"Be My Love"-and be there as Peter Nero and the Philly Pops® pays tribute to Philadelphia's favorite son, Mario Lanza, with The Great American Tenor. From his wild, fiery Philadelphia youth to his MGM Hollywood blockbusters, Lanza's tenor was one in ten million. Four spectacular tenors-Cody Austin, Tommy DeHorney III, Jeffrey Halili, and Frank Tenaglia-join Peter and The POPS for this very special salute. The arias, the hits, the magic of Mario Lanza. A voice so big it'll take at least four tenors to celebrate it!
Peter Nero and the Philly Pops' 2009-10 season concludes with Winding Around the '60s and '70s with Maureen McGovern (May 12, 14-16, 2010).
Peter Nero
In October 2009 Grammy Award-winning pianist and conductor Peter Nero was honored with lifetime achievement awards from the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the Philadelphia Musicians' Union Local 77, AFM. He also received the Mario Lanza Award, in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of music, in November 2009.
"If the perfect pops conductor could be conjured, ... he might answer to this description," wrote Philadelphia Inquirer music critic Peter Dobrin: "Huge talent with polymath abilities and catholic tastes. Musician who actually enjoys giving audiences what they want. Plays piano like a dream. ... [H]e might look something like Peter Nero."
"Peter Nero is, of course, known for his piano playing, covering a range from classical concert repertoire to straight-ahead jazz. His fingers stretch as far as Art Tatum's, and he practically knows no limits on the Steinway. He is also a fine conductor ... Philadelphia is lucky to have him and his, by now, trademark Philly Pops," said All About Jazz's Victor L. Schermer on May 8, 2009.
"Nero ... plays with the energy of a 20-year-old rock and roll drummer," noted the Palm Beach Daily News on March 26, 2008. "His Juilliard training shows in the cleanliness of his technique and in his control of the tone of the piano. His technical arsenal includes brilliant passage work, rapid bass lines, arpeggio-like figures ascending and descending, and subtle dynamic variations. His fast playing is thrilling, and his slow playing is marked by a beautiful lyricism."
A two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist, Peter Nero leads his unrivaled Pops orchestra blending classical, swing, Broadway, blues, and jazz-all performed with virtuosity, authenticity, and an inviting sense of humor. The Washington Post has called him "the epitome of the Pops Conductor/Performer."
One of his greatest achievements is being the founding Music Director of the world renowned Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. On January 27, 2007, Mr. Nero joined Rod Stewart from the piano for a performance of "They Can't Take That Away from Me" at the Academy of Music 150th Anniversary Concert. Mr. Nero's recent guest performances include engagements with the Indianapolis Symphony, the National Arts Centre Symphony in Ottawa, the Charlotte Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony, among others. His complete concert schedule can be found at www.peternero.com.
As a Steinway artist for close to 50 years, he recently returned to New York's Carnegie Hall to perform at a gala celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Steinway with many noted pianists, including Dr. Billy Taylor, Herbie Hancock, and Michel Legrand.
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Nero began his formal music training at the age of seven. By the time he was 14, he was accepted to New York City's prestigious High School of Music and Art and won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. Constance Keene, his teacher and mentor, once wrote in an issue of Keyboard Classics that "Vladimir Horowitz was Peter's greatest fan!"
Peter Nero recorded his first album in 1961 and won a Grammy Award that year for "Best New Artist." Since then, he has received another Grammy, garnered 10 additional nominations, and released 68 albums. His early association with RCA Records produced 23 albums in eight years. His subsequent move to Columbia Records resulted in a million-selling single and album-The Summer of '42-now available on CD.
