A Tribute to the Beatles

with

CHARLES JONES EVANS, MUSIC DIRECTOR / CONDUCTOR

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021 • 7:00 P.M. MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS STADIUM

FEATURING

Jim Owen – Rhythm Guitar / Piano / Vocals Neil Candelora – Bass Guitar / Piano / Vocals Joe Bithorn – Lead Guitar / Vocals Chris Camilleri – Drums / Vocals

Since its initial performance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (now renamed Segerstrom Center for the Arts) in 1996, Classical Mystery Tour has become the #1 Symphony Pops attraction over the last decade. The group has been performing consistently for over 20 years with more than 100 orchestras in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The group played to packed houses at the Sydney Opera House, and has performed with America’s most prestigious orchestras: The Cleveland Orchestra, The Boston Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, among many others. The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound just like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert. The show presents more than two dozen Beatles tunes performed exactly as they were originally recorded. Hear “Penny Lane” with a live trumpet section, experience the beauty of “Yesterday” with an acoustic guitar and string quartet, enjoy the classical/rock blend on “I Am the Walrus,” and relish the cascading 2020 orchestral crescendo on “A Day in the Life.” Classical Mystery Tour is the

best of The Beatles – from early Beatles music on through the solo years – - like you’ve never heard them before. Many have called it “the best show 2021 the Beatles never did!”

The Los Angeles Times called Classical Mystery Tour “more than just an SEASON incredible simulation...the swelling strings and soaring French horn lines gave the live performance a high goose-bump quotient...the crowd stood and bellowed for more.” Classical Mystery Tour CDs and T-shirts are available for purchase on their website: classicalmysterytour.com. The group is usually available after their performance to autograph CDs and programs. 2

M E E T T H E B A N D

JIM OWEN

(JOHN LENNON) RHYTHM GUITAR / PIANO / VOCALS

Jim Owen was born and raised in Huntington Beach, California. He gained rich musical experience from his father, who played music from the classics for him on the piano, and from his extensive library of recordings by the great classical artists. Jim began studying the piano at age six, and won honors in various piano performance competitions throughout his teenage years. He was eight years old when he first heard The Beatles, and promptly decided to take up the study of the guitar. His first professional performance as a Beatle tribute artist was at 16. Then, at age 18, he began touring internationally with various Beatles tribute productions, visiting Japan, Korea, China, Canada, Mexico, and much of South America.

It has long been Jim’s dream to share with the public live performances of some of the greatest music ever written and recorded, so in 1996, Owen began working on his idea for a new Beatles tribute show with orchestra. Classical Mystery Tour was the result.

JOE BITHORN (GEORGE HARRISON) LEAD GUITAR / VOCALS

Joe Bithorn grew up in Manhattan and Long Island where he was exposed to a variety of music including jazz, Latin, classical and more. By age

3, his musical father taught the children how to SYMPHONY

sing harmony. He was profoundly influenced by the experiences he had at Carnegie Hall through

his Mom who worked with the Festival Casals. Thanks to The Beatles BAY

appearance on Ed Sullivan, Joe took a strong interest in the guitar. Early influences include the band Cream, and Joe developed the ability to learn guitar parts by ear by age 14. By age 16, Joe was so proficient that he

was recruited for studio sessions. While in high school, Joe and his brother LONG

formed The Bithorn Brothers Band, performing the early music of the Allman Brothers Band. Joe heard about an audition for Beatlemania, and was hired

for the touring production as George. After touring with the show in North THE America, Joe joined RAIN in 1983 and has been touring the world ever since. 3

M E E T T H E B A N D

CHRIS CAMILLERI

(RINGO STARR) DRUMS / VOCALS

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Chris Camilleri had a convenient drum teacher; his dad. He started listening to Beatles records at a young age, and for many years played drums and sang along to the recordings. Gradually Chris gravitated to progressive rock bands, but retained a fondness for The Beatles and eventually formed the internationally-renowned Beatles cover band Liverpool, which still reunites to perform at the Fests For Beatles Fans (formerly Beatlefest). Chris has played drums for a variety of touring artists, including Peter Noone (of Herman’s Hermits fame), Badfinger, Micky Dolenz, Joe Walsh, and other Beatles-era bands. He became a good friend and musical associate to Harry Nilsson (who was a contemporary and close friend to all the individual Beatles). In addition to The Beatles, his musical influences include Jethro Tull, Genesis, ELP, and David Bowie. When not playing music, Chris has an active commercial and voice-over career. Chris is a D’Addario musical products artist.

NEIL CANDELORA

(PAUL McCARTNEY) BASS GUITAR / PIANO / VOCALS Hailing from sunny Orlando, Florida but now a resident of cold and snowy Chicago, Neil first started tinkering on the house piano at around age

2020 seven. By age 15 he was (feebly) recording songs for his first ever band dubbed The Clergymen. Then

came the move to Chicago were life flourished! - Neil joined The Ivorys, The Webelos and was a founding member of 2021 the RPE group Idealist. The Ivorys, a raucous rock n’ roll trio, has been a Chicago party band staple, and the vast majority of their material is

recorded by Neil at Seven Levels Studios. SEASON

Around the time of joining The Ivorys, Neil began to play with The Fab Four as Paul McCartney. Since then Neil has gone on to play “Paul” with: 1964 the Tribute, Liverpool Legends, The Return, American English, Britains Finest, A Hard Day’s Night, and currently Let It Be. He is also a founding member of the Chicago group “Beatlerama”.

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LON G B AY SYMPHON Y MUSICIAN S

Violin I Flute Trombone Erin Althoff John Samuel Roper Chris Connolly Janet Barringer Roya Farzaneh Marlon McDonald

Violin II Sax Percussion Karen Lewis Eric Schultz Michael Knight Isabella Yee Ray Hutcherson Jesse Willis Rich Zimmerman Viola Harp Clark Spencer Horn Kathleen Wilson George McNally Steve Skillman Tonya Propst Keyboard Cello Kim Adams D. Scott Ferguson Chad Hammer Aaron Jophlin Tamar Ben-Pazi Joshua Colbert Trumpet James Canty Bass Stephen Luck Tom Bresnick Stephen Hand

Casey Black

SYMPHONY

BAY

LONG

THE

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