Chris Pinnella to Perform at Manasquan High School to Raise Funds for the Arts

Jersey shore native and Manasquan High School alumni, Chris Pinnella is returning to his roots on DECEMBER 4TH, when he and his 14-Piece Orchestra take the stage at the Jack Nicholson Theatre (inside Manasquan High School). The acclaimed singer has shared the stage with icon Julie Andrews, toured the world + recorded with the platinum selling arena rock band, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and most recently has been collaborating as a guest artist with Young Voices, a UK based concert outfit bringing together massive student choirs from around the country to perform in major arenas.

This year Pinnella is on a mission. "We've been doing this concert for the past couple years at Manasquan, but this year, with the help of the Alumni Foundation we've really been able to take it to the next level. It's important for us, as a community, that we remember to always value arts education," he says. So far Chris has found close to 100 school alumni that are all currently working professionally in the arts ranging from musicians, singers, and actors, to film editors, a Hollywood producer, sound / lighting designers, stage managers, and writers to arts educators and more. All have shown great support and have fond memories of their time at the school.

The evening will begin with a VIP cocktail reception, in the school's newly renovated cafeteria, at 5:00pm. Then at 7:00pm, audiences will be treated to a 2-hour concert featuring Pinnella and his 14-Piece Orchestra. Reimagined versions of classics by Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Righteous Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Andrea Bocelli, Led Zeppelin and more. In addition, 4 collaborative performances with the high school chorus, drama, and band students with Pinnella's original song, 'Rise', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'The Prayer' and the singer's signature take on the classic 'Hallelujah'.

The concert will serve to kick off a multi-year fundraising effort to raise $400,000 to upgrade the school's outdated theatre which is named after another Manasquan High School alumni, the legendary Jack Nicholson. New sound system, lighting system with control boards, brand new seating, soundproofing, acoustical tuning, and aesthetic improvements will be made, in addition to major improvements to the band room as well. Pinnella says, "These upgrades will allow current and future students to learn and work in a first rate environment and all the more prepare them for college and beyond."

AN EVENING WITH Chris Pinnella | Saturday December 4, 2021 at 7:00PM at The Jack Nicholson Theatre at Manasquan High School - 167 Broad Street Manasquan, NJ 08736. TICKETS & INFO: Box Office - (732) 974-8990 / Online: www.showtix4u.com/event-details/57111

ABOUT PINNELLA:

Ask any classical vocal artist of big band singer you happen to see, and they will tell you it takes a certain kind of guts and gumption to step out in front of the freight train that is a symphony orchestra or sizable jazz organization -- to take the helm of a precision music machine whose hundreds of man hours of rehearsal and preparation now hinge upon that solitary figure at center stage. Sounds pretty scary -- but for Chris Pinnella it's the stuff of natural habitat; an environment that the versatile vocalist has thrived in, whether performing with symphony orchestras around the country, leading his own combos of anywhere from 3 to 15 players, or (for several tours of North America and Europe) lending his finely honed skills to the prog-rock / crossover locomotive known as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. That association with the late Paul O'Neil's spectacularly scaled project netted the New Jersey native a platinum record for his contributions to 'The Lost Christmas Eve' tour, and a chance to perform for an audience of over 1 million people, during a particularly raucous New Year's Eve in Berlin.

In the process the seasoned young performer - a singer whose influences run from the epic arias of Pavarotti, to the elegant jazz phrasings of Tony Bennett and the next generation concert hall mastery of Bocelli and Groban - built his brand as a bandleader through gigs at venues that range from big city nightspots to theatres across the United States such as the 540-seat Algonquin Arts Theatre in New Jersey as well as The Axelrod PAC, The Great Auditorium, The Pollack Theatre, Rahway PAC, The Newton Theatre, House of Independents, The Grunin Center for the Performing Arts, McLoone's Supper Club and numerous Luxury Private, Charity, Fundraising Galas and Events throughout the country. He has also played such prestigious NYC venues as Birdland, The Rainbow Room, The Explorers Club, The Rose Theatre at Jazz! At Lincoln Center, The Cutting Room, & Feinstein's / 54 Below.

Pinnella began his career professionally at the age of 16 after an audition for Maestro Fr. Alphonse Stephenson & the Orchestra of St. Peter performing with the orchestra on and off throughout his career. Chris went on to pursue music and received his degree from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. Post college he worked off-Broadway and regional theatre and had the opportunity to portray the title role of Simeon in the New Musical 'Simeon's Gift' which was co-written by icon Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton-Hamilton. Pinnella spent a month with Ms. Andrews and the 6-person cast at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY working side by side until the shows premiere. Pinnella also worked alongside Emmy, Oscar winning arranger Ian Fraser and the Tony nominated John Bucchino and Tony nominated director Marcia Milgrom Dodge (B'Way's Ragtime) on the project.

Currently Chris is working on writing and arranging his debut EP which is set to drop in late 2022. The 11-track debut will feature mostly original material as well as a re-worked covers, namely Pinnella's oft- requested version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' will be given an overhaul complete with gospel choir and full orchestra. Infusing elements of jazz, classical, alternative, rock, and pop Pinnella has his sights set on making 2022 his best year yet.