Fresh off seven overwhelmingly successful Holiday POPS! performances, the musical magic continues for another season of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops! Four fabulous concert series are planned for the 2011-2012 season.
The season begins on February 8th with A Night at the Oscars celebrating the award winning music from the movies. Peter and The POPS will play the epic scores from Academy Award-winning and nominated movies. Vocalists Jodi Benson and Sal Viviano will bring the movie music to life. Benson is the ethereal voice of Ariel in the Oscar-winning film The Little Mermaid. Viviano is not only a Broadway and film star, but also a Philadelphia favorite. This passionate evening will bring tears to your eyes, having you rolling with laughter, and set your heart afire - just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Jodi Benson, a native of Rockford, Illinois, has received worldwide recognition and critical acclaim as the voice of Ariel in the Academy Award-winning animated feature film The Little Mermaid. Benson received a Tony Award and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for creating the starring role of Polly Baker in the Tony Award-winning musical Crazy For You.
Sal Viviano made his Broadway debut in The Three Musketeers; followed-by starring roles in the Broadway hits Romance / Romance, City of Angels, Falsettos, The Life, and The Full Monty.
Just when you think summer will never get here, Peter and The POPS throw a beach party! March 21st kicks off Symphonic Surfin’ Safari featuring Papa Doo Run Run. This Beach Boys tribute will transport you straight to sunny California with Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, California Girls, and, of course, Surfin’ Safari.
Formed in 1965, the now legendary California band, Papa Doo Run Run, quickly discovered their forte - they sounded like the Beach Boys! The group had an unprecedented 15-year run as the "Celebrity House Band" at Disneyland from 1975-90! Papa’s 1975 Top 40 hit “Be True To Your School” reached No. 1 in California. Their ground breaking CD “California Project” (1985) exploded onto the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at no. 17 and earned the band their second Gold Record and a Grammy Nomination. Their best kept secret - Papa Doo Run Run is who the Beach Boys call when they need someone to fill in in their band.
This is a concert of pure classic Pops with Grammy Award-winning Maestro Peter Nero at the piano. Ultimate POPS! opens April 11th and will highlight the unparalleled talents of the Philly Pops orchestra. Running the gamut from swing, to light classical, to rock ‘n roll, it’s guaranteed to be a night of Pops favorites that will please everyone.
We end the season with a new twist on our annual Broadway Showstoppers with Broadway’s Most Wicked Villains. This season finale highlights those evil characters that we love to hate. Starring Allie Mauzey from Crybaby and Wicked, Nicole Parker known for her zany characters on MADtv, and the devilishly handsome Ryan Silverman. This is a one-of-a kind evil extravaganza that you won’t want to miss!
Alli Mauzey most recently starred as Glinda in the final San Francisco company of Wicked. She also starred as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. Mauzey originated the role of Lenora in the Pre-Broadway production of Cry Baby at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, where she won the Theatre Critics Circle Award.
Nicole Frances Parker is an Emmy Award-winning actress and singer best known for her work on Fox's sketch comedy show MADtv. In July 2009, she concluded her run as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked. She can currently be seen in the new Broadway musical, The People in the Picture.
Ryan Silverman’s impressive vocal range has allowed him to move smoothly across various genres including opera, symphony concerts, pop musicals, traditional music theater and big band. He recently starred as Raoul in the Broadway and Las Vegas productions of The Phantom of the Opera. Other Broadway credits include Karl in Music in the Air, and Al in Most Happy Fella. Concert work includes the Cincinnati Pops, The New York Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphonies of Utah, Vancouver, Edmonton, Modesto, Hartford, and Fort Worth. Silverman is featured in the recent feature film, Five Minarets, with Danny Glover and Gina Gershon.
Peter Nero
This year marks the 51st anniversary of the birth of Peter Nero’s recording career, which eventually produced 67 recordings. In 1960 he was signed to a three-year contract with RCA Victor records, which was then renewed for another five years, producing more than 26 LPs, including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Piano Concerto in F with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. The following year, he was honored with his first Grammy Award, as “Best New Artist of the Year.”
