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DTE Energy Foundation Pops Series
Cole Porter & Friends
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor
Debbie Gravitte, vocalist
Doug LaBrecque, vocalist
Joan Hess, singers-dancers
Kirby Ward, singers-dancers
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Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. & 8 p.m.
Friday, January 18, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 3 p.m.
in Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center |
Constantine Kitsopoulos
Constantine Kitsopoulos has made a name for himself as a conductor whose musical experiences comfortably span the worlds of opera and symphony, where he conducts in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Royal Albert Hall, and musical theater, where he can be found leading orchestras on Broadway.
Kitsopoulos recently was named music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra. He continues as general director of Chatham Opera, which he founded in 2005. Recently Kitsopoulos made his debut with the Blossom Festival Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He conducted DiCapo Opera Theatre’s production of “The Merry Widow” in 2006. In December 2006 he conducted and produced Chatham Opera’s debut production, Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.
In 2005-06, Kitsopoulos launched Chatham Opera with a master class given by Regina Resnik. He also initiated Chatham Opera’s introduction to opera series, “Opera 101.” He conducted the Red Bull Artsehcro, an orchestra consisting of students from the top conservatories and university music programs in the country, in a concert at Carnegie Hall featuring a program of world premieres by Raul Yanez and Laura Karpman. In the summer of 2005 he conducted American Conservatory Theatre’s production of Kurt Weill’s “Happy End” and recorded the cast album at Skywalker Ranch.
The 2004-05 season displayed Kitsopoulos’ ability and interest in performing new works and conducting a wide variety of genres. He returned to the New Jersey Symphony to conduct John Goberman’s brand new “Gotta Dance!” program, as well as Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf for the symphony’s family concert series. In June 2005 he conducted New Jersey Symphony’s Summer Parks Concerts. He also made his debut with the Madison Symphony, conducting “A Night at the Oscars.”
Joan Hess
Joan Hess most recently had the fortune to play the role of Billie Dawn in Garson Kanin’s classic play Born Yesterday. She appeared at Lincoln Center in the lead role in the new Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty piece, Dessa Rose, directed by the 10-time Tony Award nominee Graciela Daniele. Her other Broadway credits include Bridgette in Bells Are Ringing, Edie and Hattie in Kiss Me Kate and Patsy in Crazy for You.
She appeared as Betty in the First National Tour of Sunset Boulevard, Polly in the First National Tour of Crazy for You, and toured with 42nd Street and Beehive, as well.
Regional theater audiences have enjoyed Hess in the title role in Gypsy at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; as Picasso’s first love, Fernande Olivier, in the World Premier of La Vie en Bleu, at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theater; as Ann in The 1940s Radio Hour for which she received a Best Actress Nomination; in the lead role of Maddy in the Australian import Hot Shoe Shuffle; Lilly McBain in Swingtime Canteen; and the lead role in the world premiere of Noel Coward and Jeffry Hatcher’s Bon Voyage at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
Last summer, Hess served as script supervisor on the independent short film Down in the Mouth. She is married to actor and tenor David Hess, with whom she recently toured South Africa, England and Italy for the Travel Channel’s Fantasy Rails for Millionaires.
Kirby Ward
Kirby has worked in the arts on five continents and in film, television and stage for almost 30 years. He’s been a resident of Los Angeles and London and now makes his home in Connecticut, but he continues to work in theatre and film all over the world.
When cast as Bobby Child in the London production of Crazy For You, Ward took his whole family along. His portrayal of the lead character in this West End premiere netted him an Olivier Award nomination as well as the honor of meeting and performing for the royal family on the Queen Mum’s birthday.
As an actor he’s run the gamut of song and dance roles, playing every “Billy” or “Bobby” from My One and Only to 42nd Street, and a couple of Dons and Toms thrown in to mix things up (That would be Singin’ in the Rain and No No Nanette). Departing from the song and dance motif has lead him into such roles as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, Arnolphe in School For Wives, Vernon in They’re Playin’ Our Song, and even a stint as Che in Evita.
New York area audiences have seen Ward’s work as an actor in Hal Prince’s Show Boat! (Frank Schultz), in the Off-Broadway revival cast of Cocoanuts, (Harvey) and in Company (David) as well as the recent Never Gonna Dance at the Broadhurst.
On television he’s appeared on Law and Order Special Victims Unit, General Hospital, The Tonight Show, and numerous commercials. Film appearances include For the Boys, Pennies From Heaven and S.O.B. Recently he appeared as Bob Hope with Dick Cavett at the Library of Congress’ celebration for Bob Hope’s 100th Birthday.
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Debbie Gravitte
Debbie Gravitte’s varied career has taken her from the Broadway stage to the symphony hall and points between. She won the prestigious Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, along with a Drama Desk Award Nomination and New York Showstopper Award. After making her Broadway debut in the original cast of They’re Playing Our Song, she went on to appear in: Perfectly Frank (Drama Desk award nomination), Blues in the Night, Ain’t Broadway Grand, Zorba, Chicago, and Les Miserables. She has appeared in the Encore’s series productions of The Boys from Syracuse, Tenderloin, and Carnival at New York’s City Center.
Gravitte has performed her nightclub act worldwide, from New York’s “Rainbow and Stars,” to London’s “Pizza On the Park,” and back home again to Atlantic City, where she has had the honor to perform with Jay Leno, Harry Anderson, and the legendary George Burns.
She has sung with numerous symphony orchestras including the National Symphony (with Marvin Hamlish), The Boston Pops, and Peter Nero and The Philly Pops. Overseas, Gravitte has sung with the London, Aalborg and Birmingham Symphony orchestras, Stockholm Philharmonic and Symphonica of Brazil.
On television, Gravitte co-starred on the CBS series Trial and Error, was seen on NBC’s Pursuit of Happiness, and has starred in several specials for PBS. She recently debuted with the New York City Ballet singing in Peter Martin’s “Thou Swell” at Lincoln Center.
Doug LaBrecque
Doug LaBrecque thrilled theatre audiences as The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition, LaBrecque has starred on Broadway as Ravenal in the Hal Prince revival of Showboat. He was featured in Oscar Hammerstein’s 100th Birthday Celebration on Broadway at The Gershwin Theatre, and toured nationally with Les Miserables. Regionally, LaBrecque has performed leading roles in Candide, A Chorus Line, Man of La Mancha among many others. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he was also featured in the world premiere of A Wonderful Life, and starred in the premiere revival of Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner’s Love Life.
An active concert performer, 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 and the San Francisco Symphony. In the last few years, his United States appearances have included Seattle Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Dallas Symphony, The Utah Symphony and with Marvin Hamlisch both at the Ravinia Festival with The Chicago Symphony, and with The Pittsburgh Symphony.
Recently, LaBrecque hosted the Yuletide Celebration with the Portland and Seattle Symphonies. Other 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 at Hickory Hill, the legendary home of Ethel Kennedy.
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