Phoenix Symphony Kicks Off 60Th Anniversary Season With Opening Night On September 8

PHOENIX SYMPHONY KICKS OFF 60th ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH OPENING NIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 8

Evening features vocalist Dennis Rowland and guest conducting appearance by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano

(PHOENIX) – The Phoenix Symphony marks the beginning of its 60th Anniversary season on Saturday, September 8 with an evening of American music. The Opening Night concert kicks off Michael Christie's third season as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director and features The Phoenix Symphony performing beloved works including Gershwin's An American in Paris and excerpts from Porgy and Bess. Vocalist Dennis Rowland also joins Music Director Michael Christie and the Symphony as they present musical selections including songs by Gershwin and Mancini. Rowland, a Valley jazz and blues icon, will be joined by his four-piece band, the Jazz Experience. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will also make a special appearance conducting the National Anthem.

Dennis Rowland is widely known for his association with the Count Basie Orchestra. From 1977 to 1984, he toured the world as the featured vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Tony Bennett. Rowland has also appeared in a variety of theatrical stage productions including “Chicago,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” The New York Times says of Rowland, “He's a spectacular blues singer...It was most honest and liberating; what Mr. Rowland dispenses should be sold in drugstores.”

Tickets for The Phoenix Symphony's Opening Night concert are now on sale. Saturday's concert begins at 8 p.m. at Symphony Hall, in downtown Phoenix. Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $50, $60, and $70 and can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999 or by clicking here.

Tickets for the remainder of the 2007-08 Season, including 16 weeks of Classics, 8 weeks of Pops, 5 Family Concerts, and several weeks of concerts around the Valley, including Mesa and Scottsdale, are now on sale.

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About guest artist Dennis Rowland: Dennis Rowland is still best known for his association with the Count Basie Orchestra. From 1977 to 1984, he toured the world as the featured vocalist with the Count Basie Orchestra, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Tony Bennett. Rowland's smooth, powerful voice also graces two tunes on Basie's 1980 Grammy winning album On The Road. Rowland continued his recording career on the Concord label in 1995. Some of his Concord recordings include Rhyme Rhythm & Reason, Get Here, Now Dig This (a tribute to Miles Davis), and A Concord Jazz Christmas: Volume 2. Rowland has also appeared in a variety of theatrical stage productions including “Chicago,” “The Seven Deadly Sins (with Cleo Laine),” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Big River,” and “Little Shop Of Horrors.” In April 1997, he was invited by Wynton Marsalis to perform with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for “Swingin' The Blues For Count Basie.” Rowland's performance was met with raucous audience approval, inspiring New York Times writer Peter Watrous to exclaim, “He's a spectacular blues singer...It was most honest and liberating; what Mr. Rowland dispenses should be sold in drugstores.”

About Music Director Michael Christie: Michael Christie begins his third season as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony with the 2007-08 season. He also serves as Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival and of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has appeared with orchestras across the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as with the Finnish National Opera, Queensland Opera, and Zürich Opera. In 1995, Mr. Christie was awarded a special prize at the First International Sibelius Conductor's Competition. Following the competition, he became an apprentice conductor with the Chicago Symphony. Michael Christie graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's degree in trumpet performance. His conducting teachers have included Daniel Barenboim, Robert Spano, Eiji Oue, and Peter Jaffe.

Opening Night Special Event Concert
September 9 - Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m.
at Symphony Hall
THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY
Michael Christie, conductor
Dennis Rowland, vocals

Kick off a glorious new season as blues and jazz icon
Dennis Rowland joins Music Director Michael Christie
for a night of fun-filled music sure to bring down the
house! This jazzy 60th Anniversary birthday bash includes
The Phoenix Symphony swinging to the golden age of
Gershwin as it performs An American in Paris and
excerpts from Porgy and Bess. Paired with the tunes of
Dennis Rowland, it's a party you won't soon forget!

TICKETS: $20, $30, $40, $50, $60, $70

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The Phoenix Symphony's 2007-08 Media Sponsors are The Arizona Republic and KAET.