Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Kicks Off Summer Season at Oregon Ridge with Star-Spangled Spectacular, July 3-4

MLB legend Rick Dempsey to host and sing in performances

Baltimore, Md. (May 24, 2010)— The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will kick off its 2010 summer season at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Md. on July 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. with Star-Spangled Spectacular, an all-American salute to our nation’s founding. Guest conductor Donald Pippin will lead the BSO in a variety of patriotic favorites with help from Major League Baseball legend Rick Dempsey. Each concert will begin with the national anthem featuring the winners of the BSO’s third annual “O, Say Can You Sing” competition, Scott AuCoin (July 3) and Stephanie Meadowcroft (July 4), and end with a dazzling fireworks display. See below for complete program information.

This year’s Star-Spangled Spectacular features Baltimore Orioles 1983 World Series MVP Award winner, Rick Dempsey, as host and vocalist for performances that include Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever and musical salutes to our armed forces. Mr. Dempsey is a former catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who holds the distinction of being one of only three catchers in the Major Leagues to play in four decades (24 MLB seasons). A man of many talents, he also enjoys music, distributing his first album in 2009 titled Home Run Holiday, a Christmas blues CD.

Each year, the BSO invites singers ages 8-18 to audition for the chance to perform the national anthem at its Star-Spangled Spectacular concerts at Oregon Ridge. This year’s winners are Scott AuCoin (July 3) and Stephanie Meadowcroft (July 4). Scott AuCoin is a graduating senior at the Baltimore School for the Arts where he majored in voice and composition. He has sung with many choirs in the Baltimore-Washington area, including in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Leading Men of Broadway, in spring 2009. An honor student at John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md., Stephanie Meadowcroft has made a name for herself performing leading roles in theater productions across Maryland, as well as in the pageant circuit. Having won five Maryland State titles, three national titles and five talent titles since she began competing at age 9, she recently won the 2009 title of Miss Maryland Outstanding Teen.

For more than 20 years, the BSO at Oregon Ridge has been a Baltimore-area summer tradition, drawing tens of thousands for family fun, music and fireworks in the wooded enclaves of the Cockeysville, Md., park. Patrons are invited to arrive early with lawn chairs, blankets and picnic dinners or purchase food and drink from onsite venders for a full evening of entertainment with the BSO. Gates will open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m.

Donald Pippin, conductor
Having served for 14 years as musical director of New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, Donald Pippin is one of Broadway's most honored conductors. He is the recipient of the Tony Award for Oliver, the Emmy Award for Broadway Sings Jule Styne, the Drama Desk Award for "consistently outstanding musical direction and commitment to the theatre" and a gold record award for the original cast album of A Chorus Line. His distinguished career on Broadway includes La Cage Aux Folles, Cabaret, Mack and Mabel, Seesaw, Applause and Mame. On television, he was musical director for "An Evening with Alan Jay Lerner" seen on "Live from Lincoln Center" as part of PBS' "Great Performances" series. He has conducted throughout the United States, England and Israel, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Florida Sunshine Pops Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Chattanooga, Detroit, Fort Worth, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Naples, National, New Mexico, Pittsburgh and Saint Louis, as well as the BBC and London Symphony Orchestras, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cardiff Festival Orchestra and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He was also invited by Beverly Sills to be the guest conductor for the New York City Opera's production of The Music Man.

Rick Dempsey, vocalist
Rick Dempsey is a former catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who holds the distinction of being one of only three catchers in the Major Leagues to play in four decades, or 24 MLB seasons. He has played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers, but is best known for his 12 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Dempsey was awarded the World Series MVP Award in 1983 when the Orioles defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one. He also played with the Dodgers when they won the World Series Championship in 1988. Following his successful baseball career, Mr. Dempsey served on the coaching staffs for the Orioles and Dodgers, managing the Dodgers 3A team to a PCL Championship in 1994. Presently, Mr. Dempsey has made the most of his famed sense of humor and extensive knowledge of the sport of baseball to become the studio analyst for MASN, the Orioles TV network. A man of many talents, Rick Dempsey also enjoys music, distributing his first album in 2009 titled Home Run Holiday, a Christmas rhythm and blues CD that also features singer Deanna Bogart. He has also performed with renowned artists such as Frankie Avalon and the Golden Boys, local country and rock ‘n’ roll great Ronnie Dove and even under the direction of classical conductor Jeffrey Silberschlag at St. Mary’s College in Maryland.

Scott AuCoin, baritone
Baritone Scott AuCoin is a graduating senior at the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA) where he majored in voice and composition. He has studied voice with Joyce Hubbard and Lauretta Young. He has sung with many choirs in the Baltimore-Washington area, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra last season. At BSA, he sang with both the full and chamber chorus. He also sang in BSA's Opera Scene Night for three years, most recently singing Papageno from The Magic Flute. In addition to his singing, he is a budding composer, currently studying with Mark Hardy. He has had works read by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society and was commissioned by Howard County's Reservoir High School Orchestra this past fall. He has been in workshops with many composers including John Harbison, Michael Gandolfi, Joshua Fineberg and Judah Adashi. He studied under Martin Amlin while attending the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Next year, he will begin studies in composition and voice at the University of Maryland College Park.

Stephanie Meadowcroft, mezzo-soprano
Sixteen- year-old mezzo-soprano Stephanie Meadowcroft is an honor student at John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md. An avid thespian, Ms. Meadowcroft has performed leading roles in theater productions across Maryland. Some of her favorite include Brigitta from The Sound of Music and The Mistress of Peron from Evita, both with Phoenix Festival Theater of Harford Community College; Gabriella from Disney’s High School Musical and Kim MacAfee in Bye, Bye Birdie, both with Tidewater Players; and Sally Brown from You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown with Young People’s Theatre Project. Ms. Meadowcroft has also made a name for herself in the pageant circuit, winning five Maryland State titles, three national titles and five talent titles since she began competing at age 9. Most notably, she won the 2009 title of Miss Maryland Outstanding Teen, the teen competition under the Miss America banner. Her service platform for that competition, “A Ray of Hope: Enriching the Lives of Seniors,” keeps her busy with regular visits and performances at assisted living homes throughout the region.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
Star-Spangled Spectacular
Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 8 p.m. – Oregon Ridge Park*
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 8 p.m. – Oregon Ridge Park**

*Rain date will be July 4 concert.

**Rain date will be Broadway Melodies on July 24.

Oregon Ridge Park, 13555 Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030

Donald Pippin, conductor
Rick Dempsey, host and vocalist
Scott AuCoin, vocalist (July 3)
Stephanie Meadowcroft, vocalist (July 4) 

Tickets are general admission lawn seating and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000, 877.BSO.1444 or BSOmusic.org. Advanced tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for children under 12. If purchased at the gate, tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Free parking is available at the Verizon lot on Shawan Road with shuttle to the park. Permits for onsite parking can be purchased for $10 in advance from the BSO Ticket Office or for $15 at the gate.