presents SUMMER FESTIVAL 2010 AT VERIZON WIRELESS AMPHITHEATER SUNDAY , J ULY 4, 2010, AT 8:00 P.M. 4TH -OF -J ULY CELEBRATION A J OHN DENVER TRIBUTE RICHARD KAUFMAN , CONDUCTOR JIM CURRY , VOCALIST WHITNEY KAUFMAN , VOCALIST COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man The Music of John Denver (1900 –1990) Jim Curry BAGLEY National Emblem March VARIOUS Military Tribute (Marches of the Armed Forces) HOLDRIDGE Tuskeegee Airman (b. 1944) WARD America the Beautiful (1848 –1903) WHITNEY KAUFMAN The Music of John Denver Jim Curry SOUSA Washington Post March (1854 –1932) Semper Fidelis —INTERMISSION— Stars And Stripes Forever This concert is generously sponsored by Supporting Series Sponsor Official Airline Official Hotel Official Classical Official Pops Official Television Station Official Media Partner Radio Station Radio Station July 4, 2010 • Pacific Symphony A- 1 ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR musical roles including Jack Nicholson, RICHARD KAUFMAN Dudley Moore, Tom Hanks, Armand Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Assante, David Ogden Stiers and Susan Foundation Principal Pops Conductor Chair Sarandon. PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR Kaufman has served as music director and conductor for numerous musicals. His first assignment (at age 23) was as conduc - ichard Kaufman has devoted much of tor for the national tour of Sweet Charity Rhis musical life to conducting and starring Juliet Prowse. He con ducted the supervising music for film and television first national tours of Company (for Hal productions, as well as performing film and Prince) and Two Gentlemen of Verona (for classical music in concert halls and on Joseph Papp and the New York recordings. The 2010-2011 concert season Shakespeare Festival). For the Los Angeles marks Kaufman’s twentieth season as and San Francisco Civic Light Operas, he Principal Pops Conductor of Pacific was music director and conductor for Symphony. He is currently in his sixth sea - musicals including Wonderful Town (starring son with the Chicago Symphony Nanette Fabray), Irma La Douce, The Sound Orchestra concert series, “Friday Night at of Music (for which he was nominated by the Movies,” conducting classic and con - the San Francisco Theater Critics for temporary film music, as well as classical Outstanding Music Direction), and Guys music used in motion pictures. Kaufman and Dolls (starring Milton Berle). often appears as a guest conductor with While a student at California State symphony orchestras throughout the Beach Boys, Monica Mancini, Peter Paul University, Northridge, Kaufman composed United States and around the world and Mary, Patty Austin, Robert Goulet, the alma mater and fight song. In May of including Cleveland, Colorado, Utah, David Copperfield, Davis Gaines, The 2008, he was the keynote speaker for the Atlanta, Pittsburgh, the National Symphony Righteous Brothers, Martin Short and Art Honors Convocation Ceremony at his in Washington, DC, Calgary, Rotterdam Garfunkel. As a violinist, Kaufman per - alma mater. He has appeared as a guest and the Malaysian Philharmonic. formed on numerous film and television speaker at various universities including Kaufman received the 1993 Grammy scores including Jaws, Close Encounters of the USC, University of Georgia, Furman Award in the category of Best Pop Third Kind, Saturday Night Feve r, and (in a University, and the California State Instrumental Performance for a recording moment of desperation) Animal House. He Universities at Northridge and Fullerton. he conducted with the Nuremberg has recorded with artists including John He is a member of the music and business Symphony. His most recent recording, enti - Denver, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, The advisory boards of the Young Musicians tled The High and the Mighty (Varese Carpenters, Neil Diamond, and Ray Foundation. Sarabande), is with the London Symphony Charles. Born in Los Angeles, Kaufman began Orchestra. Recorded at Abby Road Kaufman joined the music department of violin studies at age 7, played in the Peter Studios, this CD features music from classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in 1984 as Meremblum California Junior Symphony, and contemporary films about flying. music coordinator, and for the next 18 years and was a member of the Young Musicians Richard’s other recordings include film supervised music for all MGM television Foundation Debut Orchestra. He attended music performed by the Brandenburg projects. He received two Emmy Award the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood Philharmonic in Berlin, a second recording nominations, one for the animated series The in the Fellowship program, and earned a with the Nuremberg Symphony celebrat - Pink Panther in the category of Outstanding B.A. in music from California State ing the 100th anniversary of motion pic - Music Direction and Composition, and University, Northridge. Kaufman lives in tures, and two critically acclaimed CDs another for Outstanding Original Song co- Southern California with his wife, Gayle, a with the New Zealand Symphony authored for the series All Dogs Go to former dancer in film, television and on Orchestra, conducting the film music of Heaven. For the MGM television series In Broadway. His daughter, Whitney, is a grad - Alfred Newman and Victor Young. the Heat of the Night , Kaufman composed uate (with honors) from Chapman He has conducted for performers songs with actor/producer Carroll University in Orange, California, and including John Denver, Andy Williams, O’Connor. He conducted scores for films recently completed two-and-a-half years as Mary Martin, Nanette Fabray, Juliet Prowse, including Guarding Tess and Jungle to Jungle. a member of the cast of the National Tour Sir James Galway, Diana Krall, Chris Botti, As a unique part of his career in film, of Mamma Mia . The Pointer Sisters, Arturo Sandoval, The Kaufman has coached various actors in A- 2 July 4, 2010 • Pacific Symphony ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS JIM CURRY members. Curry’s tribute is the first and WHITNEY KAUFMAN only full-length John Denver tribute in a im Curry began his Las Vegas casino and is a sell-out favorite hitney Jmusic career writ - at the Silverton time after time. Curry has WKaufman ing and performing taken his show on the road to performing joined the North the opening song, arts centers and casinos throughout the American tour of the “The Time of Your U.S. and Canada and out to sea as one of international hit Life” for his senior the most popular shows on the Holland musical Mamma Mia! play. The song was America Cruise Line. in 2007 as a member then voted to be the In October 2007, on the 10th anniver - of the ensemble and 1975 class song, and sary of Denver’s passing, Curry brought a as understudy for the Curry was awarded a Rotary Scholarship landmark concert to the stage in Aspen roles of Sophie and Lisa. Kaufman to study music in college. Even at this Colorado. It included many of Denver’s appeared in the part of Sophie in various early stage in his life, Curry’s natural voice former band members, some of them for cities including San Francisco, Boston, resembled that of singer/songwriter John the first time in a tribute show. Bass player Chicago and Philadelphia. Denver. Embracing the similarities, Curry Dick Kniss, songwriter, guitar and dobro Kaufman has appeared as a guest continued to sing and specialize in the player Steve Weisberg (who penned many soloist with the Malaysia Philharmonic songs of Denver, sharing Denver’s positive of John Denver’s recordings), banjo player Orchestra in Kuala Lumpur, and made her messages of love, humanity and environ - Jim Connor (a former member of the symphony debut at age 7 singing in the mental awareness. New Kingston Trio and author of the hit children’s chorus in the West Coast pre - Denver’s untimely death in 1997 was a song “Grandma’s Feather Bed”), legendary miere of music from John Williams’ Home tragedy that was felt the world over. Such guitarist James Burton (Elvis Presley, Alone with Pacific Symphony. She has also a void in the musical world left Denver’s Ricky Nelson and John Denver), and, in appeared as a principal vocalist in “Disney ardent fans demanding that his music sur - what would be one of his last major per - in Concert” and was the featured vocal vive. CBS television responded by pro - formances before his passing, singer/song - soloist with the Florida Orchestra in their ducing a made-for-TV movie: Take Me writer John Stewart of the famed Christmas Celebration concerts. She has Home, the John Denver Story, in which Kingston Trio. recently recorded songs written by Oscar- Curry landed an off-camera role as Now Curry takes his tribute show to a winning composer Dimitri Tiomkin. Denver’s singing voice. This experience new level by adding symphony orchestra - She has appeared in Annie Get Your inspired Curry to produce full–length tions back into live performances of John Gun with the Fullerton Civic Light Denver tribute concerts. Denver music. When Denver wanted to Opera, as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the He’s not your usual “Vegas style” add a full orchestra to his live shows and Covina Valley Playhouse, and as impersonator. In fact, he is not an imper - recordings, he teamed up with Grammy Peaseblossom in the Shakespeare Orange sonator at all. Curry sings, in his own nat - Award-winning arranger, composer and County production of A Midsummer ural voice, a tribute to the music in a way conductor Lee Holdridge. Lee’s symphony Night’s Dream. Kaufman also appeared that has to be seen and heard to under - arrangements, along with John’s songs with the Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble in stand the pure honesty of his amazing became the trademark sound of many of the critically acclaimed original play performance. His looks and his voice are Denver’s hits. Curry and Lee Holdridge Wounded , which was presented in Los simply a pleasant coincidence that cap - have now brought the rebirth of the time - Angeles, on tour in Northern California, tures the true essence of Denver’s music.