The Best of Broadway at ASU is the best ticket in town

WHAT: The Best of Broadway Concert with University Symphony Orchestra and Choral Union

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. (Wednesday) April 17

WHERE: Gammage Auditorium, 1200 South Forest Avenue, Tempe

TICKETS: Free admission, no tickets required; doors open at 7 p.m.

INFORMATION: 480-965-TUNE (8863)

You won't need a ticket for this New York City-flavored production at ASU. Admission is free to The Best of Broadway performed by University Symphony Orchestra and Choral Union. The concert is (April 17) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Gammage Auditorium. Doors open at 7 p.m. The two top ensembles in the School of Music in the Herberger College of Fine Arts at ASU will showcase Broadway tunes from some of the most musicals of all time: South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma. Guest soloists are Amy Joe Arrington and Keith Buterbaugh.

University Symphony Orchestra is under the direction of Timothy Russell, director of orchestras at ASU, while Choral Union is under the baton of George Umberson. The Best of Broadway is dedicated to Umberson, who will retire at the end of spring semester.

Program selections feature one show stopping tune after another: "There is Nothing like a Dame" from South Pacific, "Hello Young Lovers from The King and I, Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music, Music of the Night from Phantom of Opera, "You'll Never Walk Alone from Carousel and "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top from Oklahoma.

Amy Jo Arrington is a Mesa native and graduate of ASU. She performed the role of Christine Daae in the National Tour of The Phantom of the Opera for two years. Upon returning to Phoenix, she performed as Josephine in Arizona Theatre Company's production of H.M.S. Pinafore, Anna Held in Phoenix Theatre's production of Tintypes and Clorinda in Arizona Opera's Outreach production of Cenorentola. Amy Jo was the voice of a national Mountain Dew commercial that aired during the Super Bowl and was a guest soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

A "crossover" artist of musical theatre, opera and straight drama, Keith Buterbaugh has performed leading roles in productions ranging from The Barber of Seville to The Phantom of the Opera. Mr. Buterbaugh recently starred as Georgio in Stephen Sondheim's Passion with Timothy.

Russell conducting the ProMusica Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio. As a concert artist, Buterbaugh has sung with the some of the finest orchestras throughout the world including the National Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, and the Trieste Symphony in Italy. He is a frequent guest artist with Peter Nero and The Philly Pops at both the Mann Center and the Academy of Music. His ongoing engagements with Skitch Henderson have found him sharing the stage with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, in Tokyo, and with The Oslo Philharmonic. Buterbaugh performed with The New York Pops in Central Park for New York City's 100th Birthday Celebration and television audiences can see him in the upcoming PBS special Skitch Henderson: A Man and his Music - 80 Years, a birthday celebration at Carnegie Hall.

George Umberson has had an illustrious career as a conductor, music educator and administrator. His university teaching career includes positions as Director of Choral Activities at Pepperdine University and Eastern New Mexico University. He served for 19 years at the director of the School of Music at ASU and currently serves as professor of choral music at ASU, as well as conductor and artistic=c director of Choral Union. His choirs have performed for national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference, and USO entertainment tours to Asia and Europe. Umberson has served as guest conductor, clinician and choral adjudicator in more than 40 forty states, and guest conducted many All-State choirs and several symphony orchestras. In 1995 and 1997, Umberson took members of the Choral Union on concert tours to Europe, performing with European orchestras in the Czech Republic, Germany, England and France. In June 2000, he took members of the Choral Union on a concert tour to Australia performing with the Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney Symphonies. In addition to his conducting responsibilities, Dr. Umberson has taught courses in choral music education and choral conducting and been involved with the supervision of masters and doctoral students in choral music at ASU

Media Contact:
Mary Brennan
480-965-3587
mary.brennan@asu.edu