THE BEN FOLDS ORCHESTRAL EXPERIENCE Comes to Picnic with the Pops, 6/21

Multi-platinum selling, singer/songwriter Ben Folds will feature high-energy performances of his new piano concerto, along with orchestral arrangements of many of his pop hits, on June 21 with the Columbus Symphony as part of the 2014 Nationwide Insurance Picnic with the Pops. The performance is part of "The Ben Folds Orchestral Experience" touring the US, UK, and Australia throughout 2014.

Nationwide Insurance Picnic with the Pops presents The Ben Folds Orchestral Experience at the Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion (160 S. High St.) in the Columbus Commons on Saturday, June 21. Gates open at 6 pm. Concert begins at 8 pm.

Tickets are $23 for adults when purchased in advance by phone at 614.228.8600, online at www.PicnicWithThePops.com or www.ticketmaster.com, in person at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), or at central Ohio Kroger Ticketmaster locations. Adult tickets are $25 at the gate on the night of the show. Tickets for children ages 3-14 are always $8 regardless of when or where they are purchased. Children 2 and under are free.

Folds was the front man of Ben Folds Five before going on to have a successful solo career. A critically acclaimed celebrity judge on NBC's "The Sing Off," Folds has earned a reputation as a singular and influential voice in the world of popular music. In addition to numerous albums and a recent reunion tour with Ben Folds Five, Folds has recorded multiple studio albums as well as records documenting his renowned live performances.

Folds serves on the Board of the Nashville Symphony and owns the famous RCA Studio A in Nashville where legendary music from all genres, including Grammy-winning symphony albums, have been recorded.

For more than a decade, Folds has performed with some of the world's greatest orchestras, including record-breaking, sell-out Australian symphonic shows, repeatedly sold-out shows at the Kennedy Center in DC with the National Symphony Orchestra, and at the Boston Pops.

In 2012, Folds was commissioned to compose his first piano concerto, a unique blend of three movements that test the bounds of traditional orchestral music.

Folds is a member of the distinguished Artist Committee for Americans for the Arts, and is also an outspoken advocate for music therapy and music education.