COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL PRESENTS THE 2021 MEMORIAL SALUTE

MAY 29 2020-21 SEASON

COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL PRESENTS

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WAWA WELCOME AMERICA

PROGRAM INFORMATION The Philly POPS presents the fifth annual Comcast NBCUniversal Memorial Salute at the Mann, presented in partnership with Wawa Welcome America—a community concert honoring the American tradition of service, on Saturday, May 29 over Memorial Day weekend.

Led by guest conductor Byron Stripling, the POPS will perform a stirring line-up of patriotic anthems, Great American Songbook classics, and showtunes, with fan-favorite vocalists Ryan Shaw, DeAndre Simmons, and Alita Moses, along with a featured trumpet performance from Artistic Director for Jazz Terell Stafford. End the evening under the stars with a special fireworks display!

Comcast NBCUniversal is the Presenting Sponsor of The Philly POPS Salute Series. This performance is presented in partnership with Wawa Welcome America. These free celebrations of community and tradition, which honor our shared commitment to service on holidays of American tradition, also rely on the generous support of Major Sponsors Bank of America, and Archer Law, as well as grants through partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia.

THE PHILLY POPS ROSTER 1ST VIOLIN

BASS

TROMBONE

Michael Ludwig Luigi Mazzocchi Emma Kummrow Guillaume Combet Paul Reiser Carlos Rubio

Miles Davis

Paul Arbogast Brian Pastor Michael Spearman Dave Cianci

2ND VIOLIN

OBOE David Schneider Geoffrey Deemer

SAXOPHONE

Michelle Bishop Tamae Lee Sarah Dubois Diane Barnett

Ron Kerber Kaj Hansen Joe Smith Greg Riley Mark Allen

VIOLA

HORN

Davis Barnett Marjorie Goldberg Gerry Rice

CELLO Ulrich Boeckheler Jon Fink Pat Daniels

John David Smith Adam Lesnick

TRUMPET Matt Gallagher Dan Wright George Rabbai Fareed Simpson-Hankins

TIMPANI Dave Nelson

PERCUSSION William Kerrigan Victor Pablo

RHYTHM SECTION Jeff Smith – Keyboard Kevin Hanson – Guitar Steve Beskrone – Electric Bass Joe Nero – Drums

PROGRAM “The Star-Spangled Banner”

by John Stafford Smith

MAY 29, 2021

“Alexander’s Ragtime Band”

by John Stafford Smith

Byron Stripling guest conductor

“God Bless America”

by Irving Berlin “Swingin’ Stars and Stripes”

by John Phillip Sousa

FEATURING Terell Stafford artistic director for jazz, trumpet

“Armed Forces Salute” by various

Ryan Shaw vocalist

“Hymn to the Fallen”

by John Williams

Alita Moses vocalist

“This Land is Your Land”

by Woody Guthrie “Bugle Call Rag” Patriotic “Old Man River”

by Jerome Kern “Summertime”

by George Gershwin “Shenandoah” arr. by John Clayton “Strike Up the Band”

by George Gershwin “A Change Is Gonna Come”

by Sam Cooke “America The Beautiful” Samuel A. Ward “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In” arr. by Byron Stripling

DeAndre Simmons vocalist

guest conductor

BYRON STRIPLING A powerhouse trumpeter, gifted with a soulful voice and a charismatic onstage swagger, Byron Stripling has delighted audiences internationally. As soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as on the PBS television special, “Evening at Pops,” with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed, award-winning Columbus Jazz Orchestra. In January 2020, Stripling was announced as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor.

Since his Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops, Stripling has emerged as one of America’s most popular symphony pops guest artists, having performed with over 100 orchestras around the world including the Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and The Philly POPS. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.

Television viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of The Grammy Awards.

Millions have heard his trumpet and voice on television commercials, TV theme songs including “20/20,” CNN, and soundtracks of favorite movies.

Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck Clayton in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All Star Big Band.

A resident of Ohio, Stripling lives in the country with his wife, former dancer, writer and poet, Alexis and their beautiful daughters.

artistic director for jazz, trumpet

TERELL STAFFORD Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, combining a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well-defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Since the mid-1990s, Stafford has performed with groups such as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, Kenny Barron Quintet, Frank Wess Quintet, Jimmy Heath Quintet and Big Band, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band. Stafford, with the ClaytonHamilton Jazz Orchestra, performed on Diana Krall’s Grammy-nominated From this Moment On (2006).

John Clayton invited Stafford to perform with the Clayton Brothers Quintet and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Stafford is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, which was awarded a Grammy in 2009 for Best Large Ensemble, “Live at the Village Vanguard.”

Stafford can be heard on over 130 albums. His latest recording This Side of Strayhorn has been hailed as “the first must-have album of 2011” and “genius.” Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, and Artistic Director for Jazz of The Philly POPS. Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades.

Stafford was born in Miami and raised in Chicago, Illinois and Silver Spring, Maryland. He received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Maryland in 1988 and a Masters of Music from Rutgers University in 1993.

guest vocalist

RYAN SHAW Ryan Shaw is a three-time GRAMMY nominated artist. He recently appeared as Judas at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the U.S. premiere of the critically acclaimed London/Regent’s Park’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which won the Olivier for Best Musical Revival. He has starred as the original Stevie Wonder in Motown: The Musical on Broadway, and on London’s West End as the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live. As a recording artist, Ryan has released three solo GRAMMY-nominated projects: 2008’s This is Ryan Shaw on Columbia Records, 2011’s It Gets Better, and 2014’s Real Love on Dynotone Records. He has toured the world and shared the stage with such artists as Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, Joss Stone, John Legend, B.B. King, Bruce Hornsby and Jill Scott, to name a few. On television, Ryan has been a guest artist on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen’s Really Big Show, Last Call with Carson Daly, and The Martha Stewart Show. His music has been featured on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance and ABC’s Dancing with The Stars, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lincoln Heights. His music has also been featured in the films My Blueberry Nights and Bride Wars, as well as on the Sex and the City soundtrack.

As a concert soloist, Ryan made his Radio City Music Hall debut at the Dream Concert benefit to build the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. His Carnegie Hall appearances include Elton John and Bernie Taupin Tribute, A Celebration of The African American Cultural Legacy, curated by Jessye Norman, and a Nat King Cole centennial concert with the New York Pops. His concert schedule also includes Nat King Cole at 100 with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, and A Tribute to the Queen of Soul: Aretha Franklin with orchestras throughout North America. Ryan continues to be a return featured special guest with the Houston Symphony, as well as performing with the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philly Pops, Utah Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Utah Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Helena Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, Anchorage Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic and numerous others.

guest vocalist

ALITA MOSES Alita Moses is a young, rising star establishing herself as virtuosic vocalist, songwriter, and entertainer in many styles and settings. She has graced the stage with Al Jarreau at the Montreux Jazz Festival, backed pop sensations such as Shawn Mendes and Vic Mensa, recorded with members of the Christian McBride Big Band, and was most recently featured on Grammy-winning trumpeter Nabate Isles’ newest album.

In the midst of all this, she maintains a career as a front woman for myriad bands of varying styles, such as Lohai (an electronic soul duo), Hudson Horns (a collaborative brass band), and her own self-titled project—reminiscent of Emily King and Lianne La Havas.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Alita experienced many facets of the performing arts thanks to her parents, both successful vocalists in their own right, and the incredibly artistic community of West Hartford. From there, she continued her studies at the University of the Arts, graduating with a BM in Jazz Vocal Performance and making herself known in the Philly music scene.

As of late, Alita is based in New York City, performing locally and internationally at legendary venues, clubs, and music halls. Whether on the stage or in the studio, she brings a natural warmth to each performance and astounds audiences with grace, soul, and a musical maturity beyond her years.

guest vocalist

DEANDRE SIMMONS American bass, DeAndre Simmons, having been hailed as being the performances “class act” by the Los Angeles Times, continues to gain recognition for his beautifully velvet voice, incisive musicianship and captivating stage presence. He has performed with such great opera houses and orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl, Columbia Pro Cantare, Opera Panama, Pacific Opera Victoria, Castleton Festival under Maestro Lorin Maazel, Santa Barbara Symphony, Curtis Opera Theatre, London Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, RAI orchestra, New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Opera Köln, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Houston Ebony Opera, Opera Atlantic and others. DeAndre has sung in the premiers of several works including the West Coast premier of A Wedding by William Bolcom, the Canadian premier of Regina by Marc Blitzstein - also recorded for broadcast across Canada and the East Coast premier of Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour and libretto by Toni Morrison. He was also cast as Detective Watts in the workshop of ‘Séance on a wet afternoon,’ a new opera by musical composer Stephen Schwartz.

DeAndre has officially performed in either musicals, operas, symphonically or in recital in all 50 states. He has performed in Canada, South America, the UK, countries in Africa and throughout Europe. Highlights of his career include singing Mozart’s Requiem in the presence of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and was one of only 10 performers asked to participate in a special concert for Nelson Mandela. In 2015 he was invited to perform for the World Childhood Foundation’s 16th Anniversary Gala in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden. As an American, DeAndre considers it a distinct honor to have had the privileged to perform for both sitting and non-sitting Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Regan, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon.

A lover of song, DeAndre is often presented in recital both nationally and internationally, featuring works from Vivaldi to Stephen Sondheim. Upcoming recitals find him in California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and Nevada. He has also performed in recital at the Musée Jacquemart-Andre in Paris, France as part of a collaboration between Carnegie Hall and the Rothschilds Foundation.

A long time member of The Actor’s Equity Association, DeAndre is equally at home on the musical theatre stage and having performed in a wide variety of musicals from She loves me, Into the woods and Little shop of horrors to Working, West Side Story and Candide. He often performs the music of musical theatre in recital and in concert. His recent cabaret of songs by Stephen Sondheim titled, “Just me and Stephen: the songs of Stephen Sondheim” has been highly regarded and is now in popular demand across the country. Future performances include dates in Los Angeles and New York.

An alumnus of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. DeAndre is a pupil of Fred Carama and protégé of James Morris.

About the Salute Series The Philly POPS Salute Series encourages recognition of service and commitment through an expanding set of events and activities — each transformative moments of celebration for our community. Salute performances recognize the service and sacrifice of those dedicated to a collective identity of American values and tradition.

SALUTE SERIES 2021 EVENTS POPS ON VETERANS SALUTE INDEPENDENCE November 11, 2021 July 3, 2021

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts

I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: A SALUTE TO THE MILITARY AND FIRST IN CELEBRATION OF RESPONDERS INDEPENDENCE DAY

December 3, 2021

July 4, 2021

The Kimmel Center, Verizon Hall

• POPS at the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony

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SUBSCRIPTION SERIES PRESENTING SPONSOR