October
2002
Peter
Nero and the Philly Pops raising the curtain on Trenton
By
Joe Emanski
Peter
Nero is celebrating his 40th anniversary as a recording artist
and has produced 23 albums, received 10 Grammy nominations and
won two Grammy Awards. On Saturday, November 2, at 8 p.m., Nero
and the Philly Pops orchestra, featuring guest singer Linda Eder,
will perform in a benefit concert for the Foundation of Morris
Hall/St. Lawrence at the Trenton War Memorial.
Nero
recently received the prestigious Distinguished Arts Award, which
was presented by former Pa. governor Tom Ridge. Linda Eder has
been performing for the past ten years and starred in the Broadway
show Jekyll & Hyde.
For
Peter Nero, a return to Trenton has been a long time coming.
"I'm
really looking forward to playing in Trenton and making this the
first of many more," says Nero. "Last time I played
Trenton was probably 1976, with Trenton symphony. There was something
I'd written in 1970s-a musicalization of the Diary of Anne Frank.
It was written for full orchestra, soloists, rock group, full
chorus and children's chorus. You've got 300 people on stage.
We'd done it in L.A., New York, Cincinnati before that. The original
was two hours and 10 minutes, but I cut it to 90 straight through.
 |
| Peter
Nero conducts the Philly Pops at the Patriots Theater on Nov.
2. |
"I
was very flattered that any city would take any time to mount
that sort of production - the soloists and choruses had to rehearse
without me," says Nero.
This
year Nero and the Philly Pops will pull songs from their repertoire
of some 600 pieces for "Curtain Up," a selection of
Broadway hits to do with Eder. As is customary, Nero will also
take a turn playing the piano.
In
their 24th year of collaboration, with Nero, the Philly Pops has
a pool of about 150 musicians to draw from.
"They
play such a variety of things, they play operas and in orchestra
pits and jazz bands. One has his own jazz band. How about that,
he's a graduate of Curtis [Institute of Music] but has a jazz
band. That's what makes it unique. Other orchestras are dedicated
to orchestra music, but Philly Pops there are very few who can't
stop and improvise choruses," he says.
The
proceeds from the concert will benefit The Foundation of Morris
Hall/St. Lawrence, Inc. The Foundation's mission is to provide
money to be used towards delivering quality health care for uninsured
patients and indigent residents at Morris Hall and St. Lawrence
Rehabilitation Center. The Foundation also provides medical equipment
for patients and residents of both facilities, and promotes safety
education and injury prevention programs in the schools and community
for children and their caretakers.
The
Trenton School District will also benefit from the concert. There
will be one or two programs in the schools by the Philly Pops
performers that will help enrich the students' knowledge and appreciation
of music. These performers have participated in school programs
in the Philadelphia School District. Many students will also have
the opportunity to attend the Peter Nero and the Philly Pops concert
at the War Memorial. These tickets will be provided by corporate
sponsors of the school programs.
Ticket
prices range from $30 to $75 and can be purchased by calling (800)
955-5566 or visiting www.tickets.com. Information available at
the War Memorial at (609) 984-8400. Patron tickets are available
and include a champagne reception after the concert with Mr. Nero.
The cost of the patron tickets is $150 and $200 and can be purchased
by calling (609) 896-9500, Ext. 2215.
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