West Michigan Symphony Opens 2012-13 Season with '80s Favorites

MUSKEGON, MI, August 29, 2012 (Press-News.org) Broadway stars Jenn Gambatese and Michael Seelbach will join the West Michigan Symphony on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 21 and 22, at 7:30 p.m. to open the 2012-13 season with a tribute to the '80s.

Gambatese and Seelbach will perform '80s favorites by Prince, Madonna, The Police, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael and many more. Concerts will be held on both nights in the majestic Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts in downtown Muskegon. Season and individual tickets for the eight-concert series, which concludes June 2013, are now on sale.

"After the tremendous success of last year's season opener, 'Oh What a Night,' it was a natural progression to begin this year with 'I the 80s,' " said Music Director Scott Speck, who returns to the conductor's podium in Muskegon for his 10th year with the Symphony. "There has always been a hunger for nostalgia among pops audiences. In the past that has usually meant Frank Sinatra or big band style concerts, but as a new generation has come of age, we find that people want to hear the music they remember from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

"We are pleased to have Jenn and Michael join us for this energetic and fun concert. They are both incredible singers with impeccable performance credentials who can sing in a variety of styles and with a variety of vocal qualities. This is very important as they have to bring to life the works of such diverse artists as Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper and Bette Midler. Their performance promises to transport the audience back to the heyday of MTV and bring back a lot of fun, and perhaps embarrassing memories, from high school and college."

Gambatese has starred in numerous Broadway productions, including roles as Jane in "Tarzan" and as Natalie in "All Shook Up." In addition, she recorded the original cast albums of both of these shows as well as "Hairspray." She has also performed in "Is He Dead?" "A Year with Frog and Toad" and "Footloose," as well as in several off-Broadway shows.

Seelbach's Broadway and off-Broadway credits include "Wicked," "Jesus Christ Superstar," Footloose," Hair," "Floyd Collins" and "Reefer Madness." He has also performed in numerous national tours and regional productions. Seelbach sings regularly with the Broadway Inspirational Voices gospel ensemble.

Speck said that season ticket holders can expect a season of diverse programming from WMS in the 2012-13 season, including performances by members of the Joffrey Ballet, award-winning pianist Awadagin Pratt and a fully staged production of "A Christmas Carol."

"We are always trying to reinvent the symphony orchestra experience, to make sure that our exquisite art form remains relevant to our own community today," Speck said. "We want to show that the West Michigan Symphony is comfortable with all styles of performance, from the earliest classics to the latest hits.

"By the end of this season we'll have had ballet dancers onstage with the orchestra, a caravan of actors from Nebraska and tributes to the music of the '80s, as well as performances of some of the greatest master orchestral repertoire that our musicians are able to perform not just convincingly, but brilliantly. We'll be performing such diverse works of genius as Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, Strauss' 'Don Juan,' Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no. 2, and the great ballet scores to 'Swan Lake,' 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Romeo and Juliet.' Many orchestras play these pieces, but very few play them so well as the West Michigan Symphony."

Season and individual tickets can be purchased by calling the West Michigan Symphony ticket office at 231.726.3231. Several subscriber plans are available including the full series, masterworks series only, pop series only or flexible ticketing that allows concertgoers to create their own experience. For more information or to receive a 2012-13 season brochure, contact 231.726.3231 or info@westmichigansymphony.org.

Single tickets for this concert are $18, $23, $38 and $48 and may be purchased online at http://www.westmichigansymphony.org; in person at the West Michigan Symphony Ticket Office, Suite 409 (4th floor) in the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, 425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon; or by calling 231.726.3231. Student tickets are $10 for this concert but are not available online. College students must present a valid ID when they purchase tickets.

About West Michigan Symphony
As one of the few professional regional orchestras in Michigan, West Michigan Symphony has played a leading role in the region's cultural community for more than 70 years. Founded as the West Shore Symphony Orchestra, WMS now serves a regional audience with eight pairs of concerts annually, along with dozens of educational and outreach activities for children and adults. WMS oversees operations for the West Michigan Youth Symphony. For more information, visit http://www.westmichigansymphony.org.