THOMAS LAUDERDALE AND NORMAN LEYDEN TO COLLABORATE IN
OREGON SYMPHONY SPECIAL EVENTS CONCERT FEATURING PINK MARTINI
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Portland, Ore. … Portland's own Pink Martini will perform with the Oregon Symphony when Thomas Lauderdale joins Associate Conductor Norman Leyden onstage in a collaboration that incorporates classical, jazz and Latin traditions Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. This Oregon Symphony Special Events concert will feature Portland's acclaimed David York Ensemble and the Jefferson High School Choir in a dynamic program that blends music from around the world. Media support is provided by KINKfm102 and Willamette Week.

Comprised of 10 musicians, Pink Martini blends influences from classical chamber music, the French music halls of the 1930s, Cuban music and foreign films of the 1960s, resulting in a dynamic frenzy of percussion, brass, strings and lyrics that span the continents. According to Variety Magazine: "Impressive at every musician's station, the ensemble produces music that's charming and elegant, a tribute to leader Thomas Lauderdale's adept handling of Cuban rumba and Parisan café tunes and his ability to balance them with a bit of Carnival disco, a quickie from composer Heitor Vill-Lobos and 'Que Sera Sera.'" Vocals are performed by the group's China Forbes, whose voice has been called "captivating" by The New Yorker.

The evening's program will begin with Bloch's Prayer from "Jewish Life," with Pink Martini cellist David Eby as soloist, and Ravel's "Bolero." The first half of the program also will feature Munro Leaf's "Ferdinand the Bull," narrated by Lauderdale and featuring Oregon Symphony violinist Paloma Griffin as soloist; Ernesto Lecuona's "Malagueña," arranged by Leyden; and Moondog's rhythmic "New Amsterdam" with soprano saxophonist Kirt Peterson, tenor saxophonists Pete Boulé and Tim Jensen and the David York Ensemble. Known as one of Oregon's finest choirs, the David York Ensemble also will perform in Hiroshi Wada's "Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu" with koto player Masumi Timson as soloist.

The second half of the program will include Harry James' Concerto for Trumpet with Pink Martini's Gavin Bondy as soloist and, from the group's acclaimed debut CD, "Sympathique," "Amado Mio" by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts. Works written in part by Lauderdale, "The Flying Squirrel," "Una Notte a Napoli," "Aspettami" and "Hang on Little Tomato" also will be performed. The Jefferson High School Choir will perform Altaufo Alves' "Tempo Perdido," among others.

Ticket range from $25 to $87.50 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster On-line, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.

Pink Martini

Pink Martini's debut CD, "Sympathique," was released independently on their own label, Heinz Records, in the Pacific Northwest in November of 1997 and nationwide in April of 1998. Comprised of 10 musicians, the formation of the Portland, Ore.-based group was a fortuitous accident. The musicians were thrown together as they opened for the three-gal, three-guitar ensemble The Del Rubio Triplets in the fall of 1994. Since then, "Sympathique" has gone on to sell over 500,000 copies worldwide and the group has performed in Europe, Taiwan, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon. Recently, the group has been touring the United States performing with symphony orchestras and has performed with, among others, The Nashville Symphony, The Jacksonville Symphony, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and The Long Beach Symphony. In May, the group will travel to the East coast to perform with the Charlotte Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony.

Pink Martini is also notorious for its parties, including the "Wild Kingdom Rhumba," "Let's Get Lost," "Havana 3am" and the "Blue Blue Danube Waltz," an annual formal waltz featuring a 25-piece symphony orchestra performing Strauss and Viennese waltzes. Pink Martini represents what is refreshing and new in pop music, respecting the traditions of classical, jazz and Latin and inspiring new amalgamation that is hypnotic, cinematic and above all else-beautiful.

China Forbes was born in Cambridge, Mass., where she grew up and later graduated cum laude from Harvard. After college, she moved to New York and began performing on the theatrical stage, as well as with her acoustic rock band at CBGB's Gallery and Mercury Lounge. Her original music has appeared in the films "Nick and Jane," "Francesca Page" and the 1995 documentary "Sex, Drugs and Democracy." As a songwriter, she collaborated with Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, as well as with Billy Steinberg who wrote mega-hit songs for Madonna, The Divinyls and others. In 1996 she recorded the title song for the UPN sitcom "Clueless." China has since relocated from New York to Portland so she could be closer to Pink Martini.

Thomas Lauderdale (piano) was raised on a plant nursery in rural Indiana and began his formal musical education at the age of six. He has appeared with the Oregon Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, Chamber Music Northwest and the Oregon Ballet and has given recitals in Boston and New York. Thomas graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in literature and history, and is the founder and artistic director of Pink Martini.

David York Ensemble

The David York Ensemble (www.FEEDyourEARS.com) was formed in 1986 by director David York as a vehicle for producing new music, much of which is composed by its conductor. The repertory of this versatile choir includes numerous commissions, masterworks of all time periods and jazz. The choir has performed in Europe three times: Russia, Estonia, and Czechoslovakia in 1991; Italy in 1998, and France in 2001. Recently, this critically acclaimed chorus represented Oregon at the Northwest Regional Conference for American Choral Directors' Association.

David York holds music degrees from Oklahoma City University and Portland State University. This June David will receive his Ph.D. in music composition and theory from University of Oregon where he was honored as the Music Department's Outstanding Graduate Scholar in 2000. Many of David's compositions are published and performed frequently by choruses nationwide. Next season he will premiere his first one-act opera, "Jonathan and David" - a companion piece to his ballet for strings, harp, and two male dancers, "Apollo and Hyacinth." David also teaches at Lewis and Clark College, serves as the Music Director at Living Enrichment Center (www.lecworld.org) and conducts the Portland Symphonic Boychoir.

Maurice Wright, Jefferson High School Choir Director

Maurice Wright began singing at the age of five in the Sunshine Band, a children's choir in his church. At the age of 15 he began to assist as a musician and director in the choir and participated in a young adult choir. In high school, Wright started the first gospel choir at Henry Foss High School in Tacoma, Wash. His first public performance was at the Goodwill Games in 1990. During his sophomore year, he moved to Portland and attended Cleveland High School, where he studied with Steve Peter.
As Choir Director at Jefferson High School and Humboldt Elementary, Wright works hard to bridge the gap between musicians and the community by providing an array of music, programs and styles. Jefferson High School Choir is proud to have sung for the Governor and other community officials and recorded a song on a district-wide CD. Wright is also a Director on the Rose Festival Board and the Community Agent for Jefferson High School.

Personal Accolades and Performances Include:
Opening song for President George Bush
Opened for the Boy's Choir of Harlem
Noted as one of the top vocalists in Oregon
Nominated for the P and T excellence in Education Award
Bridge Builders Speech Choir Coach

Jefferson High School Choir Performance Highlights:
Olympic 2002 Torch Ceremony
Oregon's State Capital
Opening act for Pink Martini
Local churches and community events
Martin Luther King Community Program
Intel Corp.
Hewlett Packard
Portland Spirit Cruise
Channel 12
National Anthem at Blazer Games
Nike
Channel 8
Portland State Music Competition
Oregon Symphony