North Carolina Symphony Presents THE MUSIC OF QUEEN July 14

Next week, the North Carolina Symphony joins forces with conductor/arranger Brent Havens, vocalist Brody Dolyniuk and a full rock band to break down the boundaries between classic rock and classical music. "The Music of Queen," a one-night-only symphonic rock spectacle, takes place indoors in Meymandi Concert Hall, in downtown Raleigh's Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m.

Presented by Windborne Music, "The Music of Queen" features show-stopping classics like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are The Champions" and "Another One Bites The Dust," along with all of the essential rarities.

"The wonderful thing with an orchestra is that you have an entire palette of sounds to call upon," says conductor Havens. "The band is reproducing what Queen did live, and then having an orchestra behind the band gives the music richness, a whole new feel, a whole different sense of color but still preserving the wonderful music that they originally produced."
Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films and television, including bringing the music of Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd and The Eagles to symphonies across the country. As with his other shows, Havens's work on "The Music of Queen" has proved a great way to introduce rock fans to the symphony experience.

"I'm sure there are people who are going to come out who have never seen their city's symphony orchestra and this allows them to experience something new along with the music that they already love," he says.

For "The Music of Queen," he is ably assisted by Brody Dolyniuk, frontman of Yellow Brick Road, Las Vegas's most successful classic rock act.

"When he came out to audition for the show we knew immediately that he had something special," says Havens of Dolyniuk. "He not only knew the music but he had clearly listened to every aspect of Freddie [Mercury's] performances. Clearly, there will never be another Freddie Mercury but close your eyes and listen to Brody and you're going to get something very close."
Dolyniuk is joined on stage by Daniel Clemens, bass/vocals; Powell Randolph, drums/vocals; George Cintron, guitar/vocals; and Bart Kuebler, keyboards/vocals.
Regular tickets for this special event performance range from $43 to $63. In partnership with The River 100.7FM, a VIP pre-concert party will be held at The Oxford in Raleigh. The $100.70 per person ticket includes beer, wine and signature drinks, heavy hors d'oeuvres, prize drawings and box seats. VIP packages are still available.

Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St. in Raleigh.

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. Under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians.

Based in downtown Raleigh's spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It also holds concerts in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines, Wilmington and other North Carolina communities throughout the year.

For tickets, program notes, podcasts-or just to get to know your Symphony's musicians-visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.