Program - Jake Shimabukuro & Hanson String Theory

SPECIALS

2018/19

JAKE SHIMABUKURO IN CONCERT

2018/19 SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:

COLORADO SYMPHONY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor JAKE SHIMABUKURO, ukulele Friday, September 7, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.

Boettcher Concert Hall

Selections to be announced from stage.

Tonight's Concert is Gratefully Dedicated to CU Foundation PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SOUNDINGS

2018/19

PROGRAM 1

SPECIAL BIOGRAPHIES CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is in his fourth season as the Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony. For three years he previously held the position of Assistant Conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch. Christopher works regularly in Australia and has guest conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with Josh Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Christopher’s international guest conducting includes the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted at numerous festivals including the Breckenridge and Bangalow Music Festivals, with both resulting in immediate re-invitations. At the beginning of 2016 Mr. Dragon conducted Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony as part of the Perth International Arts Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra. Christopher Dragon began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program in Australia under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Järvi at the Järvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.

JAKE SHIMABUKURO, ukulele Jake Shimabukuro can still vividly remember the first time he held a ukulele, at age four. It was an encounter that would shape his destiny and give the world one of the most exceptional and innovative uke players in history.

That brush with musical fate took place in Honolulu, Hawai’i, where Jake was born and resides. Growing up, he studied and played a number of other musical instruments, “but none of those instruments spoke to me the way the ukulele did.” Shimabukuro became a local phenomenon. His fame spread to Japan and was signed to Epic Records (Sony/Japan) in 2001. He created albums noted for their dazzling fretwork, ambitious repertoire and wistful melodicism. Then Shimabukuro became an international phenomenon when his video performing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube. By adapting the anthem for the ukulele, Shimabukuro made a significant statement: The ukulele, with its humble four strings and modest two-octave range, is an instrument limited only by the imagination and creativity. Widespread acclaim brought collaborations with a wide range of artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Michael McDonald, Bela Fleck, Tommy Emmanuel, and Marty Friedman. He even played for Queen Elizabeth II at The Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England. Shimabukuro leads a busy tour and recording schedule. His most recent CD, Nashville Sessions, is one of his most adventurous— blending elements of jazz virtuosity with heartfelt melodicism. A husband and father of two, Jake balances his career with family life and community service. He travels to schools spreading positive messages to young people, encouraging them to live drug free and find their passion—just as he did at age four when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson.

PROGRAM 2

C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G

SPECIALS

2018/19

HANSON STRING THEORY LIVE WITH YOUR COLORADO SYMPHONY

2018/19 SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:

COLORADO SYMPHONY HANSON Saturday, September 8, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.

Boettcher Concert Hall

Reaching For The Sky Joyful Noise Where's The Love Dream It Do It MmmBop Chasing Down My Dreams Tragic Symphony Got A Hold On Me Yearbook Siren Call Me Myself And I – INTERMISSION – Reaching For The Sky This Time Around Something Going Round Battle Cry You Can't Stop Us Broken Angel What Are We Fighting For Breaktown No Rest For The Weary I Was Born The Sound Of Light Tonight

Tonight's Concert is Gratefully Dedicated to CU Foundation PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SOUNDINGS

2018/19

PROGRAM 3

SPECIAL BIOGRAPHIES HANSON Over their first 25 years as the band HANSON, brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson have made a significant mark in music. Starting in 1992, they spent their first five years building a fanbase as an independent band in Tulsa, OK. After signing a record deal, they saw a meteoric rise with the 1997 international smash single “MMMBop” from their debut album Middle Of Nowhere followed by consecutive top 40 singles. A long line of hits, five more studio albums, multiple Grammy nominations and over 16 million album sales followed.

Over their second decade, the band charted their own course, running an independent label while maintaining a coveted connection with their global fanbase. In 2007, they launched a grassroots campaign to support poverty and HIV/AIDS relief in Africa (TakeTheWalk.net). In 2013 they launched HANSON Brothers Beer, premiering their new venture with a signature Pale Ale, Mmmhops, and in 2014 they launched the hugely successful Hop Jam Beer and Music Festival in their hometown of Tulsa, which boasts 40,000 attendees annually. After a sold out world tour celebrating 25 years together, HANSON marks their 26th birthday with a musical experience unlike any other. HANSON STRING THEORY - a musical manifesto with new and career spanning works from HANSON, arranged by David Campbell, performed with the world’s leading symphonies.

For more information go to www.Hanson.net

S TAY

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SOCIAL

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PROGRAM 4

C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G