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For Immediate Release: February 18, 2014 Media Contacts: Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, [email protected] RPO Info: rpo.org, facebook.com/SuperRPO, twitter.com/SuperRPO, rpo-land.blogspot.com

DOC SEVERINSEN HERE TO CELEBRATE TYZIK’S 20TH Also in March: Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman returns Plus Music and Dance, The Composer is Dead, Royal Fireworks Music RPYO Musical Adventures: Side by Side with the RPO is March 9

Rochester, NY – Carl Hilding “Doc” Severinsen – best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years – will help the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) celebrate Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik’s 20th anniversary season in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on Friday and Saturday, March 21 at 22 at 8 p.m. Tyzik, who produced Severinsen’s Grammy® Award-winning album, The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1, will also be joined by two fellow Eastman School of Music grads and long-time collaborators, trumpeter Allen Vizzutti and trombonist Jim Pugh. Both are internationally-recognized virtuosos, composers and educators who share musical backgrounds with each other and with Tyzik, including Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band, Chick Corea, Woody Herman and more. “I’m really looking forward to celebrating with my close friends Doc Severinsen, Allen Vizzutti, Jim Pugh and, of course, my RPO family” says Tyzik, who, since being appointed RPO Principal Pops Conductor in 1994, has also become Principal Pops Conductor for the Seattle, Detroit, Dallas, Oregon and Florida Symphony Orchestras. “This entire program of wonderful music will be performed by my favorite musicians and friends. It will be a very special ‘once in a lifetime’ concert.” Tyzik’s 20th Season Celebration will include several Tyzik arrangements: Joe Zawinul’s Birdland, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess Suite, and Chick Corea’s Spain, as well as Tyzik’s own Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra, which will feature RPO Principal Timpanist Charles Ross (The Harold and Joan Feinbloom Chair). Severinsen will be featured on a piece written by Tyzik and himself called Notte A Roma, and Vizzutti will take center stage for several original selections from his Ritzville CD, which features Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea. The RPO trombone section, including Principal Trombonist Mark Kellogg (The Austin E. Hildebrandt Chair), Lisa Albrecht and Jeffrey Gray, will join Pugh for some lush jazz standards. Even the RPO Rhythm Section, featuring John Nyerges (piano), Jeff Campbell (bass) and Dave Mancini (drums), will get some spotlight time, with Mancini soloing on his own Fiesta Latina. For a tribute gift of $20, patrons looking to congratulate Tyzik personally may include their messages of up to 20 words in a commemorative book to be presented to Jeff on his last Pops concert of the season (Saturday, April 26). Call (585) 454-7311 x249 to participate or for more information. On Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 8 at 8 p.m., RPO Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman returns for Christopher Seaman: Berlioz, Beethoven and Bruckner in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Seaman (The Christopher Seaman Chair, Supported by Barbara and Patrick Fulford and The Conductor Laureate Society) will lead a program that features another Rochester favorite, internationally acclaimed Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker. The “scintillating” (Seattle Times) Parker will solo on Beethoven’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2, paired with Berlioz’s dazzling Roman Carnival Overture and Bruckner’s rich Symphony No. 6. “My annual visit to the RPO is a highlight of my musical year,” says Seaman, who will sign copies of his Inside Conducting book – a wise but humorous look at the art of conducting – following both performances. “I have conducted Bruckner’s 6th Symphony many times, but never with the RPO, so it will be a wonderful experience for us to ‘discover’ this great masterpiece together. In addition, Jon Kimura Parker is a great artist and a dear friend, so I’m expecting a very happy experience all ‘round!” March kicks off with Music and Dance on Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein. Dancers from Rochester City Ballet (Megan Kamler, Jessica Tretter, Adam Kittelberger and Christopher Collins) join Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach Michael Butterman (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) and the RPO for a fusion of two artistic mediums with a concert of music inspired by dance – and dance inspired by music. Piazzolla's Tangazo will feature the RCB dancers, and the program’s dance-inspired music includes works by Bach, Mozart, Ravel, Tchaikovsky and more. On March 9 at 3 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, the Rochester Philharmonic Youth (more)

(Tyzik’s 20th, continued) Orchestra (RPYO) will present its annual side-by-side concert with its mentors in the RPO. This year’s Musical Adventures: Side by Side with the RPO, conducted by RPYO Music Director David Harman, will feature 100 of the finest middle- and high-school musicians from the Greater Rochester area performing John Williams’ “Adventures on Earth” from E.T., Holst’s “Jupiter” from The Planets, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 (2nd mvt.). The program also includes selections from RPYO Concerto Competition Winners. One of the most ingenious introductions to the orchestra ever written, The Composer is Dead, is the RPO’s third of four OrKIDStra concerts this season, on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein. The engaging music of Nathaniel Stookey is paired with text by Lemony Snicket (author Daniel Handler), as the audience and orchestra solve the mystery of the missing composer. The RPO’s final offering in March is Royal Fireworks Music on Sunday, March 23 at 2 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein. Taking advantage of Allen Vizzutti’s appearance the previous evening for Tyzik’s 20th Season Celebration, the RPO features the virtuoso playing piccolo trumpet on J.S Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 as well as his own Andante and Capriccio for Piccolo Trumpet. José-Luis Novo guest conducts a program that also features Haydn’s Symphony No. 59, “Fire” and G. F. Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. Tickets for Tyzik’s 20th Season Celebration start at $25, with $10 student tickets available. Christopher Seaman: Berlioz, Beethoven and Bruckner start at $22/$10 students. Tickets for Music and Dance and Royal Fireworks Music are $25 adults/$10 students. Tickets for Musical Adventures: Side by Side with the RPO are $15 adults/$10 students and seniors. Tickets for The Composer Is Dead are $15 adults/$10 children/$40 family four-pack. All tickets may be purchased in person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street) and at all Wegmans That’s T.H.E. Ticket! locations, by phone at (585) 454-2100, or online at rpo.org. The entire RPO 2013/14 season is presented by Dawn & Jacques Lipson, with additional sponsorship for the Pops series provided by Canandaigua National Bank and Trust and Fibertech Networks, and for the OrKIDStra series by Wendy’s. More information: Jeff Tyzik is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. In his twenty years with the RPO, he has developed a close relationship with Rochester audiences, as well as becoming a sought-after guest conductor. Over the course of his tenure, he has written more than 200 works for orchestra, and has been invited by the RPO to appear as a guest conductor in its classical series on a regular basis. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastman, Tyzik spent the next years working with former teacher Chuck Mangione. He became a skilled record producer while continuing to be active as a performer and arranger (which included composing and arranging music for the Maynard Ferguson and Woody Herman Orchestras). These experiences led Tyzik to co-composing a trumpet concerto with Allen Vizzutti to be recorded by Doc Severinsen, after which, he worked closely with Severinsen on many projects. Tyzik’s arrangements and compositions have been recorded frequently, he has composed and produced theme music for major television networks, and released six of his own albums. He’s collaborated with such diverse artists as Chris Botti, Wynonna Judd, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Dawn Upshaw, Marilyn Horne, Arturo Sandoval, The Chieftains, Mark O'Connor and John Pizzarelli, and has created numerous original programs that include the greatest music from jazz and classical to Motown, Broadway, film, dance, Latin and swing. Tyzik received the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester's 2002 Performing Artist award, and was elected to the first class of the Rochester Musicians Hall of Fame in 2012. Find out more at jefftyzik.com. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its founding in 1922. The RPO presents up to 150 concerts a year, serving nearly 200,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Notable former music directors include Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman; Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 20-year tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) – the first position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches 14,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children. The RPO's 2013-14 season highlights include Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik's 20th anniversary celebration, and a performance at Carnegie Hall on May 7, 2014, as part of the Spring For Music festival. Media please note: High-resolution images for Philharmonics concerts are available at docs.google.com/folder; high-res photos for Pops and other concerts are available at docs.google.com/folder/d. More details are available at rpo.org and upon request. Interviews, as well as photo and footage opportunities, can also be arranged. ###