A Chris Botti Valentine

Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 7:30 PM

BPO POP SERIES A CHRIS BOTTI VALENTINE

Bradley Thachuk, conductor Chris Botti, trumpet

Program to be announced from the stage

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

CHRIS BOTTI, TRUMPET

Since the release of his 2004 critically acclaimed CD, °When I Fall in Love,” Chris Botti has become the largest-selling American instrumental artist. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music, and his ongoing association with PBS has led to four #1 jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum, and Grammy Awards. Most recently, his latest album, “Impressions,” won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Performing worldwide and selling more than four million albums, he has found a form of creative expression that begins in jazz and expands beyond the limits of any single genre. Over the past three decades, Botti has recorded and performed with the best in music, including Sting, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Bublé, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, and even Frank Sinatra. Hitting the road for as many as 300 days per year, the trumpeter has also performed with many of the finest symphonies and at some of the world's most prestigious venues, from Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House and the Real Teatro-di San Carlo in Italy. “Impressions,” Botti's 2012 Columbia Records and Grammy-winning release, is the latest in a stellar parade of albums - including “When I Fall in Love” (2004), “To Love Again: The Duets” (2005), “Italia” (2007), and the CD/DVD “Chris Botti in Boston” (2009) - that has firmly established him as a clarion voice in the American contemporary music scene. Playing with his uniquely expressive sound and soaring musical imagination, Botti is joined on the disc by featured artists Andrea Bocelli, Vince Gill, Herbie Hancock, Mark Knopfler, and David Foster in a warm, intimate celebration of melodic balladry. With “Impressions” and the albums that preceded it, Chris Botti has thoroughly established himself as one of the important, innovative figures of the contemporary music world. 21

BRADLEY THACHUK, GUEST CONDUCTOR

Bradley Thachuk is the Music Director of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Canada, entering into his 11th season as their artistic leader and conductor in September 2021. He is also the conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s BPO Rocks! series, conductor and arranger for Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” project, and a lecturer in Orchestral Literature at the world-renowned Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. A respected and devoted artist, he has received many awards including Established Artist 2016 in Niagara, given to an artist of international stature who has benefitted the artistic life in the Niagara region, being selected by the National Arts Centre (Canada) as the only Canadian in an international field to be featured in their Young Conductor Showcase, receiving the David Effron Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institute, and being awarded a Corbett Scholarship at the University of Cincinnati, allowing him to pursue his entire graduate education tuition-free. A versatile and diverse musician, Mr. Thachuk has also established himself globally as one of the handful of conductors who moves easily between the classical and rock worlds. He is a highly sought-after symphonic arranger, but he also has the legitimacy and skills as a symphony conductor, which allows him to see a project through from inception to performance. He is quite uniquely positioned in this capacity and has worked with artists in many genres. His work on Steve Hackett’s worldwide Blu-Ray/DVD/CD release “Genesis Revisited Band & Orchestra: Live at Royal Festival Hall,” and appearances in Europe with this project have been met with critical acclaim. Recent and upcoming projects include Blue Rodeo, Styx, Dave Mason of Fleetwood Mac and Traffic, Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Bahamas, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars franchise, Tony-Award winning Heather Headley, Sarah Slean, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Beach Boys, and Air Supply. An advocate of contemporary music, he has led world, Canadian, and U.S. premieres of works by John Estacio, Joseph Schwantner, Kevin Lau, Stewart Goodyear, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Roydon Tse, Robert A. Baker, and Ronald Royer, amongst others A native of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Thachuk started his music studies in classical guitar at the age of 5. Having established a performing career by the age of 9, he eventually began studies of the French horn and piano before entering the University of Toronto to pursue his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance as a guitarist. Following graduation, his sights set on conducting, and he began the Special Program for Conductors at the University of Toronto. Following studies at the Janacek Academy in Brno, Czech Republic he pursued his Masters and Doctorate degrees at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and completed his studies with NHK Symphony Orchestra (Japan), Orchestre de Paris (France), and Tonhalle Orchestra (Switzerland) Music Director, Paavo Järvi.