Posted April 8, 2019
CONTACT: ANGELA WHITEHEAD
Communications & Media Manager
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
Phone 937-224-3521 x1138
awhitehead@daytonperformingarts.org
DAYTON, OH (April 8, 2019) – On Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 8 pm in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman, will present the final concert in the 2018–2019 Dayton Freight Rockin’ Orchestra Series, Sgt. Pepper’s Complete. For this performance, Dayton Philharmonic welcomes guest band Classical Mystery Tour to take Dayton on a magical mystery tour through this iconic album, plus a short visit to a few other albums from the vast collection of the Fab Four. The DPAA 2018-2019 Vistas Season Rockin’ Orchestra Media Sponsor is WYSO. Leadership Sponsor for this concert is Brady Ware.
Then, on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 3 pm in the Mead Theater of the Schuster Center, Maestro Gittleman, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and Classical Mystery Tour together will present the 2018–2019 Demirjian/Graeter’s Sundae Classics concert Sgt. Pepper’s: The Classical Connections Edition. On Sunday’s concert, Neal and Classical Mystery Tour will tackle the challenge of peeling the songs of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band apart, showing how the Beatles created them and how Classical Mystery Tour and the orchestra team up to perform live songs that were never intended to be performed live. This album is one of the most complex and intricate albums ever recorded, and giving it the Classical Connections treatment gives both die-hard Beatles fans and those just discovering the wonders of this album a glimpse of how these songs came to be. A Q&A with Neal and the band and a Graeter’s ice-cream social follow this Sunday concert.
In 1966, the Beatles made the decision not to tour any longer. When the band returned to the studio, they wrote and recorded new music within a new concept. They would not be writing and recording as The Beatles per se, leaving aside all outside expectations. Instead, the music poured forth from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although the album turned 50 in 2017, the music still exudes the joy and innovation (and sometimes whimsy) that listeners first heard back in June 1967. This exciting experiment produced music that lives within the hearts of all who have listened. Who can forget “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lovely Rita,” or “A Day in the Life”? The collaboration of the orchestra and Classical Mystery Tour will highlight the album as it was meant to be heard and will also include a few additional Beatles gems as well.
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. They have been delighting pops audiences for more than 22 years, performing concerts with more than 100 orchestras in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The group has played sold-out concerts at the Sydney Opera House and has performed with America’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. The Los Angeles Times called the show “more than just an incredible simulation…the crowd stood and bellowed for more.”
Classical Mystery tour features Jim Owen on rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals; Tony Kishman on bass guitar, piano, and vocals; Tom Teeley on lead guitar and vocals; and Chris Camilleri on drums and vocals. Martin Herman transcribed the musical scores note for note from all The Beatles recordings.
The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Classical Mystery Tour are set to deliver two performances of The Beatles like you’ve never heard them in years or possibly ever: totally live. Don’t miss this epic weekend in Dayton!
Tickets for Sgt. Pepper’s Complete and Sgt. Pepper’s: The Classical Connections Edition are available at Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and student discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the community, offering a tremendous variety of performance and education programs and setting a new standard for artistic excellence. Dayton Performing Arts Alliance performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance also receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio’s cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents. In 2013, The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance was thrilled to be one of five performing arts organizations in the country selected to receive a three-year “Music Alive” grant from New Music USA and the League of American Orchestras. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is the proud recipient of a 2017-2018 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.