RICH, ROMANTIC VOCALS OF AMERICA¡¯S FAVORITE DAUGHTER¡ª
NATALIE COLE¡ªSET THE STAGE FOR PACIFIC SYMPHONY¡¯S ¡°UNFORGETTABLE¡± VALENTINE¡¯S DAY WEEKEND
Just in time for Valentine¡¯s Day! Pacific Symphony delivers an unforgettable concert packed with memorable love songs, featuring the indelible vocals of Natalie Cole, backed by the full symphony orchestra.
Warm, tender and heartfelt, Cole¡¯s singing preserves the treasured standards made famous by her father, while adding her own touches of jazz, swing and pop. Daughter of the legendary Nat King Cole, Cole has made a sell-out career as an R&B, pop and jazz singer, with chart-topping albums featuring hits such as ¡°Unforgettable,¡± ¡°This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),¡± ¡°I¡¯ve Got Love On My Mind,¡± and her newest single ¡°Love Brought Me Back,¡± along with reinventing songs from the Great American Songbook such as Frank Sinatra¡¯s ¡°The Best is Yet To Come¡± and Bruce Springsteen¡¯s ¡°Pink Cadillac.¡± Having scored nine Grammy awards, Cole continues to astonish audiences across generations with her vocal dexterity and her intimate way with a lyric and melody.
Led by Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, the concert takes place Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 10-12, at 8 p.m., in the Ren¨¦e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. To kick off the evening, the Symphony performs love songs to share between sweethearts: a Suite from ¡°Gigi,¡± the Parisian romance; ¡°Unchained Melody,¡± the theme song from ¡°Ghost¡±; ¡°Bella Notte¡± from ¡°Lady and the Tramp¡±; the main theme from the classic love story ¡°An Affair to Remember¡±; and more. Tickets are $25-185; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.
Cole says, ¡°I still love recording and still love the stage, but like my dad, I have the most fun when I am in front of that glorious orchestra or that kick-butt Big Band.¡±
¡°Natalie Cole¡¯s magnificent career speaks for itself,¡± says Maestro Kaufman. ¡°With a wonderful voice and a superb style, she has certainly continued the legacy of her legendary dad, the great Nat King Cole. Her extraordinary voice is reminiscent of the memorable singers who, along with history¡¯s great songwriters, created the ¡®American Standard.¡¯
¡°Romance can be expressed in many ways, but no more poignantly than with music,¡± continues Kaufman. ¡°Concerts around the time of Valentine¡¯s Day bring out a special emotion from the audience that is truly wonderful. During the first half of our concert, we¡¯ll spend time in the ¡®city of romance¡¯ with ¡®Gigi,¡¯ attend a ¡®Norwegian Bridal Procession,¡¯ hear the music that made the film ¡®Ghost¡¯ so memorable, recall the romantic encounter on the high seas that brought Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr together in ¡®An Affair to Remember¡¯¡ªand much, much more.¡±
Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album, ¡°Inseparable,¡± earning her a number one single, ¡°This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),¡± and two Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1991, she took a bold leap and recorded ¡°Unforgettable¡With Love,¡± an album of standards from the Great American Songbook that included a duet with her late father¡ªNat King Cole¡ªon the title track.
The album spent five weeks at number one on the pop charts, earned her six Grammy awards and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Cole then released two more Grammy award-winning albums including ¡°Take a Look¡± and ¡°Stardust,¡± among others. In her latest album ¡°Still Unforgettable,¡± released in 2008, Cole wraps her unparalleled voice around 14 standards, which garnered her two more Grammy awards and the NAACP Award for Best Jazz Artist.
Cole says that the songs on her album, ¡®Still Unforgettable,¡¯ [some of which are being performed on the Symphony¡¯s program], ¡°go deeper into the treasure chest of great American song writing, with lyrics and melodies that touch you and soothe you, appealing to your intellectual side, but most of all, appealing to your heart.¡±
As a thank you to Maestro Kaufman for his 20 years of dedication to the Symphony, the Pacific Symphony League has invited patrons to ¡°Send a Valentine to Richard¡±¡ª a personalized message presented to him in a bunch during each performance. Proceeds from the Valentines support the Symphony¡¯s education programs including Heartstrings, which provides tickets and transportation for underserved families to attend Family Musical Mornings concerts. Valentines are $20, $250, or $500; to send one to Richard, call Elizabeth Ton at (714) 876-2338 or sign one the night of a performance.
For two decades, Kaufman has brought his charm, humor and superior musicianship to Orange County audiences, sharing the stage with some of the world¡¯s great entertainers and showcasing the Symphony¡¯s versatility. Kaufman has devoted much of his musical life to conducting and supervising music for film and television productions, as well as performing film and classical music in concert halls and on recordings. He is currently in his seventh season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert series, ¡°Friday Night at the Movies.¡± He appears as guest conductor with orchestras throughout the United States, as well as internationally.
Kaufman received the 1993 Grammy Award in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance. His most recent recording, entitled ¡°The High and the Mighty¡± (Varese Sarabande) is with the London Symphony Orchestra recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Other recordings include film music with the Brandenburg Philharmonic, a second recording with the Nuremberg Symphony, and two critically acclaimed CDs with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (music of Alfred Newman and Victor Young). He has conducted for performers including: John Denver, Andy Williams, Mary Martin, Nanette Fabray, Chris Botti, Monica Mancini, Peter Paul and Mary, Patty Austin, The Righteous Brothers, Martin Short and Art Garfunkel.
This concert is sponsored by US Bank. The Symphony¡¯s Pops series receives additional support from The Westin South Coast Plaza; the Symphony¡¯s official airline, American Airlines; official Pops radio station, K-Earth 101; and official television station, KOCE-TV.
Submmitted By;
Jayce Keane
Director of Public Relations
Pacific Symphony
3631 S. Harbor Blvd. Suite 100
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Direct: 714/ 876-2383 ©¦Tickets: 714/ 755-5799
www.PacificSymphony.org
