Contact:
Tom Evans
602.448.5483 | [email protected]
The Phoenix Symphony to Feature Leslie Odom, Jr. on New Years Eve
“Hamilton” Star and Award-Winning Singer/Actor to Highlight Performance
PHOENIX (October 28, 2021) — The Phoenix Symphony’s 75th Anniversary season will feature a special performance on New Year’s Eve featuring famed singer and actor Leslie Odom, Jr.
Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted Tony and Grammy Award-winning performer spanning Broadway, television, film and music. He recently released his third full-length album and first of original material, entitled Mr in November, and also starred alongside Cynthia Erivo in the Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet.
Odom Jr. is best known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton, for which he won the Tony Award for “Best Actor in a Musical” and a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the original cast recording. He made his Broadway debut in RENT at the age of 17. He also starred opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo in a 2014 City Center Encores! revival of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick…Boom!
A Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Odom Jr.’s self-titled debut album was part-funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign and released in 2014 by Borderlight Entertainment, Inc. In June 2016, the album was re-released with additional material and charted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and #147 on the Billboard 200. In winter 2017, he re-released Simply Christmas as a deluxe edition with new arrangements and new songs. The holiday album hit #1 on iTunes and Billboard Jazz Charts.
The performance will take place at Symphony Hall at 7:30pm on Decmber 31 and will be conducted by Stuart Chafetz.
The Phoenix Symphony’s President & CEO Suzanne Wilson and Virginia G. Piper Music Director Tito Muñoz are available for interviews to discuss this special performance. Please contact Tom Evans to schedule interviews.
“This performance is truly going to be a celebration for our community of our 75th Anniversary, and we’re incredibly excited to bring Leslie Odom, Jr. to Phoenix to headline this event,” Wilson said. “We wanted to have this performance be a thank you to our entire community for their support over the past couple of years as we have navigated the pandemic and returned to Symphony Hall. This will be a special evening and a truly unfortgetable moment for our organization and musicians.”
The 75th Anniversary includes a robust mix of classics, pops and special performances, with some truly innovative and attention-grabbing programs scheduled. The entire season schedule can be viewed at www.phoenixsymphony.org.
Season ticket packages and single ticket sales are now available to the general public.
All audience members attending The Phoenix Symphony’s concerts will be required to show either a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours (3 days) of the performance OR proof of vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine authorized by the Centers for Disease Control PLUS a photo ID.
In addition, all guests attending Symphony Hall, ASU Gammage and Orpheum performances must maintain appropriate face coverings in accordance with current CDC guidelines except when eating or drinking.
The Phoenix Symphony was founded in 1947, and has grown over the years to become one of the state’s largest performing arts organizations. Its 75th Anniversary season comes on the heels of the cancellation of the 2020-21 season, and provides a unique opportunity to not only celebrate the organization’s history, but to celebrate its return as well.
About The Phoenix Symphony
Founded in 1947 as a part-time orchestra in Phoenix, a city of less than 100,000 people, and run by passionate volunteers, The Phoenix Symphony has grown alongside the capital city to become Arizona’s only full time orchestra. In addition to performing traditional and modern repertoire in the fall and spring in Symphony Hall, year round our world class musicians are actively engaged in the community. Through generous foundation, corporation, and individual support, TPS is strengthened by collaborating with the best guest conductors and artists across the nation and internationally. The core mission of The Phoenix Symphony is to provide the joy of music as a catalyst for discovery, knowledge, compassion, and connection. Annually, our orchestra members empower more than 120,000 students through education and outreach partnerships and create opportunities for healing and deeper connection for tens of thousands of adults experiencing homelessness, in Alzheimer’s care facilities, in hospitals, and in hospice. To learn more, please visit phoenixsymphony.org
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