.

The Capitol Quartet has been featured with the Cincinnati Pops, Indianapolis Symphony, Guatemala National Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa, Canada), Windsor (Ontario) Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band and the U.S. Continental Army Band.

Daniel Okulitch, bass-baritone
Canadian bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch first came to attention on Broadway as Schaunard in Baz Luhrmann's production of La Boheme in 2002-2003, a role he repeated when the production traveled to Los Angeles the following year, for which he received the Ovation Award for Best Ensemble Performance from the Los Angeles Stage Alliance.  He has since begun an international career with opera companies and orchestras throughout Europe and North America.

Engagements in the 2008-2009 season included his debut at Los Angeles Opera as Seth Brundle in The Fly, his Teatro alla Scala debut as Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the title role in Le Nozze di Figaro for the Dallas Opera, Escamillo in Carmen in Detroit and Vancouver, Swallow in Peter Grimes for his debut at the Washington National Opera and the title role of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in Ft. Worth. In 2009-2010 he will debut The New York City Opera in the title role of Don Giovanni, will return to the Vancouver Opera as Mozart’s Figaro and Calgary Opera as Frederick Bhaer in Little Women and will debut The Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Willy Wonka in the world premere of The Golden Ticket.

Baltimore School for the Arts Dancers
The Baltimore School for the Arts Dancers engage in a rigorous and comprehensive program in both traditional ballet and modern technique. The course curriculum includes four years of ballet, modern dance and pointe. In addition to this core curriculum, the Baltimore School for the Arts is fortunate to have a wide variety of esteemed guest artists teach and choreograph its students, including Barry Houghson, Hinton Battle and David Parsons. Baltimore School for the Arts is one of the only performing arts high schools to have the honor of performing some of George Balanchine’s works, such as Serenade.

COMPLETE CONCERT DETAILS
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Spectacular
All performances at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Friday, December 18 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 19 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 20 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.*
Tuesday, December 22 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 23 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

* Just added due to popular demand.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Jack Everly, artistic director and conductor
Steven Rieneke, guest conductor
Ann Hampton Callaway, host and vocalist
Capitol Quartet
Daniel Okulitch, bass-baritone
Holiday Spectacular chorus
Baltimore School for the Arts Dancers

Tickets for these performances range from $16 to $77, with half price matinee pricing for children in select seating sections. Tickets are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

BSO Holiday Spectacular media sponsors are WBAL- TV, The Baltimore Sun and WLIF 101.9.

Please note that the concert on Sunday, December 20th at 7:30 p.m. is “LITE NITE,” with WLIF 101.9 as the lead sponsor, offering patrons Family Four-Pack ticket giveaways and other special promotions.