The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 1
NEWS RELEASE
RELEASE DATE:
CONTACT:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015
Sherry Powell, Chief Marketing Officer – 727.362.5440
Henry Adams, Director of Marketing – 727.362.5441
The Florida Orchestra Announces
2015/2016 Season Raymond James Pops Series
ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- The Florida Orchestra (TFO) announced the programming today for 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops series, led by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, a prolific arranger with many of
his works featured throughout the pops season.
Regarding the upcoming season, Tyzik said, “Certainly, one of the highlights of next season is that we
have a new Music Director, Michael Francis, who will be opening the Pops season conducting an ‘A Night
at the Oscars’ showcasing some of the all-time great film scores. We have lots of variety with popular
music from Broadway and Hollywood, along with a great many musical styles, including big band, swing,
blues, jazz, love songs and more, all showcasing the amazingly talented musicians of The Florida
Orchestra. We have also put together some concerts to help people celebrate Halloween, the Christmas
holiday season and Valentine’s weekend. Adding to the entertainment experience, a variety of exciting
artists will join us, including swing dancers, great singers, jazz artists, tango dancers, Broadway stars and
more.”
The recently expanded nine-concert symphonic pops series covers a broad array of programs: A Night at
the Oscars features music from Academy Award-winning films with new Music Director Michael Francis
as conductor and host; Halloween Pops shares some haunting songs and music from Broadway shows
and films; saxophonist and singer Curtis Stigers Celebrates Sinatra on this 100th birthday anniversary
with many beloved hits of “Ol’ Blue Eyes”; the annual Holiday Pops offers a delightful mix of everyone’s
favorite Christmas carols and yuletide tunes; The Fabulous Forties takes you back in time to some of the
great swing tunes as well as music from films and Broadway of that era; A Valentine’s Pops showcases
romantic themes and love songs from Broadway, ballet and more; with an all-star cast of artists, Red
Hot Blues revisits some of the great blues tunes of Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Miles
Davis and more; And the Tony Goes To…, conducted and hosted by TFO’s own Tony Award winner
Page 1
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 2
Stuart Malina, offers a night of award-winning music and songs from Broadway; and Tango Caliente is a
sizzling celebration of the vibrant and sultry tango in song, dance and more.
Conductors:
Grammy Award winner, TFO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik will conduct five of the season’s pops
concerts. Conductors for the other four concerts include TFO’s new Music Director Michael Francis;
TFO’s Principal Guest Conductor and Tony Award winner Stuart Malina; Music Director Emeritus of the
Chattanooga Symphony and Opera and Principal Pops Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra Bob
Bernhardt; and Broadway and television actor and former assistant conductor of the Houston and
Kansas City symphonies Damon Gupton.
Concert Venues:
The Raymond James Pops programs are performed in TFO’s three principal performance venues of the
Tampa Bay area: Fridays in Tampa at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Carol
Morsani Hall (CMH) or Ferguson Hall (FH), Saturdays in St. Petersburg at the Duke Energy Center for the
Arts – Mahaffey Theater (MAH) and Sundays in Clearwater at Ruth Eckerd Hall (REH).
1. A Night at the Oscars – Oct. 9, 10 & 11, 2015
Michael Francis, conductor & host
New Music Director Michael Francis opens the pops series with an extraordinary selection of some of
the most memorable and emotionally-packed award-winning music from films…The Godfather,
Lawrence of Arabia, Rocky, The Lord of the Rings, James Bond movies and many more.
Fri, Oct 9, 8 pm, CMH
Sat, Oct 10, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Oct 11, 7:30 pm, REH
MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR MICHAEL FRANCIS: Michael Francis has quickly established himself as
an international conductor creating ongoing relationships with the world’s leading orchestras. He came
to prominence as a conductor in January 2007 when he replaced an indisposed Valery Gergiev for
concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra during the BBC Gubaidulina festival at the Barbican
Centre. Only one month later, Francis was asked, this time with only two hours’ notice, to replace the
composer/conductor John Adams in a performance of his own works with the London Symphony
Orchestra at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, and soon after, in January 2009, he replaced André Previn
leading a German tour of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony.
Page 2
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 3
Now six seasons later, Francis assumed his role as music director of the Mainly Mozart Festival on
October 1, 2014, and as music director for The Florida Orchestra beginning in September 2015, while
entering his third season as chief conductor and artistic advisor to Sweden’s Norrköping Symphony
Orchestra. Click here to read the complete bio
2. Halloween Pops – Oct. 30 & 31 and Nov. 1, 2015
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Lisa Vroman, vocalist
Doug LaBrecque, vocalist
Featuring Broadway stars Lisa Vroman and Doug LaBrecque, it’s a night of symphonic sounds and
soaring songs from such hit musicals as The Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde, Sweeney Todd, Cats
and Beauty and the Beast…along with music from films, including Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Witches
of Eastwick and more.
Fri, Oct 30, 8 pm, CMH
Sat, Oct 31, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Nov 1, 7:30 pm, REH
PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR JEFF TYZIK: Grammy Award winner Jeff Tyzik is recognized as one of
America's most innovative pops conductors. Now in his second full season as The Florida Orchestra’s
principal pops conductor, he is also the principal pops conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra (RPO), Oregon Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Detroit
Symphony Orchestra.
In his twenty years with the RPO, Tyzik has developed an incredible relationship with devoted audiences
who appreciate his creative pops programming. Over the course of his tenure, he has written over 200
works for the orchestra. In addition, Tyzik led the world premiere of his original work, New York
Cityscapes, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. As an accomplished composer and arranger, his
compositions have been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, RPO, and Summit Brass, and his
arrangements have been recorded by the late Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra,
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Doc Severinsen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.
Tyzik has worked closely with Severinsen on many projects, including the Grammy Award-winning
album, The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1, and a trumpet concerto he co-composed
with virtuoso trumpeter Allen Vizzutti that was recorded by Severinsen. Tyzik has also produced and
Page 3
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 4
composed theme music for many of the major television networks and released six of his own albums
on Capitol, Polygram and Amherst Records. In 2007, the harmonia mundi label released his recording of
works by Gershwin with pianist Jon Nakamatsu and the RPO, which stayed in the Top 10 on the Billboard
classical chart for over three months. Click here to read the complete bio
VOCALIST LISA VROMAN: Returning TFO guest artist, Lisa Vroman starred for several years on Broadway
as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. As Christine, she garnered Theatre Critic’s awards for
the role in a record-breaking run in San Francisco, and did a return engagement at the Ahmanson
Theatre in Los Angeles. Vroman starred as Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella, making her New York City
Opera debut with Paul Sorvino in the title role. This season, she made her Carnegie Hall debut with the
New York Pops, starred as Lili Vanessi in Kiss Me Kate with Glimmerglass Opera, played Marian Paroo in
The Music Man with Shirley Jones (Mrs. Paroo) and Patrick Cassidy ( Harold Hill) at The Bushnell Theatre
in Hartford; sang the role of Birdie in Regina with Utah Opera, conducted by Keith Lockhart; made her
New Jersey Opera debut as Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus; and premiered in two comic operas by John
Musto and William Bolcum at the New York Festival of Song.
Her Broadway debut was in Aspects of Love, and she is the first to play both Fantine and Cosette in Les
Miserables. For PBS she was featured with Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball in Cameron Mackintosh’s
Hey, Mr. Producer! at the Lyceum Theatre in London, a Royal Gala attended by Queen Elizabeth, and
sang the role of Johanna in the San Francisco Symphony’s Emmy award winning Sweeney Todd in
Concert, with Patti Lupone and George Hearn. Both of these PBS productions were released on DVD.
Vroman starred as Laurey in Oklahoma! filmed live in concert for the BBC’s PROMS festival at The Royal
Albert Hall in London, and she starred as Mary Turner in Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing/ Let ‘Em Eat Cake in
concert with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, directed by
Pat Birch. Click here to read the complete bio
VOCALIST DOUG LABRECQUE: Returning TFO guest artist, Doug LaBrecque thrilled theatre audiences as
The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition,
LaBrecque has starred on Broadway as Ravenal in the Hal Prince revival of Showboat, a role he also
performed in Canada and Chicago. He was featured in Oscar Hammerstein’s 100th Birthday Celebration
on Broadway at The Gershwin Theatre, and toured nationally with Les Miserables. Regionally,
LaBrecque has performed leading roles in Candide, A Chorus Line and Man of LaMancha, among many
others. A graduate of University of Michigan, he was also featured in the world premiere of A
Page 4
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 5
Wonderful Life, written by Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo, and he starred in the premiere revival of
Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner’s Love Life.
One of the most prolific concert performers of his generation, LaBrecque has been a soloist with some
of the world’s finest symphony orchestras including the National Symphony, Israel Philharmonic (Tel
Aviv), Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, among
many others. In the last few years, LaBrecque’s U.S. appearances have included Minnesota Orchestra,
Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New Jersey
Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Utah Symphony and with
the late Marvin Hamlisch both at the Ravinia Festival with Chicago Symphony, and with Pittsburgh
Symphony. Click here to read the complete bio
3. Curtis Stigers Celebrates Sinatra – Nov. 20, 21 & 22, 2015
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Curtis Stigers, vocals & saxophone
With multi-award winning jazz artist Curtis Stigers, it’s a 100th birthday celebration of Frank Sinatra with
such classic hits as Come Fly with Me, The Best is Yet to Come, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Fly Me to the
Moon and I’ve Got the World on a String, among others.
Fri, Nov 20, 8 pm, FH
Sat, Nov 21, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Nov 22, 7:30 pm, REH
CONDUCTOR JEFF TYZIK: (see bio above or Click here to read the complete bio)
VOCALIST & SAXOPHONIST CURTIS STIGERS: Curtis Stigers has proved that the lines between jazz, pop,
soul, rock and blues are not as clearly defined as they may seem. Throughout his career as a singer,
saxophonist and songwriter, Stigers has been celebrated for a wide variety of accomplishments, from his
early pop chart success with several self-penned, top-ten singles and hit albums selling over 1.5 million
copies, to his appearance on the soundtrack for The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston, which is one of
the biggest selling albums of all time.
He has toured the world and performed in concert with such diverse artists as Elton John, Eric Clapton,
Bonnie Raitt, The Allman Brothers Band, Joe Cocker, Prince, Nancy Wilson, Randy and Michael Brecker,
Toots Thielman, George Benson, Gene Harris, Cleo Laine, Chuck Mangione, and Diana Krall.
Page 5
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 6
Stigers has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Today Show and
many others. Downbeat Magazine named him as one of jazz’s rising male stars, and the London daily,
The Times, selected his jazz recording, You Inspire Me, as jazz album of the year in 2004. In 2007, Stigers
was named jazz artist of the year by BBC Radio 2. In May 2010, Stigers was named international male
jazz singer of the year by Deutsche Phono-Akademie at the inaugural Jazz Echo Awards. In 2009, Stigers
was nominated for an Emmy Award for co-writing and singing the theme song to the wildly popular
television show, The Sons of Anarchy. Click here to read the complete bio
4. Holiday Pops – Dec. 11, 12 & 13, 2015
Bob Bernhardt, conductor
Mela Dailey, vocalist
Share this Florida Orchestra tradition with friends and family and get into the spirit of the season in
celebrating the most wonderful time of the year with everyone’s favorite Christmas carols, yuletide
tunes, musical chestnuts and more.
Fri, Dec 11, 8 pm, CMH
Sat, Dec 12, 2 pm, MAH – Special Matinee Added
Sat, Dec 12, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Dec 13, 7:30 pm, REH
CONDUCTOR BOB BERNHARDT: Equally at home with symphonic masterworks, opera and popular
music in a variety of genres, Bob Bernhardt is the music director emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony
and Opera, having recently completed 19-year tenure as that orchestra’s music director. He also holds
the title of principal pops conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, with which he has had an association for
more than 30 years, starting his professional career as its assistant conductor in 1981. He has previously
served as artistic director and principal conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic, music director and
conductor of the Tucson Symphony, and principal guest conductor of the Kentucky Opera.
As a guest conductor, Bernhardt enjoys a special relationship with the Edmonton Symphony, where he
appears several times each season conducting light classics, pops and holiday programs and hosts their
4-day Symphony Under the Sky Festival on Labor Day weekend. He is also a frequent and regular guest
conductor with the Boston Pops. In December 2009, he made a highly successful debut with the
Cincinnati Pops, leading their first holiday pops concerts since Erich Kunzel’s passing. Other guest
conducting engagements include appearances with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Colorado,
Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, St. Louis, Seattle and Tucson, among others.
Bernhardt made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1978 in a series of concerts with PDQ Bach.
Page 6
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 7
Bob Bernhardt’s recordings of the standard symphonic canon and works of contemporary composers
are available on the Vanguard, First Edition, RPO and Carlton Classics labels. Bernhardt is also featured
on TFO’s 2014/2015 season conducting the pops program “John Williams: Star Wars & More!” in March
2014. Click here to read the complete bio
VOCALIST MELA DAILEY: As the winner of competitions sponsored by the National Federation of Music
Clubs, Metropolitan Opera, New York University, Gerda Lissner Foundation, Downbeat Magazine, and
Connecticut Opera Guild, Mela (mee-la) Dailey has command of both her instrument and the stage. She
has received recognition in a wide variety of musical genres including opera, oratorio, art song, musical
theater, vocal jazz, gospel, country, and popular music. Her professional debut took place in 2003 at
Carnegie Hall with the Grammy-nominated Conspirare Company of Voices directed by Craig Hella
Johnson, a group with whom she also records for the harmonia mundi label. Dailey's solo
CD Shelter with cellist Scott Kluksdahl and pianist Rick Rowley is on the Pierian label (internationally
distributed by Naxos) and available through Amazon.com and iTunes. She can be heard on Hanan
Townshend’s score to the feature film The Vessel released in the fall of 2014 as well as on a gospel CD
with the Miami-based choral ensemble Seraphic Fire.
On the 2013/2014 season, Dailey performed Verdi's and Mozart's requiems with the Austin and
Chattanooga symphony orchestras, respectively. She returned to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
for three weeks of concerts which included Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Copland's Eight
Poems of Emily Dickinson, songs of Bernstein, operetta and Broadway selections, and music for the
Christmas holidays. Her professional choral ensemble work continued with Conspirare and Seraphic
Fire. Her latest recording with Conspirare on harmonia mundi features her as soloist in Kevin Puts' To
Touch the Sky. Click here to read the complete bio
5. The Fabulous Forties – Jan. 15, 16 & 17, 2016
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Helen Welch, vocalist
Stephen Edward Sayer & Chandrae Roettig, dancers
With award-winning swing dancers, it is a swinging salute to one of the greatest eras of American
popular music with such favorites as In the Mood, One O’Clock Jump, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and
Begin the Beguine, along with some of the great music of that time from films, Broadway and more.
Fri, Jan 15, 8 pm FH
Sat, Jan 16, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Jan 17, 7:30 pm, REH
CONDUCTOR JEFF TYZIK: (see bio above or Click here to read the complete bio)
Page 7
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 8
VOCALIST HELEN WELCH: Born and raised in England, Helen Welch is a critically-acclaimed vocalist
whose live stage performances explore a diverse range of musical compositions, starting with the 1930s
up through present-day. Whether she’s singing Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan, or Elton
John, Sting and Randy Newman, her sophisticated vocals and humor leave audiences breezily
enchanted.
Welch is equally at home performing in intimate spaces for small groups as in outdoor amphitheaters in
front of thousands. She appears in the region’s most celebrated entertainment establishments including
Severance Hall, Cleveland's Playhouse Square Center, Akron Civic Theatre, Blossom Music Center, the
Chautauqua Institution and many more. She frequently guest-stars or headlines with world-class
musical organizations such as the Akron Symphony, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Pops
Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra, to name just a few.
She has performed in a variety of musicals in England, including Hello Dolly!, Barnum, 42nd Street, Oliver
Twist, Calamity Jane, Show Boat, and Carousel , as well as on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café. She has
also worked with some of the UK’s finest big bands, including Opus One, Glen Miller Europe and the BBC
Big Band and has also performed in some of West End’s most popular performance spaces in London,
including The Savoy, The Ritz and The Grosvenor House Great Room.
Click here to read the complete bio
DANCERS STEPHEN EDWARD SAYER & CHANDRAE ROETTIG: Stephen Sayer and Chandrae Roettig are
dancers and instructors who are dedicated to preserving the great American partner jazz dances of the
1920s through the 1950s. Their partnership began in late 2010, and together, Sayer and Roettig have
been storming through the swing world in very short order, taking first place titles in several national
swing competitions. In 2011, they won first place in the Lindy Hop divisions at the National Jitterbug
Championships and US Open Swing Dance Championships. In 2012, they also took first place at Camp
Jitterbug and again at the US Open. In addition to those titles, Sayer is also the 2010, 2011 and 2012
National Collegiate Shag Champion, as well as the 2011 US Open and 2012 Camp Jitterbug Jack-n-Jill
Champion. In 2012, Sayer was inducted into the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame.
Stephen Sayer and Chandrae Roettig are based out of Los Angeles where they teach weekly in North
Hollywood, but you can find them teaching, performing, and competing all over the United States,
Europe and Australia. They are committed to improving and pushing the limits of their own dancing as
Page 8
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 9
well as those who take their classes. Their focus of connection to partner and music is what makes their
dancing and teaching so unique. Sayer and Roettig last appeared with TFO on the “Let’s Dance”
program of the Raymond James Pops on the 2013/2014 season. Click here to read the complete bio
6. A Valentine’s Pops – Feb. 12, 13 & 14, 2016
Damon Gupton, conductor
Share in this Valentine’s weekend concert of romantic themes and love songs from Girl Crazy, West Side
Story, The Music Man, Kiss Me Kate and other best-loved Broadway shows, ballets and more.
Fri, Feb 12, 8 pm, FH
Sat, Feb 13, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Feb 14, 7:30 pm, REH
CONDUCTOR DAMON GUPTON: A native of Detroit, Michigan, Damon Gupton held the post of
assistant conductor of the Kansas City Symphony from 2006 to 2008. Gupton received his bachelor of
music education degree from the University of Michigan. He studied conducting with David Zinman and
Murry Sidlin at the Aspen Music Festival and Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute in
Washington, D.C. He served as American conducting fellow of the Houston Symphony for the
2004/2005 season, and he has made conducting appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra (as part of a
Blossom program with David Zinman), Orchestra of St. Luke’s, National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit
Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Monte Carlo Philharmonic
and NHK Orchestra of Tokyo, among others.
An accomplished actor, Gupton graduated from the drama division of The Juilliard School in New York.
He has had roles in television, film, and on stage, including the Broadway production of Bruce Norris’
Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Clybourne Park, Superior Donuts, Inked Baby, Meg’s New Friend,
An American Daughter, True History and Real Adventures, and Treason. He was the lead of the
television series The Divide produced by AMC. Other television credits include Rake with Greg Kinnear,
The Newsroom, Prime Suspect on NBC, Law and Order, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Conviction, The
Unusuals, Third Watch, Hack, and Drift. He was a principal cast member of NBC/Dick Wolf’s Deadline,
the pilots Finkleman, and Strange Brew. On film, he has appeared in the 2002 drama Unfaithful, The
Loretta Claiborne Story, Helen at Risk, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, The Last Airbender, and This
is Forty.
Gupton has conducted TFO on the popular free Pops in the Park series as well as in a special concert
celebrating Hispanic Heritage Week and the music of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. He recent and
upcoming conducting appearances on the pops series with TFO include “New Year’s from Vienna to New
Page 9
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 10
York” in January 2015 and “Denzal Sinclaire Performs the Nat King Cole Songbook” in February of 2014.
Click here to read the complete bio
7. Red Hot Blues – Mar. 4, 5 & 6, 2016
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Byron Stripling, trumpet
Wycliffe Gordon, trombone
Dee Daniels, vocalist
Bobby Floyd, Hammond organ
Bob Breithaupt, drums
Set the night on fire with the hottest blues tunes of Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Miles
Davis and more with an all-star line-up of jazz and blues greats showing their stuff with St. Louis Blues,
Night Train, Basin Street Blues, Movin’ on Up, Birth of the Blues and more.
Fri, Mar 4, 8 pm, FH
Sat, Mar 5, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Mar 6, 7:30 pm, REH
CONDUCTOR JEFF TYZIK: (see bio above or Click here to read the complete bio)
TRUMPET & VOCALS - BYRON STRIPLING: Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the
New York Pops, Byron Stripling has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing
with the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony,
Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony,
Toronto Symphony, and Dallas Symphony, to name a few. He has been a featured soloist at the
Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.
An accomplished actor and singer, Stripling was chosen, following a world-wide search, to star in the
lead role of the Broadway bound musical, Satchmo, about the great Louis Armstrong. Many will
remember his featured cameo performance in the television movie, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,
and his critically acclaimed virtuoso trumpet and riotous comedic performance in the 42nd Street
production of From Second Avenue to Broadway.
Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the
direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of
Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck
Page
10
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 11
Clayton in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All
Star Big Band.
Stripling’s recent TFO performances on the pops series include “The One and Only Louis Armstrong” on
the 2010/2011 season and “A Night at the Cotton Club” on the 2012/2013 season. Click here to read
the complete bio
TROMBONE - WYCLIFFE GORDON: Musical ambassador and interpreter of America’s music, trombonist
Wycliffe Gordon experiences an impressive career touring the world performing hard-swinging, straightahead jazz, receiving great acclaim from audiences and critics alike. His unmatched modern mastery of
the plunger mute and his exceptional technique and signature sound have solidified Gordon a place in
musical history known as one of the top trombonists of his generation. The critics seem to agree.
Gordon was named best in trombone by the Downbeat Critics Poll three years running now (2014, 2013
& 2012) and Jazz Journalists Association named him trombonist of the year in 2013, as well as previous
years 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012. He is a past recipient of the ASCAP Foundation
Vanguard Award, among others.
In addition to an extremely successful solo career, Gordon tours regularly leading the Wycliffe Gordon
Quartet, headlining at legendary jazz venues and performing arts centers throughout the world. Gordon
is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and has been
a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center series. Gordonʼs extensive
performance experience includes work with many of the most renowned jazz performers of the past
and present. His “Jazz a la Carte” show, which debuted at the Apollo Theater, was named one of the
“top five best moments in jazz” for the year 2011 by The Wall Street Journal. Click here to read the
complete bio
VOCALIST DEE DANIELS: Whether accompanying herself at the piano or fronting a trio, big band or
symphony, Dee Daniels’ musical career is as varied as her four-octave vocal range is thrilling. She is a
unique talent who transcends musical borders with her jazz stylings infused with both gospel and blues
flavoring. One critic says, “Daniels’ voice has a hypnotic quality, delivering an impressive range that
gives the romantic songs and verse of 50 years ago new life and raw emotion.”
Though Daniels has a bachelor of arts Degree in art education and taught high school art for a year in
Seattle, she quickly realized that her true calling was music. Her vocal style was born in her stepfather’s
Page
11
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 12
church choir in Oakland, California, refined through the R&B era, polished during a five-year stay in the
Netherlands and Belgium from 1982 to 1987, and brought to full fruition upon her return to North
America. During those years to the present, she has performed and/or recorded with many legends of
jazz, including Benny Green, Houston Person, John Clayton, Russell Malone, Wycliffe Gordon, Cyrus
Chestnut, Clark Terry, Ken Peplowski, Kenny Barron, Bill Mays, Jeff Clayton, Benny Golson, Grady Tate,
Toots Thielemans, Jeff Hamilton, Monty Alexander, Steve Wilson, Marvin Stamm, Lewis Nash, Kenny
Washington, Norman Simmons, Ben Riley, Bucky Pizzarelli and Helen Sung, among many others.
With the creation of her symphony pops programs, “Great Ladies of Swing,” “The Soul of Ray: The Music
of Ray Charles,” and “A Night Out with the Boys,” Daniels has enjoyed sharing stages with symphony
orchestras across the U.S. and Canada. She has toured with the Nord Netherlands Symphony Orchestra;
performed “Songs From Disney Movies” with the Munich Radio Orchestra; recorded her Wish Me Love
CD with The Metropole Orchestra of Holland; and recorded the Holiday Pops CD with the Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra. She is the guest vocalist on the 2006 Crossover Xmas and the 2007 Crossover
Xmas: The Sound Goes Big CDs recorded with the Philharmonie Baden-Baden of Germany.
Click here to read the complete bio
HAMMOND ORGAN - BOBBY FLOYD: Bobby Floyd has performed on piano, organ and keyboards
extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. Touring events include major jazz festivals, concert
halls, and numerous night clubs with Ray Charles, Jeff Tyzik, Chris Howes and Sarah Morrow, among
others. In his hometown, Columbus, Ohio, Bobby Floyd has been a feature with the Columbus Jazz
Orchestra, The Columbus Symphony, and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra sharing the stage with Dionne
Warwick, Doc Severinson, Arturo Sandoval, Faye Robinson and many others. He has also appeared in a
variety of performances opening for Spyro Gyra, Smokey Robinson, Stanley Clark and George Duke, as
well as accompanying other artists like David "Fathead" Newman, Bobby Watson, Greg Osby and Billy
Hart.
Floyd has completed three recordings: Interpretations, Setting the Standards, and Floyd's Finest Gift. His
next project, soon to be released, is a live performance recorded in Spain. Other accomplishments
include recording and composing on several of Vince Andrews' and Chris Howes' projects. He has also
recorded with Gerald Levert (Groove On) and Faye Robinson (Remembering Marian Anderson).
Additionally, he is featured on a Rusty Bryant album, Rusty Rides Again, which received five stars in
Downbeat magazine. Click here to read the complete bio
Page
12
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 13
DRUMS - BOB BREITHAUPT: Bob Breithaupt enjoys one of America’s most diverse musical careers.
Leading the Jazz Arts Group (JAG), one of America’s leading non-for-profit jazz organizations, as
executive director from 2001 to 2012, Breithaupt has also served as the drummer of JAG’s Columbus
Jazz Orchestra since 1980. As a consultant and spokesperson, he promotes the organizational structure
and mission of JAG as a model to be replicated by other communities.
In over 30 years of concerts and tours, Breithaupt has performed in diverse solo, group, and orchestral
settings and has appeared with a virtual “Who’s Who” of great jazz talents such as Terry Gibbs, John
Pizzarelli, Kirk Whalum, and dozens of other notable artists. He regularly performs with many of the
nation’s finest orchestras along with trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling and Broadway star Sandy Duncan.
Breithaupt is considered one of the nation’s leaders in percussion education. He is professor of music
and department chair of performance studies at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. Since 1978,
Breithaupt has developed one of the most recognized undergraduate percussion programs in the United
States, producing students that are successful in performing, teaching and working in the music
industry. He is the co-founder of the Summer Drum Set Workshops, the author of the textbook The
Complete Percussionist and the DVD entitled Snare Drum Basics, and he presents clinics and seminars
worldwide and is a past-president of the Percussive Arts Society.
Click here to read the complete bio
8. And the Tony Goes To… - Apr. 9 & 10, 2016
Stuart Malina, conductor
Christiane Noll, vocalist
Hugh Panaro, vocalist
Tony Award winner Stuart Malina teams up with Tony nominee Christiane Noll and Phantom of the
Opera star Hugh Panaro for a sizzling salute to some of your favorite Broadway shows and songs across
the decades with music from Funny Girl, Crazy for You, The Music Man, Candide, Hairspray, Cabaret,
Chicago, Les Miserables, Ragtime, Mama Mia and more.
Sat, Apr 9, 2 pm, MAH – Special Matinee Added
Sat, Apr 9, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, Apr 10, 7:30 pm, REH
Page
13
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 14
CONDUCTOR STUART MALINA: In addition to overseeing The Florida Orchestra’s two Coffee Concert
series and serving as the orchestra’s principal guest conductor, Tony award winner Stuart Malina has
served as the music director and conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra since 2000. He was
previously music director of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra and associate conductor of the
Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the orchestras of Hong Kong, Naples, New
Mexico, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, the Chautauqua Institution Orchestra, as well as the
Sarasota Music Festival and Eastern Music Festival, where he conducted the world premiere of Billy
Joel’s Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2007,
conducting the New York Pops in an all-Gershwin tribute.
On Broadway, he won a Tony award for orchestration with Billy Joel for the musical Movin’ Out and has
served as associate conductor of the national touring company of West Side Story and conductor of the
Charleston production of Porgy and Bess.
On past Florida Orchestra season’s, Malina has conducted various concerts on the Raymond James Pops
series, including the “Holiday Pops,” “Rock On Broadway,” “American Songbook Encore” and “An
Evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein.” On the 2014/2015 season, he conducted a masterworks
program of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 and Richard Strauss’s Horn
Concerto No. 2 featuring TFO Principal Horn Robert Rearden. He will also conduct the pops concert
“Hillary Kole Pays Tribute to Judy Garland” in April of 2015. Click here to read the complete bio
VOCALIST CHRISTIANE NOLL: Christiane Noll starred on Broadway in the Kennedy Center revival of
Ragtime, receiving Tony and Drama Desk award nominations and winning a Helen Hayes award for her
portrayal of Mother. Broadway and national tour appearances include Chaplin (Drama Desk
nominaton), Urinetown (Ovation Award), The Mambo Kings (pre-Broadway), It Ain’t Nothin’ But The
Blues, Jekyll & Hyde (FANY Award), Grease, Miss Saigon, and South Pacific (Australia/Thailand). She was
featured in NBC's live broadcast of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood.
She has been a frequent guest soloist as part of “Bravo Broadway” program with symphony orchestras
in almost every state in the USA, as well as international appearances with the Toronto Symphony,
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, Sinfónica Brasileira in Rio, China Philharmonic
with concert pianist Lang Lang, and orchestras in Hong Kong, Czech Republic and Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Page
14
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 15
In addition to her many performances as a guest soloist with symphony orchestras in almost every state
in the U.S., her last performances with TFO were on the Raymond James Pops series on the 2009/2010
season on the program “A Century of Broadway.” Click here to read the complete bio
VOCALIST HUGH PANARO: Hugh Panaro is currently starring as the Phantom in The Phantom of the
Opera on Broadway. Also on Broadway, he has been seen as Gaylord Ravenal in the Harold Prince
revival of Show Boat, Marius in Les Miserables and created the roles of Buddy Foster in Side Show, Julian
Craster in Jule Styne’s final musical The Red Shoes and the title role of the seductive vampire in Elton
John’s musical Lestat. Panaro made his West End debut as Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat and went on
to perform the title role in Martin Guerre. Some of his off-Broadway credits include White Lies at the
Triad Theater, Noa Noa at Playwright’s Horizons, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights at the John Housman
Theatre, Children of Eden at the Actor’s Playhouse and Robert in Little Fish at Second Stage Theatre.
An active concert artist, Hugh Panaro has performed with the London Sinfonietta as well as with the
Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Houston, Calgary and Utah symphony orchestras,
among many others. He also had the privilege of performing in the world premiere of Penderecki’s Te
Deum at Carnegie Hall. Click here to read the complete bio
9. Tango Caliente – May 13, 14 & 15, 2016
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Malena Dayen, vocalist
Eva Lucero & Patricio Touceda, dancers
Be transported by the sultry, sizzling and seductive sounds of the dance of romance…the tango… in a
night of such fiery tango classics La Cumparsita, Oblivión, El Choclo, Volver, Por Una Cabeza and more by
Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel and others…all with Argentinean dancers, singer and bandoneón artist.
Fri, May 13, 8 pm, CMH
Sat, May 14, 8 pm, MAH
Sun, May 15, 7:30 pm, REH
CONDUCTOR JEFF TYZIK: (see bio above or Click here to read the complete bio)
VOCALIST MALENA DAYEN: Praised by The New York Times as “outstanding” for her March 2013
performance at Carnegie Hall, mezzo-soprano Malena Dayen is an exciting and versatile artist who
boasts a broad repertoire, ranging from her signature operatic role of Carmen, to gems of bel
canto opera, oratorio, and new music, as well as Spanish art song and tango.
Page
15
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 16
She has recently performed the lead role in Carmen at the Festival d’Art Vocal de Montréal and
the role of Mercedes in Carmen at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, Brazil. Other operatic roles
include Adalgisa (Norma), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte), and Sesto (La
clemenza di Tito). Frequently sought after by composers, Malena Dayen recently was a featured
soloist for the New York premiere of The Blizzard Voices (Paul Moravec) and Requiem (Bradley
Ellingboe), both at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. She created the role of the Nurse in the
world premiere of Phaedra ed Hippolytus (Chris Park) at the Palacio das Artes in Belo Horizonte,
Brazil.
Dayen was born in Argentina, where she started her studies and is a Spanish music and tango
specialist. She has given recitals of this repertoire in a wide variety of venues, including Weill Hall
at Carnegie Hall, Amnesty International and the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute. She is the lead
singer with New Aires Tango, a quartet specializing in golden age tango music interpreted with
contemporary arrangements. Dayen is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music.
Click here to read the complete bio
DANCERS EVA LUCERO & PATRICIO TOUCEDA: Eva Lucero and Patricio Touceda have danced together
since 2001. Both of them started dancing at a very young age. Lucero started ballet training at age 7, and
Touceda was 10 years old when he took his first folk dance class. They both have more than 20 years of
experience as professional dancers. In recent years, Eva Lucero and Patricio Touceda starred in different
major productions, including Luis Bravo’s Forever Tango and ZAIA, the first show staged by Cirque du
Soleil in Macau. Besides being passionate about dancing, they have a great reputation as dance
instructors. They have taught in Argentina and traveled many times around the world to teach special
workshops to students of all levels. They last performed with TFO on the Raymond James Pops series
program of “Let’s Dance” on the 2013/2014 season. Click here to read the complete bio
Ticket Information
Subscriptions are on sale now. For information on the 2015/2016 season, call the TFO Ticket Center at
727.892.3337 or 800.662.7286 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m., or online at www.floridaorchestra.org.
Page
16
The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016
Raymond James Pops – Page 17
Raymond James Pops Series Subscriber Benefits
Subscribers enjoy premium reserved seats and free flexible ticket exchange privileges, among other
benefits.
Raymond James Pops Subscription Prices: 2015/2016
The 9-concert Pops series subscriptions for the 2015/2016 season are now on sale at the low price levels
of $45 and $30 per seat per concert.
Seat Sections
Series Prices (9-Concert Package)
A
$405
B
$270
Photographs, biographies and press reviews of guest artists are available upon request.
Note: Series prices do not include the facility fees charged by the individual concert halls nor the orchestra’s
postage and handling fee for processing a subscription order. All programs, halls, dates and artists are subject to
change. The Florida Orchestra makes every effort to notify ticket holders in the event of a change. No refunds.
#
#
#
The Florida Orchestra presents the 14-concert Tampa Bay Times Masterworks Series and the 9-concert Raymond
James Pops Series, both of which are performed in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Other concert series
include the 8-concert morning Coffee Concert series in St. Petersburg, the newly expanded 4-concert morning
Coffee Concert series in Clearwater and the 3-concert Rock series in St. Petersburg. The orchestra also offers a
variety of free Pops in the Park concerts around Tampa Bay, including the annual Ashley for the Arts “Pops in the
Park” concert at St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park. Furthermore, the orchestra presents a variety of Family Concerts,
Youth Concerts and other educational and community engagement activities serving thousands of school children
and adults throughout the Tampa Bay area annually.
Page
17