Cal Phil in concert July 10 and 11

MUSIC MEN:
Cal Phil presents Andrew Lloyd Webber Goes To Italy

Guest artists soprano Angel Blue, tenor Mathew Edwardsen, baritone Ralph Cato, plus Spotlight Award winner, soprano Emily Dyer, and the Cal Phil Chorale join the California Philharmonic to present excerpts from works by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Giacomo Puccini and Guiseppe Verdi

Saturday, July 10, 2010; 7:30 p.m.; The Arboretum
Sunday, July 11, 2010; 2 p.m.; Walt Disney Concert Hall
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SAN MARINO, Calif. Dr. Victor Vener, founder and Music Director of the California Philharmonic, has often claimed that the orchestra’s mission is to share “great music.” And, since the orchestra’s founding in 1996, audiences have responded enthusiastically – with over 4000 regularly attending Cal Phil Festival on the Green on Saturday evenings at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia and a further 2000 filling Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles for a matinee performance the following day.

But no programs have proven more popular, over the past 15 years, than those showcasing not only the beauty of orchestral music but the human voice. Nor, this year, will audiences be disappointed. On Saturday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. at The Arboretum and 2 p.m. on July 11 at Disney Hall, Cal Phil will once again pay tribute to composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and his operatic predecessors, Giacomo Puccini and Guiseppe Verdi, when it presents “Andrew Lloyd Webber Goes to Italy.”

“The wonderful thing about composers like Lloyd Webber, Verdi and Puccini is that their body of work is as vast as it is extraordinary,” Vener explains. “We have so many marvelous options to chose from that no program is ever the same. The works we present vary each season.”

This year, audiences attending the concerts will hear excerpts from such blockbusters by Andrew Lloyd Webber as Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. Also on the program are highlights from Verdi’s operas, Aida and La Traviata, as well as Puccini’s Tosca and Turandot, including the famous aria Nessun Dorma.

Some things, however, do remain the same year after year, Vener stresses – the glorious beauty of the music, the unique exhilarating experience Cal Phil offers, and the breathtaking artistry of the guest artists.

“We are so thrilled that Angel Blue, who took part in the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist program for two years before traveling, this year, to sing with the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain, has found time in her busy schedule to return to Cal Phil,” says Vener. “If you haven’t heard Angel sing, just wait till you do. You’ll agree with Placido Domingo, who has hailed her as ‘the next Leontyne Price.”

Joining Angel Blue at “Andrew Lloyd Webber Goes to Italy” are tenor Mathew Edwardsen, baritone Ralph Cato, high school senior soprano Emily Dyer, a semi finalist for the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards., and the Cal Phil Chorale, under the direction of Chorus Master Marya Basaraba.

“Mathew will sing Nessun Dorma, which was Pavarotti’s signature aria,” Vener says. “In fact, his recording of the aria was played at his funeral while the Italian Air Force flew overhead. Other artists who have performed Nessun Dorma range from Andrea Bocelli to Michael Bolton and Aretha Franklin. Mathew – who has performed to rave reviews with Tulsa Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, and Opera Fairbanks – will thrill Cal Phil’s audiences too, I have no doubt.”

Baritone Ralph Cato is equally impressive. “Ralph’s operatic roles include the evil Scarpia in Tosca and Amonasro, the King of Ethiopia, in Aida,” Vener relates. “But he’s also sung with a wide range of ensembles – from the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony to the US Marine Band, plus he’s toured around the world in productions of Riverdance. Cal Phil audiences welcomed him with a standing ovation the last time he joined us. History will no doubt repeat itself.”

History will also repeat itself when Emily Dyer and the Cal Phil Chorale step on stage. Both Dyer and the Chorale are long time Cal Phil audience favorites. Dyer – who was selected by world-renowned soprano Marilyn Horne as a semi-finalist candidate for the Music Academy of the West in 2009 and received a 2010 Honorable Mention “Young Artist” for Classical Voice from the National Foundation For the Advancement of the Arts – will perform “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera.

“And what’s opera without a chorus?” says Vener. “Thanks to our highly talented Chorus Master, Marya Basaraba, who is an extraordinarily gifted performer in her own right – as well as Emily Dyer’s teacher – there is none better than the Cal Phil Chorale. Audiences who’ve heard the chorus perform excerpts from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Ninth will agree, I am sure.”

“Andrew Lloyd Webber Goes To Italy” will begin on Saturday, July 10, at 5:30 p.m., when the gates to The Arboretum open for picnicking. Three vendors – including Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ & Grill, Bristol Farms and Neomeze Restaurant Bar and Lounge – will provide food on site as well. Wine will be provided by redwhite+bluezz. And, as has happened in the past, live jazz performances will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Parking on site is available. The Arboretum is located at 301 North Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia. For more information or to order tickets, visit www.calphil.org or call 626.300.8200.

Tickets for concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall can be purchases through Ticketmaster online or by calling 800-745-3000. For downloadable order forms, seating and pricing, visit Cal Phil’s website: www.calphil.org. While tickets for the July 11 production of “Andrew Lloyd Webber Goes to Italy” are nearly sold out, plenty of seats are still available for the concert at The Arboretum on July 10.

Cal Phil will also be presenting “Talks with the Maestro” at Disney Hall – at 1 p.m. prior to the concert. Vener stresses that these talks are not lectures but conversations between him and audience members; questions are encouraged. Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles.