The Palm Beach Pops

2008-2009 Season

Judy Collins
November 2008

The first concert of the season features Grammy award winning and legendary folk icon Judy Collins with her best loved songs. Her ethereal soprano voice has entertained audiences for over 50 years and is best known for her recordings “Send In The Clowns,” a Stephen Sondheim Broadway ballad, “Amazing Grace” and “Both Sides Now”. Ms. Collins achieved notoriety in the late 1960’s and 1970’s with her eclectic music favored by multiple generations. Her recent two-week engagement at the Carlyle Hotel in New York played to sold-out audiences with Ms. Collins’ singing and songwriting lavishly praised by Stephen Holden of the New York Times. With the revival of the American songbook by contemporary musicians over the past few years, this special symphonic performance showcases the timeless music that is gaining popularity with younger generations.

No season of Bob Lappin & The Palm Beach Pops would be complete without their annual tribute to the music of Broadway featuring Christine Andreas and David Burnham. Maestro Lappin crafts these themed concerts for a spectacular evening of music written for the Broadway stage. A sweep of emotional highs and heartfelt lyrics showcase selections from the very best Broadway classics.

“That’s Amore” will be the atmosphere in the auditorium when crooner Michael Andrew is brought back by popular demand to perform with Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops. Andrew, whom Merv Griffin once called the “greatest living singer,” is in tune with the musical sounds of the 40s and 50s with the recent revival of music from the Swing era. Andrew continues to compose, record and perform music from the Big Band era, writes background music for movies including The Five People You Meet in Heaven and hosted PBS special “A Swingin’ Christmas.” This concert series will feature an array of new orchestrations with some of the most beloved hits of Martin and Darin including “Ain’t That A Kick in the Head,” “Mack the Knife,” “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” and more.

Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops pay homage to the great ladies of swing… Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn. World-renowned performer Dee Daniels, direct from Vancouver, returns to the South Florida stage with her thrilling jazz vocal styling and dazzling four-octave range. This concert series delves into the many facets of love – the joy, the humor, the wisdom and the heartache – with songs like “Fever,” “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good),” “Makin’ Whoopee” and other classic arrangements. Daniels’ charming stage presence and amazing vocal range combined with the full, lush sounds of The Palm Beach Pops’ 65-piece symphonic orchestra provide the perfect vehicle to express the deepest sentiment of each song.

The essence of the American songbook is captured in remembering the timeless music of Nat King Cole. This homage to jazz-piano-great turned pop-crooning-sensation of the 1940s-’60s is a tribute to one of the most endearing singers and musicians in the history of popular music, Mr. Nat King Cole. Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops will present an unforgettable program of Nat King Cole hits along with refreshing new compositions certain to become unforgettable favorites as well. This concert series will feature The John Pizzarelli Quartet who, in combination with the sublime and stylish performance by The Palm Beach Pops orchestra, will make for a memorable evening and stirring tribute to the immense talent of Nat King Cole.

The culmination of this impressive series concludes when Steve Lippia, direct from Las Vegas, joins Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops to immortalize the music of Frank Sinatra. Considered by many to be the best interpreter of the Sinatra style performing today, Lippia has become one of the most in-demand vocalists introducing the Great American standards to new generations across the country. Headlining for sold-out performances at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, Lippia was backed by Nelson Riddle and Woody Herman Orchestras. This engaging entertainer with the haunting voice and distinctive phrasing will perform classics like “Come Fly With Me,” “Summer Wind,” “Strangers in the Night” and more.