Brian Stokes Mitchell to Sing the Classics with Utah Symphony, 11/1-2

In the first pops concert of the season, Utah Symphony will welcome back to Utah Brian Stokes Mitchell, a much-loved vocalist who performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during their annual Christmas Concert in 2008.

As a Tony Award-winning baritone, Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a wildly successful career on Broadway, television, and film. Dubbed "The Last Leading Man" by The New York Times, Mr. Mitchell joins the Utah Symphony led by Principal Pops Conductor Jerry Steichen. His repertoire for the evening will touch upon some best-loved classics from Broadway and beyond, including "Some Enchanted Evening" from "South Pacific", "Stars" from "LES MISERABLES", a Gershwin medley ("S'wonderful", "I Got Rhythm", "Fascinatin' Rhythm", "Our Love is Here to Stay") and "Impossible Dream" from "Man of La Mancha".

In the spirit of show business and spontaneity, Mr. Mitchell will be announcing song selections from the stage so the final repertoire may reflect last-minute changes.

Single tickets for the performance start at $18 and can be purchased by phone at (801) 355-2787, in person at the Abravanel Hall ticket office (123 W. South Temple) or online by visiting www.utahsymphony.org. Season subscribers can purchase discounted tickets by contacting (801) 533-6683. Those desiring group discounts should call (801) 869-9046. All ticket prices are subject to change and availability, and will increase $5 when purchased on the day of the performance.

Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a rich and varied career on Broadway, television and film, along with appearances in the great American concert halls. His musical versatility has kept him in demand by some of the country's finest conductors and orchestras. He has performed selections from "Porgy and Bess" with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony at Carnegie Hall; works by Aaron Copland and various contemporary composers at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic under the batons of Leonard Slatkin and John Mauceri; Broadway tunes at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. under the baton of late Marvin Hamlisch (most recently at the National Symphony Orchestra's 75th season Pops concert debut); and jazz standards with Maestro John Williams at Disney Hall and with the Boston Pops. He recently debuted Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici's "Rip Van Winkle" with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. He has been invited to the White House and has performed for Presidents Clinton and Obama.

His Broadway career includes performances in "Man of La Mancha" (Tony nomination and Helen Hayes Award); "Kiss Me Kate" (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); "Ragtime" (Tony nomination); August Wilson's "King Hedley II" (Tony nomination); "Kiss of the Spider Woman;" "Jelly's Last Jam;" David Merrick's "Oh, Kay!" and "Mail," which earned him a Theatre World award for outstanding Broadway Debut.

His long television career began with a seven year stint on "Trapper John, MD." Numerous film and TV appearances more recently include "One Last Thing" which debuted at this year's Toronto Film Festival, recurring roles on "Crossing Jordan" and "Frasier," PBS' "Great Performances," DreamWorks' "The Prince of Egypt ," and his "Presidential Debut" in "The Singer and the Song" from the White House.

He continues to perform as both a soloist and a guest star at concerts all over the United States. In December of 2008 he performed as the musical guest artist at "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square". The concert was aired on PBS during Christmas of 2009.

Stokes has enjoyed working with numerous charitable organizations including the March of Dimes and is the 8-year Chairman of the Board of the Actors Fund.

About Jerry Steichen, Principal Pops Conductor: Maestro Gerald Steichen has established himself as one of America's most versatile conductors. He currently holds the positions of Principal Pops Conductor of the Utah Symphony and Music Director of the Ridgefield Symphony (Connecticut). He also completed sixteen seasons as Principal Pops Conductor of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Steichen is a frequent guest conductor for the New Jersey Symphony, and has appeared with the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Symphony, Indianapolis

Symphony, as well as the symphonies of Naples, Florida; Portland, Oregon; the Florida Orchestra in Tampa; Columbus, Oklahoma City, Hartford and the New York Pops. International appearances include the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo City Symphony, the NDR Philharmonie Hannover at the Braunschweig Festival, and numerous appearances with the Norwegian Radio Symphony.

During ten seasons with the New York City Opera, Steichen led performances including "La Bohème", "L'Elisir 'Amore", Jake Heggie's "Dead Man Walking", Rachel Portman's "The Little Prince", Jonathan Miller's production of "The Mikado", "The Pirates of Penzance", and Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella". In 2007, he led the New York City Opera Orchestra and soloists in a live WQXR broadcast of Wall to Wall Opera from New York's Symphony Space. A gifted pianist, he performed on stage for the New York City Opera's acclaimed productions of "Porgy and Bess" and "Carmina Burana". He has also conducted Utah Opera, Anchorage Opera, New Jersey Opera Theater, Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, NY, and Opera East Texas.

Steichen toured nationally as the associate conductor with "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Secret Garden", and "Peter Pan", and he conducted "CATS" in New York for two years. He has also appeared on Broadway, portraying Manny the Accompanist in the Tony Award-winning "Master Class". In pursuit of his passion for education, Steichen spent eighteen years with the "Meet the Artist" series at Lincoln Center as conductor, clinician and pianist. Originally from Tonkawa, Oklahoma, Maestro Steichen holds degrees from Northern Oklahoma College, Oklahoma City University and the University of Southern California. He currently resides in New York City.

Brian Stokes Mitchell with The Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday November 1, 2013, 8:00 PM / Saturday November 2, 2013, 8:00 PM.

**Song selections will be announced from the stage on concert night but may include:

Cole Porter Kiss Me, Kate (Selection)

Rodgers & Hammerstein "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific

Jule Styne "Don't Rain On My Parade" from Funny Girl

Claude-Michel Schonberg "Stars" from LES MISERABLES

George Gershwin Gershwin Medley

- S'wonderful
- I Got Rhythm
- Fascinatin' Rhythm
- Our Love is Here to Stay

Stephen Flaherty Selections from "Ragtime"

Antonio Carlos Jobim Waters of March

Stephen Ward, Samuel Augustus and Flaherty "America the Beautiful/ Wheels of a Dream"

Mitch Leigh "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha

About the Utah Symphony: Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony is dedicated to providing Utah residents and visitors with great performances which engage, educate and enrich lives. Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the orchestra's parent organization, reaches 450,000 citizens in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 200,000 students annually. The orchestra presents more than 70 performances each season in Abravanel Hall, participates in the Utah Opera's four annual productions at the Capitol Theatre, in addition to numerous community concerts throughout Utah and the annual outdoor summer series - the Deer Valley Music Festival -in Park City, Utah. With its many subscription, education and outreach concerts and tours, the Utah Symphony is one of the most engaged full-time orchestras in the nation. For more information visit www.utahsymphony.org.