�Sophisticated Ladies� is Peter Nero and the Philly Pops�� stylish tribute to the great dames of American song
04/17/2007

Special guest Dee Daniels joins The POPS to toast such legendary vocalists as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan

Peter Nero and the Philly Pops� presents Sophisticated Ladies, a tribute to some of America�s greatest female vocalists. With Peter Nero at the helm, the Philly Pops is joined by special guest Dee Daniels, who lends her incredible four-octave voice to the sultry ballads and hot jazz standards sung by such legendary singers as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. The Los Angeles Times has praised Ms. Daniels, writing that �hardy tones, jazz-wise phrasing, and triumphant scat showed why she�s considered among the cream of mainstream jazz singers.� The concerts will also feature the Philly Pops orchestra playing new performances of music by the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands.

�I�ve been waiting for a long time for the opportunity to present the phenomenal talent of Dee Daniels and to feature the members of our orchestra who excel in the best big band music ever created,� Mr. Nero says.

Sophisticated Ladies runs April 18 and 20-22, 2007, in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. (See listing calendar for concert times.) For tickets or information, call 215.893.1999. On January 27, 2007, Peter Nero performed on the Academy of Music 150th Anniversary Concert, joining rock icon Rod Stewart from the piano on �They Can�t Take That Away from Me.� Maestro Nero was a guest soloist on Mr. Stewart�s second of four Great American Songbook recordings, As Time Goes By ... The Great American Songbook, Vol. 2.

A two-time Grammy Award-winner, Mr. Nero has built an impressive career as a conductor, arranger, composer, and master pianist. �If he weren�t such a superb musician, Peter Nero might be easy to dismiss as a mere great entertainer,� notes Peter Dobrin, music critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer. For his ability to pick just the right material, Mr. Nero most recently was dubbed �Dr. Feelgood.� Named �the epitome of the Pops Conductor/Performer� by the Washington Post, Mr. Nero won the Grammy Award for �Best New Artist� in 1961, another in 1962, and since that time has garnered 10 additional nominations and released 67 albums. Mr. Nero�s recent guest performances include engagements with the Toledo Symphony, the National Arts Centre Symphony in Ottawa, the Charlotte Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Baltimore Symphony, among others. He has made numerous television appearances on national networks as well as PBS. He is the recipient of six honorary doctorates and in 1999 received the Pennsylvania Distinguished Arts Award.

Vocalist Dee Daniels offers the jazz aficionado an ultimate treat � jazz served up with full-bodied silky tones that soar to the heights and capture the depth of her four-octave range. Ms. Daniels has performed in Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan, as well as throughout Africa, North America, and Europe. Her stage credits include the musical Wang Dang Doodle and the starring role in the 2001 Calgary Stampede. She has performed pops programs with ensembles across the United States and Canada, including the Detroit Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Baltimore Symphony. She has also appeared with the WDR Radio Big Band, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the Berlin Film Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the North Netherlands Symphony, and the Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary symphonies. Ms. Daniels has performed at numerous festivals around the world, including the Kobe Jazz Street Festival in Japan, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival in Ireland, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho, the Rhinegau Music Festival in Germany, the du Maurier Jazz Festival in Vancouver, and the Sarasota Jazz Festival. She has also appeared in concert with such artists as Toots Theilemans, Johnny Griffin, Ed Thigpen, Monty Alexander, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Dorothy Donegan, John Clayton, Benny Golson, Russell Malone, and many others.

One of America�s premier pops orchestras, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops was founded in 1979 under the musical leadership of Mr. Nero, whose unique talents and innovative programming blending all musical genres have made their concerts widely popular in the pops world. POPS concerts run the gamut from great classics to jazz improvisation, big band to Broadway hits, ragtime to rock �n� roll. Mr. Nero�s participation as piano soloist has been received with boundless enthusiasm and acclaim. Guest artists�both established stars as well as outstanding new vocalists from Broadway and the concert stage�join The POPS each season. The Voices of The POPS, the resident vocal group, has become a member of the Philly Pops family as well.

Peter Nero and the Philly Pops is the Official Pops Orchestra of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a significant part of Philadelphia�s cultural scene. The POPS has produced continuously growing and loyal audiences and performs to regularly sold-out crowds as a resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

On July 4, 2006, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops performed a free outdoor concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Their concert on the Parkway the previous Independence Day, featuring Sir Elton John, Patti LaBelle, and Bryan Adams, reached over a half million people. Other notables who have joined them for past city celebrations include James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Ray Charles, Boyz II Men, and Dionne Warwick.

During the 2003-04 season, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops celebrated its 25th anniversary. One of the most significant events of that year was the signing of a three-CD contract with DRG Records, making them one of only a few orchestras in the country with such a deal. Peter and The POPS had the honor of performing at the opening of the National Constitution Center in 2003, and participating in National Public Radio�s nation-wide radio broadcast on July 4, 2002. Another highlight took place in April 2002, when Astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn made a guest appearance in a special performance of Peter�s original composition Voyage into Space. Peter and The POPS were featured on ABC-TV�s �Independence Day 2001,� a live, star-studded national broadcast, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Whoopi Goldberg, and Garth Brooks.

More information about Peter Nero and the Philly Pops can be found at www.phillypops.org.

PETER NERO AND THE PHILLY POPS� SOPHISTICATED LADIES
Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

April 18 at 8:00 p.m. � Wednesday evening
April 20 at 8:00 p.m. � Friday evening
April 21 at 3:00 p.m. � Saturday afternoon
April 22 at 3:00 p.m. � Sunday afternoon


Peter Nero and the Philly Pops
Peter Nero, conductor and pianist
Dee Daniels, vocalist

Single tickets: $26-$100, 215.893.1999 or www.phillypops.org

US Airways is the exclusive airline of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops.
CBS 3 is the media sponsor of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops� 2006-07 season.

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