BROADWAY COMES TO LONG BEACH AT LONG BEACH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA POPS! CONCERT ON FEBRUARY 25

 My Fair Lady. Camelot. Gigi. Brigadoon. Those are just a few of the famous Broadway musicals composed by the talented team of  Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.

Pop music fans can enjoy their favorite Lerner and Loewe show tunes sung by a trio of talented Broadway performers when Long Beach Symphony Orchestra presents “The Best of Lerner and Loewe” as its first Orchestra POPS! concert of 2012 on Saturday, February 25, at The Long Beach Arena.

The concert features Principal Orchestra POPS! Conductor Steven Reineke along with guest artists Susan Egan, Chad Johnson, and Christopher Johnstone, plus the Azusa Pacific University Choir directed by Dr. John Sutton.    

 “In addition to enjoying a wonderful pops concert with stellar performers, audiences members are welcome to bring their own food and beverages with them, or purchase them at the Arena,” says LBSO Executive Director Robert C. Jones, “Whether you experience the concert from one of 300 cabaret tables on the Arena floor, or from the theater-style seats in the loge or balcony, come join our musical party and you’ll know why we say ‘This Ain’t Your Daddy’s POPS!’”

"The Best of Lerner and Loewe” begins at 8 p.m. at the Long Beach Arena, 300 East Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for picnicking. Tickets start at only  $21. Student rush tickets are available for $10 with valid I.D. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-3203, or visit LBSO.org.

 ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA POPS!

The Long Beach Symphony Orchestra POPS! is a fun and friendly way to enjoy an entertaining night out. There are two ways to experience the Orchestra POPS!—either at a table of 10 on the Arena floor, or from the upstairs loge or balcony in a theater-style seat.

 The concert itself starts at 8 pm, but the doors open at 6:30 pm and people are encouraged to come early and bring a picnic dinner to enjoy before the show. There are concessions available at the Arena (pizza, sandwiches, and full beverage service). Patrons can also choose to have their table catered by one of the Orchestra POPS! approved caterers.

 ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS

 SUSAN EGAN

Seal Beach native Susan Egan has traversed all four corners of the entertainment industry, making powerful impressions in theatre, film, television and music. She headlined on Broadway as Thoroughly Modern Millie, won critical acclaim as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, starred in Triumph of Love and State Fair, and received Tony and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress as the original Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Regionally, Egan starred alongside Carol Burnett in Putting It Together and Tommy Tune in the national tour of Bye, Bye Birdie, and developed works at Yale Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, South Coast Rep, and the Mark Taper Forum.

 Her film credits include 13 Going on 30, Gotta Kick It Up, indies: Man of the Century (Slamdance Award), Death and Texas (Slamdance/Seattle Film Festivals), The Almost Guys (HBO Comedy/Boston Film Festivals), Meet Market (Sarasota Film Festival), and more. Susan has voiced leading characters in the animated films, Hercules (Meg), Spirited Away (Lin), Porco Rosso (Gina), and Lady and the Tramp II (Angel). On television, she spent two seasons on the WB’s “Nikki,” and guest-starred on “HOUSE,” “NUMB3RS,” “NYPD Blue,” “Arli$$,” “Drew Carey,” “Great Performances,” and countless others.

 Susan has headlined with more than 50 symphonies worldwide, including concerts at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl, and has over 40 recording credits including her solo CDs: All That and More, So Far, Winter Tracks, CoffeeHouse (Best Vocalist 2004), Susan Egan LIVE, and her 2011 release, The Secret of Happiness.

 Entertainment Weekly has called www.SusanEgan.net the “slickest site around.” Follow @IAmSusanEgan, “like” Facebook.com/OfficialSusanEgan, read Susan’s blog with composer-pal Georgia Stitt at www.GlamourAndGoop.com, and view her music videos on YouTube.com/SusanEgan!

 Originally from Southern California, Susan attended the Orange County High School of the Arts and UCLA, where she received a Carol Burnett Award in Musical Theatre. For more information, visit, www.SusanEgan.net

 CHAD JOHNSON

Chad A. Johnson was born in Muskegon, Michigan. He began his musical studies in the vocal music department of Mona Shores High School and then went on to Western Michigan University, The University of Kentucky and the American Institute of Musical Studies, Opera Studio in Graz, Austria. He is a student of renowned soprano, Virginia Zeani.

 In 2001, Chad joined the young artist program of the Chicago Opera Theater. Over the next two seasons he performed in the operas ensembles and covered the role of the Male Chorus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. That May, Chad joined the Santa Fe Opera’s Apprentice Artist Program for Singers and was then invited to join the Young Artist Ensemble at the Florida Grand Opera. During the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons Chad sang many roles including the Second Jew in Salome, Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette, Gastone in La Traviata, Joszef in the North American premier of Ede Donath’s Szulamit and Pong in Turandot. The following summer, Chad sang the role of Harry, the miner in La fancuilla del West at Glimmerglass Opera, as a member of the Young American Artists Program.

 Chad has also been active as a concert soloist. He has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, the Boston Pops, Sun Valley Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Chamber Orchestra and Master Chorale, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, AIMS Festival Orchestra, the Symphony of the Americas and the New World Symphony. He has been a featured soloist in such works as Mozart's Requiem and Coronation Mass, Handel's Messiah, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, Bach’s Magnificat, Orff's Carmina Burana and numerous recitals and concerts.

 Chad has received prizes from the Young Patronesses of the Florida Grand Opera Vocal Competition, NATS regional and state vocal competitions, the Anna Sosenko Artist Assist Trust and the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. Most recently, Chad won the Four Cities District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and was the Second Place Winner of the Great Lakes Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and first prize in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition.

 Other career highlights include Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte with the Tanglewood Music Center under the baton of Maestro James Levine, Gerald in Lakme with Minnesota Opera and Florida Grand Opera, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with New Orleans Opera, Ruggero in La Rondine with Lyric Opera San Diego and Paolino in Il matrimonio segreto.

 For more information, visit www.ChadAJohnsonTenor.com

 CHRISTOPHER JOHNSTONE

Christopher Johnstone is noted for his considerable vocal range (from tenor to baritone). He has performed in many operas and musicals across the country and Canada. Considered a “hybrid” for his crossover capabilities, Christopher is a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and now resides in New York City and Los Angeles.

 A post-master’s honors graduate of (CCM) The Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Christopher has sung with Glimmerglass Opera, Lyric Opera San Diego, The Mark Morris Dance Group, Opera Pacific, Theatre Cedar Rapids, the Pacific Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center, Castleton Music Festival, the Modesto Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, the Boston Pops, the Long Beach Pops and the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra.

 Although music is his first passion, acting has become his next in the constant development to become the true singing-actor. This endeavor has seen him on TV shows such as TLC’s “Personal Justice” and recurring roles on “All My Children” in addition to straight plays such as “The Apartment” which made its world premiere for Fringe NYC 2011 this summer in New York City.

 Career highlights include understudying and performing the role of Lt. Joseph Cable on the Lincoln Center National Tour Production of South Pacific (winner of seven Tony Awards); performing alongside Christine Ebersole and Ron Raines in A Little Night Music with the Boston Pops; performing Poulenc’s Le bal masqué for Baritone and Chamber Orchestra with Maestro James Levine of the Metropolitan Opera; and periodic modeling gigs for clients such as David Barton Gym and DETAILS magazine.

 For more information, visit www.johnstonechristopher.com

 AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY CHOIR

A nationally renowned, mixed-voice choral under the direction of Dr. John Sutton, the University Choir performs a wide variety of music with a concentration in contemporary Christian music at churches and schools throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, as well as overseas. The choir has participated in two NBC Christmas specials, three sold-out concerts at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphonic Spectacular, and concerts with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra POPS!. Accolades include the Dove Award for the musical recording “Exaltation,” and a Grammy nomination for the Gospel recording “Amen” with the Cincinnati POPS! Orchestra in 1990. In addition to regular concert appearances, the choir tours extensively each year. Their 2012 May Tour will include performances in California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada.

 Dr. John Sutton’s professional choral career spans three decades of work in the community, church, academic, and professional settings.  From major choral and instrumental works, concert and chamber choirs, to music for television and movies, John is recognized for his work with children, youth, adults, and with amateurs and professionals alike. He’s also one of the most active professional conductors in the nation, conducting over 400 singers and orchestra members weekly.

 In 2011, Dr. Sutton has led choirs and orchestras on concert tours of Argentina and the Southern United States.  In 2012, John will be preparing choirs for performances around the Olympic festivities in London, England, and in 2013, Dr. Sutton will be performing as a conductor in the castles and villas of Italy and France. John resides in Altadena, California with his wife, Dr. Cecilia Patiño-Sutton.

 ABOUT STEVEN REINEKE & THE LONG BEACH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Steven Reineke’s boundless enthusiasm and exceptional artistry have made him one of the nation’s most sought-after pops conductors, composers and arrangers. Mr. Reineke is the newly appointed Principal Pops Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  He also serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Long Beach and Modesto Symphony Orchestras through the end of the 2011/2012 season and was Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

 Mr. Reineke is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and in the past year he’s been on the podium with the Boston Pops and The Cleveland Orchestra.  He makes his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut on July 4, 2012 at Ravinia.  His extensive North American conducting appearances include Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa (National Arts Centre), Detroit, Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Tampa (The Florida Orchestra), Calgary, Memphis and Oklahoma City.

 As the creator of more than one hundred orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mr. Reineke’s work has been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands around the world.

 A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City. Mr. Reineke is represented by Peter Throm Management, LLC.

 Established in 1935, the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra launches its 77^th season in October 2011. Under the leadership of Music Director Enrique Arturo Diemecke, LBSO draws loyal audiences from the greater metro-coastal area to its six Classics concerts in the Terrace Theater, four Orchestra POPS! events in the Long Beach Arena and two Holiday Celebration concerts in the Terrace Theater. The Orchestra works with the Long Beach Unified School District to provide sequential, curriculum-based music education opportunities throughout the year. Through its comprehensive music education programs—including professional ensembles in elementary and middle schools and widely acclaimed Miller Foundation Symphony Concerts for Young People—the LBSO reaches more than 25,000 students a year.