Contact:Gretchen Miller Basso
Public Relations Director
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Phone: 407/896-6700 x 223
Fax: 407/896-5512
gmiller@orlandophil.org
www.orlandophil.org
(Orlando, FL – November 17, 2010) – The Orlando Philharmonic presents That’s Amore, the sixth concert in the orchestra’s 2010-2011 Super Series, on Saturday, January 29, 2011, with two performances: 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM. The concerts are held at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, 401 W. Livingston Street, Orlando. The Super Series is sponsored by Darden Restaurants Foundation. The Artists’ Sponsor is the Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando.
Guest conductor Albert George Schram leads the Orlando Philharmonic and special guests Deana Martin, daughter of the late Dean Martin, tenor Randolph Locke and barbershop quartet The Humdingers in this delightful program celebrating all things Italian. The program includes Carnival of Venice, Viva Puccini! And the Theme from The Godfather. Martin performs many of her father’s trademark songs including Ain’t that a Kick in the Head, Sway, Volare and Everybody Loves Somebody. Tenor Randolph Locke performs many works made popular by Luciano Pavarotti including E lucevan le stelle from Tosca, Torna a Surriento and O Sole Mio. Audiences are sure to enjoy the Humdingers rousing rendition of That’s Amore, in addition to Bella Notte from Lady and the Tramp.
Albert-George Schram, a native of the Netherlands, has served as Resident Conductor of the Nashville Symphony since August 2005 and is concurrently Staff Conductor of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He also holds regular guest-conducting positions with the Tucson Symphony and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. When the Nashville Symphony opened its state-of-the-art Schermerhorn Symphony Center in 2006, Schram was invited to become the orchestra’s Resident Conductor. While he has conducted on all series the orchestra offers, Schram is primarily responsible for its Bank of America Pops Series.
In 2008, Maestro Schram was invited to conduct the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Bolivia in La Paz and the Orquesta Sinfónica Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina. His other foreign conducting engagements have included the KBS Symphony Orchestra (live televised concerts) and the Taegu Symphony Orchestra in Korea, and the Orchester der Allgemeinen Musikgesellschaft Luzern in Switzerland, among others. He has made return appearances to his native Holland to conduct the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and the Netherlands Broadcast Orchestra.
Deana Martin is an influential American singer, actor and performer and the very proud daughter of iconic entertainer, Dean Martin.
She achieved success early in her career in films, theater and television, then quickly added to her repertoire — recording artist, best-selling author, nationally syndicated radio host, licensed pilot, and business entrepreneur. In 2004, Martin broke new ground as an author with her best-selling memoir “Memories Are Made of This, Dean Martin Through His Daughters Eyes.” In 2006, she released “Memories Are Made Of This,” her top–selling CD of Standards and Jazz. It remained on the Top 10 charts for over 40 weeks. She then launched her phenomenally successful “Memories Are Made Of This” international concert tour.
In the summer of 2009, Martin released her newest CD “Volare” and opened on the Billboard Heat Seeker chart at #7, Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart at #22, and on iTunes Top 10 chart.
Deana’s desire to continue her father’s legacy and support of children’s charitable causes led to her being the driving force behind the annual Dean Martin Festival. All proceeds from this event fund the Dean Martin Music Scholarships.
Martin proudly announced that her book, “Memories Are Made Of This, Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes” is being made into a movie, directed by actor Joe Mantegna with screenplay written by actor/writer/television host Bonnie Hunt and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Randolph Locke enjoys a busy international career, having performed with opera companies in Italy, Greece, Finland, Stuttgart, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, Ottawa, Edmonton, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Boston, Atlanta, Santa Fe, and Sarasota and more. His repertoire encompasses some of the most demanding tenor roles, including Calaf, Cavaradossi, Radames, Bacchus, Samson, Manrico, Hoffmann, and Don José.
Opera News described his Don José in Carmen: “Randolph Locke provided a José of strength and resolve whose principles, as much as love, guided his actions. His stentorian tenor met every demand, even ending his Flower Song pianissimo.” In his role debut as Radames in the Opera Memphis production of Aida, the Commercial Appeal reported: “Aptly self-assured and virile, Locke possesses a pure tenor voice that rang out with vigor and might in his arias about battle; yet the same voice melted with aching sensitivity during expressions of intimacy with Aida.”
Locke has also made forays into Russian (Eugene Onegin, The Gambler), Czech (The Makropoulos Case, Smetana’s Hubicka and The Bartered Bride) and more contemporary fare, such as Mourning Becomes Electra, The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, Susannah, and Merriwether Lewis in The Corps of Discovery. At the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato, he sang the role of Panfilo in the revised premiere of Carlos Chavez’ The Visitors, which was released on the RCA/BMG label, winning Mexico’s coveted Music Critics Award.
In 2001, Mr. Locke and his wife, mezzo soprano Carol Sparrow, cofounded the nonprofit organization Opera for Animals: Singing Is Saving (OASIS) to raise funds for animal welfare groups by giving recitals or other special musical events via their donated talents.
The Humdingers, who perform 365 days a year at a popular family vacation destination in Orlando, FL, have been entertaining music lovers of all kinds for over 35 years. Their blend of singing, dancing, and comedy have made them one of the longest running entertainment groups in the Orlando area.
Pro-rated subscriptions to the Orlando Philharmonic’s Super Series are presently on sale. Single tickets to That’s Amore are $14.75, $29, $39, $52, $70. To purchase subscriptions and single tickets, phone the Philharmonic’s box office at 407-770-0071, or visit the Philharmonic’s website at www.orlandophil.org.
