Vallejo Symphony - Porgy and Bess

Vallejo Symphony presents Porgy and Bess

At the Empress Theatre

VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA

The Vallejo Symphony concludes its 91st season by presenting two performances of George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess.

This is the first time an opera has been presented at the Empress Theatre, and the Vallejo Symphony will be performing a version arranged by the legendary Hollywood composer Russell Garcia. His arrangement of Porgy and Bess was made famous by the 1958 Verve Records recording featuring Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.  This was the third and final album that Russ arranged and conducted for the pair, and the recording won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001.

Collaborating with the orchestra is Vallejo’s Verismo Opera. Artistic Director Eliza O’Malley will be directing the production in collaboration with East Bay Centre for the Performing Arts graduate Heaven Robinson. The Oakland Jazz Choir will be lending their exquisite voices to the classic close-jazz harmonies in these performances. The principal singers for this historic performance include the elite Jazz vocalist Tiffany Austin and celebrated baritones, Bradley Kynard and Robert Sims.

VSO Music Director Marc  Taddei states that “This historic performance will appeal to lovers of classical music and opera, lovers of jazz, and lovers of the golden age of Hollywood. Russ Garcia’s arrangement of George Gershwin’s masterpiece is one of the earliest jazz-inspired versions of the work, and we are thrilled to bring this extraordinary masterpiece to life on the stage of the Empress Theatre.”