Orlando Philharmonic to Kick Off Pops Series with GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by audience favorite Albert George Schram as conductor for Great American Songbook, the first concert in the Pops Series on October 22 at 2 & 8 p.m.

It will be a fabulous concert including all the music you love from great songwriters like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Jeome Kern, showcasing the Great American Standards of the '20s to the '50s! Performances will be at Bob Carr Theater, 401 W. Livingston Street, Orlando, Florida.

Now in its 24th season, The Orlando Philharmonic is Central Florida's professional orchestra, comprised of accomplished musicians recruited from around the world. Presenting over 125 events each year, the orchestra provides captivating musical experiences and education programs to people of all ages, and is committed to building rich, sustainable future for symphonic music in Central Florida. Learn more at OrlandoPhil.org.

Albert George Schram Equally adept at conducting classical and pops programs, Albert George Schram has led a wide variety of repertoire for many orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. Schram is currently Resident Staff Conductor of the Columbus (OH) and Charlotte Symphony Orchestras. He has conducted classical, pops, holiday and educational concerts for both Orchestras. He has also served as Music Director of the Lubbock (TX) Symphony and the Lynn Philharmonia (FL). Most recently, Schram concluded his tenure as Resident Conductor of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Previously he has held titled positions with the Louisville and Florida Philharmonic Orchestras.

Schram's guest-conducting roster has included the symphonies of Dallas, Charlotte, Tucson, New Orleans (Louisiana Philharmonic), Oklahoma City, Louisville, Spokane, San Antonio and Orlando, among others. His conducting engagements abroad have been with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the KBS (Seoul) and Teagu Symphonies in Korea, the Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional of Bolivia, the Orquestra Sinfonica Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Mendoza) in Argentina, the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan and the Orchester der Allgemeinen Musikgesellschaft (Luzern) in Switzerland.

Educated at The Hague Conservatory in his native Netherlands, Schram has also studied at the Universities of Calgary and Victoria in Canada, and the University of Washington. His teachers have included Rafael Kubelik, Franco Ferrara, Abraham Kaplan and Neeme Jarvi.

On the classical side, Schram has worked with many distinguished artists, including pianists Lang Lang and Olga Kern and violinist Elmar Oliveira, among many others. His vast performance repertoire has included most of the standard symphonic masterpieces, especially the great symphonies of Gustav Mahler, the subject of his dissertation. He has had a lifelong affinity for performing the great choral-orchestral works, in particular the Requiems of Verdi, Mozart, Berlioz, et al. This, in addition to music by such acclaimed contemporary composers as John Corigliano and Jennifer Higdon.

As a pops conductor, Schram has worked with James Taylor, Art Garfunkel, Chris Botti, Boyz II Men, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny G, Olivia Newton-John, Smokey Robinson, Chicago, Aretha Franklin, and numerous others. He has created a large variety of themed programs, celebrating everything from "Home for the Holidays" (Christmas), and "That's Amore" (Valentine's), to swinging jazz big band, country and soul music.

George currently resides in Florida with his wife, Debbie. Their three children are all grown up! In his spare time George is an avid racquetball player and a certified Group-Fitness Instructor.

Christiane Noll, a New York born, New Jersey raised actress was nominated for both the 2010 Tony Award and Drama Desk Award and won a Helen Hayes Award for her portrayal of Mother on Broadway in the Kennedy Center Revival of Ragtime. She made her Broadway debut starring in Jekyll & Hyde, creating the role of Emma. Ms. Noll received an Ovation Award for her comedic turn as Hope Cladwell in the National Tour of Urinetown, wowed audiences again as VAnna Vane in the new musical The Mambo Kings, soared as Jane Smart in the American premiere of The Witches of Eastwick, and most recently received another Drama Desk nomination for her work in Chaplin.

She has been a member of the national tours of Grease as Sandy, Miss Saigon as Ellen, and City of Angels as Mallory/Avril as well as a tour of Australia and Thailand as Nellie in South Pacific. Ms. Noll made her opera debut with Plácido Domingo and the Washington National Opera in The Merry Widow as Valencienne at The Kennedy Center, her Hollywood Bowl debut with Dame Julie Andrews in The Gift of Music, and her Carnegie Hall debut as one of the 3 Broadway Divas with The New York Pops and Skitch Henderson in his last pops performance.

Ms. Noll has been living up to her reputation as being "one of the most versatile actresses in the American Musical Theatre" with a varied repertoire in Broadway, Opera, Operetta and Jazz. She is a frequent guest soloist with symphony orchestras around the world, including National Symphony and Marvin Hamlisch, Cincinnati Pops and Eric Kunzel, Jerusalem Symphony and Don Pippin, Philadelphia Pops and Peter Nero, Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with Jeff Tyzik, as well as international appearances with Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio, China Philharmonic with concert pianist Lang Lang, and orchestras in Hong Kong, Czech Republic and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She has released four solo CDs, Christiane Noll - A Broadway Love Story and The Ira Gershwin Album, both on Fynsworth Allwy, Live at the West Bank Cafe on 2Die4 Records, and My Personal Property on Jay Records. She supplied the singing voice of Anna in the Warner Borthers animated feature The King & I, and starred on Broadway in It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues.

Ms. Noll was critically acclaimed for her operetta performances as Marianne in City Center ENCORES! The New Moon, Kathie in The Student Prince and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance. Other favorite roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, The Baker's Wife in Into The Woods, Mabel in Mack & Mabel - working with Jerry Herman and winning a Connecticut Critics Circle Award, Lizzie in Lizzie Borden, Genevieve in The Baker's Wife, and Carrie in Carousel. She starred in the premieres of Frankenstein (37 Arts), Ace (Signature-Helen Hayes Nom.), Kept (Krieger/Russell), Take Flight (Maltby/Shire), Call The Children Home (Primary Stages), A Fine and Private Place (York) and Little By Little (York Theater).

Christiane has performed her solo show in cabaret at The Plush Room, The Duplex, The Nevermore, Arci's Place, The China Club, Peaches, B. Smith's and The West Bank Café as well as appearing in Town Hall's Broadway By The Year and the Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series at Feinstein's, Joe's Pub, 54 Below and Birdland.. She is a Founding Member of Midtown Direct Rep. Theater Company.

Other recordings: The King & I (Sony Classic), Jekyll & Hyde (Atlantic), Little By Little, Sondheim at the Movies, Primetime Musicals, Cinderella, The Burt Bacharach Album, The Paul Simon Album, The Stephen Schwartz Album, The Sondheim Collection (all with Varese Sarabande), The Stephen Sondheim Album (Fynsworth Alley), A Christmas Survival Guide, What's A Nice Girl Like You... and Z - The Masked Musical (all with 2Die4 Records), Bravo Broadway II and 3 Broadway Divas (Jay Records).

Christiane is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Additional information: ChristianeNoll.com @christianenoll on Twitter.

Doug LaBrecque thrilled theatre audiences as The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition, Mr. LaBrecque has starred on Broadway as Ravenal in the Hal Prince revival of Showboat, a role he also performed in Canada and Chicago. He was featured in Oscar Hammerstein's 100th Birthday Celebration on Broadway at The Gershwin Theatre, and toured nationally with Les Miserables. Regionally, Mr. LaBrecque has performed leading roles in Candide,A Chorus Line, Man of LaMancha among many others. A graduate of University of Michigan he was also featured in the world premiere of A Wonderful Life, written by Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo, and starred in the premiere revival of Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner's Love Life.

One of the most prolific concert performers of his generation Mr. LaBrecque has been a soloist with some of the world's finest symphony orchestras including The National Symphony, The Israel Philharmonic (Tel Aviv), The Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony, The San Francisco Symphony, among many others. In the last few years, Mr. LaBrecque's U.S. appearances have included Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, The Utah Symphony and with Marvin Hamlisch both at the Ravinia Festival with The Chicago Symphony, and with The Pittsburgh Symphony.

In a tribute to Richard Rodgers, Mr. LaBrecque recently made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist with the New York Pops, the same season he debuted with The Boston Pops. Alongside Jeff Tyzik, he appeared with both the St. Louis and Seattle Symphony's for their Holiday Celebrations as well as numerous performances with The Naples Philharmonic. With Peter Nero he was featured in "Broadway Showstoppers" a live recording with Mr. Nero's Philly Pops. Other special engagements have included singing with Carole Bayer-Sager at Feinsteins's in Manhattan and the Cinegrill in Los Angeles, performing alongside broadway legend Jerry Herman with the Naples Philharmonic, and appearing onstage with Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch(singing together!) at Hickory Hill, the legendary home of Ethel Kennedy.

International engagements have included The Korean National Symphony in Seoul, Korea, The Shanghai Radio Orchestra in China, The Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Vancouver and Calgary Symphonies in Canada, The Brazilian Symphony Orchestra in Rio De Janeiro, The Jerusalem Symphony, and numerous return engagements with the Israel Philharmonic. Mr. LaBrecque recently appeared in Alba Italy as the guest soloist in an all Bernstein concert and returned to the International Music Festival in The Czech Republic.