March 14, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Swing along to the sounds of big-band music as Associate Conductor Norman Leyden leads his 17-piece big band in an annual Oregon Symphony Bank of America Pops concert featuring vocalists Shirley Nanette and Michael Redman and swing dancers from Dance West on April 12, 13 and 14 in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Oregon Symphony does not perform. Oregon Symphony Pops concerts are sponsored by Bank of America, with media support provided by Newsradio 750 KXL and Oregon Business Magazine.
Leyden has been performing with some of the band’s members more than 25 years. “They’re the best players in town for this kind of music,” he said. Most also play with the Woody Hite Band under the leadership of trumpeter Mark Gaulke during the rest of the year, but once a year they come together under Leyden’s baton for a night of memorable swing and popular standards from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. This year, the band also will perform in Klamath Falls in May, as part of the Symphony’s new Community Music Partnership program.
Leyden, who began his big-band career as an arranger for the Glenn Miller Army/ Air Force Band, notes a distinct difference between leading a big band and conducting a symphonic program. “With Big Band music you set a steady tempo appropriate to the mood of the piece and stay in time all the way through. Symphonic music, on the other hand, rarely stays in one tempo for very long.” The virtuoso big band specialists in Leyden’s band will perform favorites featuring both Nanette and Redman singing solos and duets throughout the evening including “And the Angels Sing,” “’Deed I Do,” “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “A Tisket, A Tasket,” “Tenderly,” “Oh, Look at Me Now,” “Sentimental Journey,” “Amapola,” “The Breeze and I,” “All or Nothing at All,” “My Prayer” and “Blue Skies.” Instrumental selections will include such big band favorites as “Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Tuxedo Junction and “In the Mood.”
Nanette, a fixture of the Portland jazz scene for a number of years, has performed in most of Oregon’s music festivals, including the Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz, Britt Festivals, the Oregon Coast Jazz Series and the Sunriver Music Festival. She made her debut with the Symphony under Leyden’s direction in 1981 and has been a favorite of pops audiences ever since.
Redman was featured in the cast of a number of vintage TV shows, including “The Smothers Brothers,” “Donny & Marie,” “Red Skelton,” “Carol Burnett,” “Sonny & Cher,” Johnny Mann’s “Stand Up & Cheer” and “The Lawrence Welk Show,” in which he was part of the popular “Gail, Ron & Michael” vocal trio. Redman has performed and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Henry Mancini, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Glen Campbell, among others, and has sung with symphonic pops orchestras around the country.
Dance West, a specialized program housed at Arts and Communication Magnet Academy, (ACMA), in Beaverton School District, is a pre-professional training ground for students who desire in-depth technical study and performance experience. The swing dancers, Gretchen Bail, Heidi Bail, Jaasiel Bean, Krista Bledsoe, Keely Bond, Anna Botterill, Jaclyn Burleigh, Tamsyn Cunningham, Allison Hayden, Scott Hardy, Steven Houser, Erin Johnson, Jennifer Kirkpatrick, Anna Klement, Jocelyn Lee, Hayley Lodhie, Corey Mathews, Rebecca Noles, Lindsay White and Chloe Womack, will perform up-tempo swing and boogie-woogie moves to Louis Prima’s classic “Sing Sing Sing” and Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood.”
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, April 12 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 13 at 3 and 7 p.m. and Monday, April 14 at 8 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $23 to $65 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
Shirley Nanette has appeared as guest soloist in concert throughout the United States and Canada, on both commercial and public television. She has performed at many of Oregon's musical events including ArtQuake, Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz, Cascade Music Festival, Sunriver Music Festival, Oregon Coast Jazz Series, the Oregon Art Museum’s “Museum After Hours,” Neighborfair and the Peter Britt Music Festival.
Nanette was honored by the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade with her own float from which she sang in two consecutive years.
She has been the opening act for Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons, Billy Eckstine, Diane Schuur, Lou Rawls and Eddie Harris.
Shirley Nanette made her debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1981 with Norman Leyden. She is a favorite of Pops concert audiences, and has also performed with James DePreist. She and Leyden have appeared together with the symphony orchestras of Seattle, Spokane, St. Louis, Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Tucson, San Diego, Honolulu, Long Beach and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
In 1983, competing against several thousand contestants throughout the nation, Nanette won the First “Star Search” national talent competition on NBC. She was recognized as “Best Female Vocalist of Portland” from 1981 to 1991. She appeared in the stage play “The Colored Museum,” written by George C. Wolf, in a parody of Josephine Baker. In 1992, she received the Arts and Letters Award from the Delta, Sigma, Beta Sorority Alumni.
Nanette was chosen twice as the only jazz vocalist to be represented by the Commission for their “Oregon On Tour” statewide program. In 1990, she was the first minority and the first female to win the Master Fellowship Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission. In May of the following year, she began the task of making her first recording, “See You Later,” which was released in 1992. The album includes compositions of Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Michel LeGrand, and George and Ira Gershwin.
Performing for the audiences that have loved her and watched her grow to the beautiful, talented and gracious lady she is today, Shirley’s incredible energy emerges when she is doing what she does from the heart.
Michael Redman, Jr. is familiar to many audiences both by sight and by sound. Some people recognize Michael as a cast member of such vintage TV series as “The Smothers Brothers,” “Donny & Marie,” “Red Skelton,” “Carol Burnett,” “Sonny & Cher,” Johnny Mann’s “Stand Up & Cheer” and “The Lawrence Welk Show.” Many listeners recognize his voice from his solo albums, commercials, as well as various records, cartoons and film soundtracks. He can be heard also on many Walt Disney and Hanna-Barbera creations like the Little Mermaid, Yogi Bear, Scooby Doo, Pound Puppies and The Flintstones. Occasionally, Michael has been joined by his wife, Cinda, and their two daughters, Jennifer and Melissa, as they sang together on Disney films like “Perfect Harmony.”
Some of Michael’s commercial novelties include singing while shaving barbershop-quartet style for Gillette Foamy shave cream, singing with football legend Don Meredith for thirst-quenching Lipton Tea, and receiving national acclaim for singing and tap-dancing, uniformed as a World War I “Doughboy” soldier, on top of a shiny new Chevrolet. Michael’s acting career includes a starring role in a situation-comedy pilot taped in New Zealand, titled “The Cleaning Company,” as well as several roles on “Little House On The Prairie” and “Highway To Heaven,” with Michael Landon. In addition, he appeared on the TV series, “Eight Is Enough” and with Kurt Russell in “Elvis: A Life Story.”
Film credits for Michael include “Annie,” “Blues Brothers,” “Big,” “Lonesome Dove,” “Apocalypse: Now” and “Oh God, Books I, II, and III.”
As a recording artist, Michael has performed and recorded with such legends as Frank Sinatra on all three of his famous “Trilogy” albums, Barbra Streisand, Ray Conniff, Henry Mancini, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Florence Henderson, Bob Hope, Perry Como, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Glen Campbell. In addition, Michael is among the elite group of singers ever to perform on tour with Elvis Presley.
Another highlight for Michael has been the blending of his voice with the Grammy nominated “L.A. Voices” and the incomparable big band jazz artistry of “SuperSax.” These groups are popular internationally, playing to sold-out concerts and jazz clubs throughout the United States and in such places as Tokyo, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, The Hague, Antwerp, London and Paris.
Michael’s career took an exciting turn when singer-songwriter, Gail Farrell created the smooth, fun blend of voices which came to be known as the popular trio of “Gail, Ron & Michael” on TV’s longest-running musical-variety show, “The Lawrence Welk Show.” Michael also performs with another hit group, “The Crew Cuts,” whose classic rock ‘n roll hits include “ShaBoom,” “Earth Angel” and “Shangri-La.” As a soloist and with these exciting groups, you can expect to find Michael performing concerts internationally with symphony orchestras, pops concerts, festivals, state and county fairs in addition to television, film and recording projects in Nashville, Los Angeles and other entertainment centers.
Recently, the “Gail, Ron & Michael” trio was part of the musical family reunion TV special “Milestones and Memories,” celebrating the Welk TV Show’s 50 years on television, which was taped in Branson over Labor Day Weekend and is airing around the U.S. on PBS.
Michael continues his performance schedule of solo concertizing and recording, as well as sharing co-hosting chores with his wife, Cinda, on TV fund-raisers for various charities and PBS pledge drives. Cinda Goold Redman is a concert pianist and chamber music performer appearing with symphony orchestras and recitals internationally. Cinda is also author of the popular, celebrity book of recipes, photos and updates, “Recipes For Remembrance,” featuring stars of “The Lawrence Welk Show.”
Michael’s latest solo album is entitled “Michael Redman — Yesterday and Today,” which features a mixture of pop, contemporary, inspirational, standards, big band and a touch of jazz.
Dance West, one of many specialized programs housed at Arts and Communication Magnet Academy, (ACMA), in Beaverton School District, is a pre-professional training ground for students who desire in-depth technical study and performance experience. Comprised of 20 students who have auditioned for placement, a daily schedule of core academic study, dance technique classes, and a two-hour rehearsal for a repertoire of diverse concert works is required. ACMA recently received a rating of “exceptional” from the Oregon State Schools Report Card. The rigorous arts-infused academic curriculum, taught by professionals with specialization in the field of dance, provides unique opportunities for the students. They experience the kind of education that prepares them with lifetime skills necessary for success in higher education and in their chosen career path.