Paul Anka - March 28, 2025

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ABOUT DIGITAL PROGRAMS

The Gallo Center has adopted the use of digital programs meant to be viewed on cell phones or other computer devices. This change has important public health, environmental and economic benefits: reducing close contacts between patrons and ushers, cutting our use of paper, and eliminating substantial printing costs. View the program only before shows begin or during intermissions. Please be considerate of other patrons and artists on stage by not viewing it during performances. Patrons who do not observe this courtesy and create distractions may be asked to leave. Thank you!

WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

The Gallo Center for the Arts is a non-profit performing arts center with a deep commitment to enriching the people and communities of California’s vast San Joaquin Valley. From the scintillating performances of its wonderful resident companies, to the great variety of world-class entertainment presented by the Center each season, to robust arts education programs for the region’s youth, this is where the magic happens.

From the beginning, the Center’s mission has been clearly defined: to provide an inspirational civic gathering place where regional, national, and international cultural activities illuminate, educate, and entertain. Since revenue from ticket sales and facility rentals only covers a portion of the costs associated with fulfilling this mission, the Center is dependent on the generous annual financial support from donors and program sponsors within our community.

LEARN MORE AT GALLOARTS.ORG/SUPPORTUS.

ABOUT THE CENTER

HOW TO BUY TICKETS

In Person: 1000 I Street, downtown Modesto

Online: 24/7/365 at GalloArts.org

By Phone: (209) 338-2100

TICKET OFFICE HOURS

Monday – Friday: 10 am – 6 pm, Saturday: Noon – 6 pm Closed Sundays

Ticket Office opens two hours prior to all events

EMAIL LIST

Sign up at GalloArts.org and receive e-news about events, added performances, and special offers!

GENERAL INFORMATION

The mission of the Gallo Center for the Arts is to enrich the quality of life in the San Joaquin Valley by providing an inspirational civic gathering place where regional, national and international cultural activities illuminate, educate and entertain. The Gallo Center for the Arts celebrates the diversity of the San Joaquin Valley by offering an array of affordable cultural opportunities designed to appeal, and be accessible, to all.

The Center opened in September, 2007 and consists of the 440-seat Foster Family Theater, the 1,248-seat Mary Stuart Rogers Theater, the Marie Damrell Gallo Grand Lobby and a plaza serving both theaters, and the Modesto Rotary Music Garden.

As a regional non-profit performing arts center, the Gallo Center for the Arts presents internationally recognized touring artists in all disciplines, and also is home to four resident companies: Central West Ballet, Modesto Performing Arts, Modesto Symphony Orchestra and Opera Modesto. The Gallo Center for the Arts is a unique public/private partnership. Construction was funded jointly by the County of Stanislaus, which owns the facility, and contributions from more than 4,000 individuals and businesses given to a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which today operates the Center.

PATRON EVENT INFORMATION

• Emergency exits are indicated by green exit signs located above each exit. For your safety, please check for the location of the exit nearest to your seat.

• The Gallo Center for the Arts is accessible to disabled patrons. Wheelchair seating is available in both theaters. Portable wireless listening devices are available at the Coat Check room at no charge. Please inform the Ticket Office of any special needs when ordering tickets.

• Food and beverages are not allowed in the theaters. (with the exception of bottled water and beverages served in theater cups.)

• Smoking is prohibited inside the building and within 20 feet of all entrances.

• Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the Gallo Center for the Arts’ house managers.

• The use of recording equipment and the taking of photographs in Gallo Center for the Arts theaters is strictly forbidden. The Gallo Center for the Arts reserves the right to confiscate any such equipment and/or require offending customers to exit the premises.

• As a courtesy to artists and to your fellow patrons,

please turn off or silence any mobile device on your person. No texting, please!

• Restrooms are located on all three levels of the Center.

• Lost items will be held in the Coat Check room on the main level until the end of the performance. Thereafter, please contact Ticket Office at (209) 338-2100.

• All patrons MUST have a ticket to enter a performance regardless of age.

• Out of courtesy to other patrons, the Gallo Center for the Arts requests that no infants or toddlers attend any performance.

Groups qualify for discounts up to 15% on ticket prices to the many exciting performances offered by the Gallo Center for the Arts and its resident companies.

Secure your group reservation today for just 10% down of your total price!

EMPLOYEE PARTIES/REWARDS CHURCH OUTINGS

CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

BUS TOURS

CORPORATE ENTERTAINMENT

SENIOR CENTER OUTINGS

HOLIDAY, ANNIVERSARY & BIRTHDAY PARTIES

…AND MORE!

ONE CALL DOES IT ALL!

Our group sales manager, Jesica Sanchez, is at your service. Call her at (209) 338-5064, or send an email to jsanchez@galloarts.org.

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Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, into a closeknit family, Paul Anka didn’t waste time getting his life in music started. From an early age he sang in a choir, studied piano and honed his writing skills with journalism courses, even working as a cub reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. By 13, he had his own vocal group, the Bobbysoxers. Blinded by determination, he would take his mother’s car and drive to perform at every amateur night he could across the river in Quebec. Soon after, he won a trip to New York by winning a Campbell’s soup contest that required him to spend three months collecting soup can labels. After visiting the music hub of New York, was there that his dream to make it as a singer composer was solidified. There was not a doubt in his young tenacious mind.

In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles to visit his uncle, where he hitchhiked to a meeting with Modern Records that led to the release of Anka’s first single, “BlauWile Deveest Fontaine.” The inspiration for the song came from a book he was reading for a report he had to write for Fisher Park school by the former Governor General of Canada, John Buchan. Although it was not a hit, Anka kept plugging away. He went so far as to sneak into Fats Domino’s dressing room in Ottawa to meet him and his manager. In the dressing room, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry were sitting there and Anka sang his music to them. They told him to stay in school. When Anka returned to New York in 1957, he scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R representative for ABC-Paramount Records, playing him a batch of songs that included “Diana”. Costa was duly enthusiastic about the potential of the young singer and songwriter. The rapid and enormous success of “Diana”, his first number one hit, made him a star at the young age of 15.

Soon Paul found himself traveling by bus with the ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ with the top names of the day. He honed his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Frankie Lymon, and Chuck Berry. Anka was the youngest entertainer to ever perform at the Copacabana.

After a few hit songs, Anka confident in his talent as a writer wisely knew that being a songwriter meant the power was in the pen. As a result, he went on to write for Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, and Buddy Holly (including the last song Holly ever recorded, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”). Other hit songs include the Academy Awardnominated theme for the 1962 film in which he starred, The Longest Day. He notably penned the longest running theme in television history for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Songwriting and performing “are what gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says. In the early 60’s, he became a junior associate of Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Even with the British invasion, Anka still had chart records. He moved to Italy and outsold the Italians, selling an astonishing 4 million records there. In the late 60’s, Anka wrote “My Way” for Frank Sinatra and by the 70’s, he had another string of hits like “(You’re) Having My Baby”, “Don’t Like To Sleep Alone”, and “Times Of Your Life” which confirmed his status as an icon of popular music.

His later achievements as a recording artist included the charted song, “Hold Me ‘Til the Morning Comes,” a hit duet with Peter Cetera in 1983, the Spanish-language album Amigos in 1996, and Body of Work, a 1998 duets album that featured Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Tom

Jones and daughter Anthea Anka. If this wasn’t enough, it was revealed upon its release in 2009, that Anka co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous #1 worldwide hit, “This Is It,” which has further cemented his place upon the most prolific and versatile songwriters of any generation.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Rock Swings and Classic Songs, My Way – ingeniously featured songs originally created by some of the biggest rock performers of the day. Anka, of course, did thensongs ‘his way.’ Rock Swingswent Top 10 in the UK, and was certified gold in the UK, France, and Canada, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and went on to sell half a million units worldwide.

On November 15, 2011, Anka released his first Christmas album in decades. Songs of December featured lush romantic versions of popular Christmas songs such as “Let It Snow”, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. All were recorded with a full orchestra in the renowned Capitol studios and sung by a music legend. It is a true holiday classic.

In April 2013, Anka released his New York Times Bestselling autobiography, published by St. Martin’s Press, entitled My Way. This autobiography is a remarkable story of a decades-long career as an entertainer, actor, and songwriter.

During the same time, his new 14-song album entitled Duets was released by Sony Music Entertainment and featured artists such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Celine Dion, and Michael Bublé (who Anka was with from the

start of his career as well as co-producer on his self-titled album in 2003). Duets provides a musical journey through the life and times of Paul Anka and includes heartfelt liner notes written by Anka himself as an introduction to the classic songs he and his collaborators have chosen. Duets set a milestone in Billboard Chart history because with the CD, Anka became the only artist to have a CD on the Billboard Top 100 Chart for seven consecutive decades.

In 2014, Anka saw the release of another song he co-wrote with Michael Jackson entitled “Love Never Felt So Good” off of Jackson’s album Xscape. The song was also recorded as a duet with Justin Timberlake. As lead song off of Jackson’s CD and it’s first single, it has received massive radio, sales, and critical success and reached #1 in over 50 countries.

2018, Anka’s collaboration with Michael Jackson and Drake on the song “Don’t Matter to Me” was released on Drake’s “Scorpion”. The song alone had over 400 million downloads and reached the top 10 on Billboard charts.

In 2020, Anka wowed the judges and audiences alike during his time on the hit television competition show, “The Masked Singer”.

At 81 years old, Paul Anka continues to write and record. His latest two albums, Making Memories and Sessions, were released in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The albums featured new and never before recorded songs as well as new takes on old classics — notably “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” with Olivia Newton John, one of her last recorded songs, and “My Way” featuring Michael Buble and Andrea Bocelli.

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CENTER CIRCLES

As

As of November 15,

The

Katy & Ken Menges

Yogurt Mill

Downtown Modesto Partnership

CORPORATE PATRONS

As of November 15, 2024

The Mayol Family & Team PSC

Daniel Del Real – Del Real Group

The Graspointner Family

The Pirrone Family

Stanislaus Food Products

Gianelli | Friedman | Jeffries

Sodhi Law Group

Winton-Ireland, Strom & Green Insurance Agency

Wille Electric Supply Company, Inc.

Mistlin Honda

Arts Education

As of November 15, 2024

$25,000+ Alfred Matthews

California Arts Council

Education Foundation of Stanislaus County

U.S. Bank

$10,000+ Make Dreams Real Foundation

Modesto Subaru

Porges Family Foundation Fund

Silva Injury Law, Inc.

$5,000+

Kaiser Permanente

Ella Webb & Shelley Dameron

$2,500+

Beard Land & Investment Co.

Enterprise Mobility Foundation

Jeff Gaudio & Karen Freeborn

Jason, Beki, & Stephen Rush

$1,000+

Carl A and Margaret A Johnson

Family Foundation

Modesto Rotary Club Foundation

Modesto Sunrise Rotary

The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation

$500+

USS Balthasar

Cortney Hurst

Anonymous (1)

$150+

Debra Brady & Stephen Veglia

Grace Lutheran Church

Jerry & Diane Hougland

Alice Renfroe

John & Mary Ann Sanders

FOUNDATION GIVING

Bob and Marie Gallo Foundation

California Arts Council

Costa Family Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Stanislaus Community Foundation

The Ernest Gallo Foundation

The Julio R. Gallo Foundation

Porges Family Foundation Fund

Raymus Foundation

U.S. Bank Foundation

Creative West

PERPETUAL MEMORIAL GIFTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR Thomas K. Beard

Randall Stanley Behr

Carl Boyett

Robert J. Cardoza

Gallo Center for the a r t s

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Christina Gomez, ChairoftheBoard

Marie D. Gallo, PresidentEmerita† June Rogers, Director Emerita

Alex Mari, M.D., ImmediatePastChair

Ginger Johnson, ChairElect

Mel Bradley Fallon Ferris

Sarah Grover

Chad Hilligus

Michael Krausnick

Jay Krishnaswamy

Michelle Lewis

Katy Menges

Todd Aaronson

Angelica Anguiano

Victor Barraza

John C. Bellizzi

Jennifer Coehlo

Kathryn Davis

Daniel Del Real

Paul Michael Eger

Robert Fantazia

Stacey Filippi

Robert Fores Julian Gallo

Irene Angelo†

Lilly Banisadre

Carl Boyett†

Joan Cardoza

Sheila Carroll

Suzanne Casazza

Paul Draper

Ron Emerzian

Ann Endsley

Kenni Friedman

Juan Sánchez Muñoz, Ph.D.

Duncan Reno

Tina Rocha Brant Scott

Michael Joe Silva

Stephanie Gallo Tyler

Ann M. Veneman

Geoff Wong

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Ryan Roth Gallo

Virginia Madueno

Roberto Martinez

Ivey Mayol

Yolanda Meraz

Sharilyn Nelson

Linda Hischier Ronald Hoffmann

Jose Ibarra

Jaime Jimenez

Brian Kline Kevin Luttenegger

Ogle, Ph.D.

Johann Ramirez

Rose Marie Reavill Jeffrey Reed

FOUNDING TRUSTEES

Louis Friedman

Dianne Gagos

Barry Highiet† Randy Jalli

Roy Levin, M.D.

Alexandra Loew

Bill Mattos

Tony Mistlin† Kate Nyegaard

Ruthann Olsen

Jeanne Perry

John C. Pfeffer, M.D.

Norm Porges

Chris Reed James Reed

Ellen Ritchey Delsie Schrimp

Catherine Rhee

Christine Roberts

Rosalee Rush

John Schneider

Kate Trompetter

Philip Trompetter, Ph.D.

Aaron Valencia

Colleen F. Van Egmond

Doug Vilas

Sue Zwahlen

Fred A. Silva

Ray Simon

Delmar R. Tonge, M.D.†

Tom Van Groningen, Ph.D.

Carol Whiteside†

Jeremiah Williams

Alice Yip

†In Memoriam

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