The Phoenix Symphony Performs Music of “The Piano Men”

Pops Concerts Feature Pianist-Vocalist Jim Witter Performing Music of Elton John and Billy Joel

PHOENIX (March 18, 2008) – Award-winning pianist and vocalist Jim Witter joins The Phoenix Symphony to perform “The Piano Men: The Music of Elton John & Billy Joel,” March 28-30 at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. The weekend performances, led by Resident Conductor Lawrence Golan, will feature chart-topping hits including “Your Song,” “Candle in the Wind,” and “Just the Way You Are.” Headlines, photographs, and commercials projected above the orchestra bring to life a decade in which these unforgettable songs dominated the airwaves. The Friday and Saturday evening concerts begin at 8 p.m., and a Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. The weekend of Pops concerts is presented as part of the “APS Pops” concert series.

The Phoenix Symphony is excited to welcome Canadian Jim Witter as its special guest. An aspiring musician since the age of four, Mr. Witter scored a multi-record deal in the early 1990s with Curb Records of Nashville, home of Tim McGraw, Leanne Rimes and Wynona Judd. Mr. Witter’s music and songwriting have been recognized on both sides of the border, earning him multiple awards and nominations from the Canadian Country Music Association, the Juno Awards, and most recently the Dove Awards in Nashville, where Mr. Witter’s album Forgiveness was nominated for Inspirational Album of the year. A few years ago, Mr. Witter came up with the concept for the show “The Piano Men,” a musical journey through the 1970s featuring the songs of Billy Joel and Elton John. This multimedia rock musical has turned out to be a hit, receiving rave reviews from music critics all across North America. Mr. Witter will be performing with The Phoenix Symphony as one of his stops on a 30-city concert tour of the United States and Canada.

Tickets to hear “The Piano Men” are $25, $35, $45, $54, $64, and $74, and can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602.495.1999 or by visiting the Symphony’s website at www.phoenixsymphony.org.

This weekend of concerts is the seventh concert in the Pops Series during The Phoenix Symphony’s 2007-08 Season. The final concert in this series is “Big Screen Legends Featuring the Music of John Williams,” conducted by Guest Conductor Loras John Schissel on May 9-10.

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About Jim Witter: Jim Witter began performing at a very early age. As a child he sang a variety of music from The Beatles to Broadway musicals in his own living room with his mom on piano. Later he began performing in clubs and bars in his native southern Ontario.  In 1990, one of his demos came to the attention of a Sony Music Canada executive, which set his recording career rolling. A record deal with a smaller independent label in Canada soon gave way to a multi-record deal with Curb Records in Nashville. From his first self-titled record, to All My Life and Forgiveness, Mr. Witter has had ten top ten radio hits in Canada, seven hit videos on CMT, and impressive chart action in the U.S. on Billboard and R&R. He still lives in southern Ontario with his wife, Rebecca, and their four children, James, Roslyn, Ryan and Luke. A devoted family man, Mr. Witter is also very active in his community, supporting numerous charities and organizations, especially those which benefit children and their families.

About Resident Conductor Lawrence Golan: Lawrence Golan joined the conducting staff of The Phoenix Symphony as Resident Conductor at the start of the 2006-07 season. In this role, he leads concerts in each of the symphony’s major series — including Classics, Pops, and Family presentations. In conjunction with his role as Resident Conductor of The Phoenix Symphony, Mr. Golan leads the Phoenix Youth Symphony, helping to prepare these young musicians for future careers in music. He is also Music Director of Boulder Baroque and the Boulder Bach Festival in Colorado, and of the Portland Ballet Company in Maine. In addition, he continues his work as Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, where he teaches graduate conducting and leads the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre.

About The Phoenix Symphony: Celebrating its 60th Anniversary Season, The Phoenix Symphony has been proudly serving the citizens of the Phoenix metropolitan area and Arizona since 1947. What began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year (in a city of fewer than 100,000 people) today serves more than 300,000 people annually, with 275 concerts and presentations throughout the greater Phoenix area and beyond.

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Christie as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director and administrative leadership of President Maryellen H. Gleason, the orchestra is overseen by the non-profit Phoenix Symphony Association under Board Chairman Ed Wolf.

The 76-member Phoenix Symphony presents an annual season from September through the beginning of June, featuring full-length classical and pops concerts at Sym­phony Hall in downtown Phoenix, in Scottsdale, in Prescott, and throughout central Arizona. The Symphony performs for more than 50,000 students and children, helping to introduce music to new generations through a variety of education and youth-engagement programs.

THE PIANO MEN: THE MUSIC OF ELTON JOHN & BILLY JOEL
Pops Concert No. 6

March 28 – Friday evening at 8:00 p.m.
March 29 – Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m.
March 30 – Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Symphony Hall

THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY

Lawrence Golan, conductor
Jim Witter, piano and vocals

From “Your Song” to “Candle in the Wind” and “Just the Way You Are,” award-winning pianist and singer Jim Witter takes you on a tour of the greatest hits of Billy Joel and Elton John. Headlines, photographs, and video projected above the orchestra bring to life the decade in which the unforgettable> songs of the Piano Men dominated the airwaves.

The Phoenix Symphony Pops Series is sponsored by APS.

TICKETS: $25, $35, $45, $54, $64, $74