Musical Tribute to Siegfried & Roy Set for Las Vegas Philharmonic's Gala, 3/1

A special musical tribute to entertainers Siegfried & Roy will be performed by members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic at the orchestra's Diamonds Are Forever Gala on Saturday, March 1st at the Aria Resort & Casino.

A special brass fanfare has been commissioned from composer Anthony Newman to be performed upon the arrival of Siegfried Fischbacher & Roy Horn to the gala. In addition, Taras Krysa will perform a special violin solo, the Méditation from the opera Thaïs by Jules Massenet for the honorees. This piece of music has special meaning to Siegfried & Roy. It was part of their Mirage show, heralding the arrival of the white tiger to the stage. Ten years ago, when Roy Horn lay unconscious in a hospital bed following surgery, Siegfried played him a recording of this piece. He told the Las Vegas Weekly: "When I played it, I saw a tear run down his cheek. I knew then he could hear this piece, he understood it, and everything would be okay."

In addition to these special musical performances, the gala will include a performance by one of the Las Vegas Philharmonic's Young Artists' Concerto Competition winners, cellist Devon Zubka, and to performances by ensembles featuring orchestra musicians.

"It is exciting and inspiring for the Las Vegas Philharmonic to honor Siegfried & Roy at our gala this year. We know that music, art and the pursuit of excellence is an integral part of who they are and so it is our pleasure to honor them musically at this event and to celebrate our shared characteristics and our commitment to the Las Vegas community," says President & CEO, Jeri Crawford.

The Diamonds Are Forever Gala is the orchestra's main fundraising event for the year with proceeds going towards its concert costs and community and education outreach work. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a silent auction and cocktails and continues with dinner, a presentation to the honorees, live auction and a "Raise the Paddle" to raise money for the orchestra's Youth Concert Series that brought close to 15,000 local schoolchildren into Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for a free Las Vegas Philharmonic concert in January.

For information on tickets and table bookings for the Diamonds Are Forever Gala honoring Siegfried & Roy on Saturday, March 1st please contact the Las Vegas Philharmonic by phone 702-258-5438 or visit lvphil.org.