Hits from Lionel Richie, Sting, and More; Children 12 and Under Free on the Lawn
The North Carolina Symphony, led by conductor Stuart Chafetz, will perform some of the greatest hits from the 1980s as part of its 2015 Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. Joining Chafetz will be vocalists Joe Cassidy and Nicole Parker.
Concert-goers can enjoy the early summer evening while listening to “Totally 80’s,” which features songs like “Human Nature,” “Don’t Stop Believing,” and “Boys of Summer,” plus hits by Lionel Richie, Sting, Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, and more.
High in demand with orchestras across the continent, Stuart Chafetz has recently been on the podium in Naples, Phoenix, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati, Hawaii, Columbus, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Louisiana, Grand Rapids and others. He has worked with renowned artists such as Chris Botti, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, The Chieftains, Jennifer Holliday, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker and Bernadette Peters. In the summers, Mr. Chafetz spends his time at the Chautauqua Institution, where he conducts the annual Fourth of July and Opera Pops concerts with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.
Joe Cassidy has been a Pops concert soloist with dozens of major symphonies across the U.S. and Canada under Maestros Jack Everly, Steven Reineke, Stuart Chafetz and Robert Moody, and has recorded with artists varying from James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins to the late Lorin Maazel. On Broadway, Mr. Cassidy most recently appeared in If/Then with Idina Menzel, Catch Me If You Can, Next To Normal, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 1776, Show Boat, Les Misérables, and A Christmas Carol. TV/film credits include Blue Bloods, Elementary, Law & Order, Brando, and Freefall. Mr. Cassidy won a 2013 Drama Desk Award for his work in the off-Broadway production of Working.
Nicole Parker is best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked. Since playing the green witch on Broadway, she has reprised the role for the first National Tour of Wicked. Her other Broadway credits include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and The People in the Picture. Regionally, Ms. Parker played Juliet in The Second City's Romeo and Juliet Musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, for which she received a Jeff Award nomination. She also appeared as Rosemary in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at the Reprise Theater. Film credits include Funny People, as well as the short films Weathered and Sitting Babies. For six years, she was also a cast member and contributing writer on Fox's MADtv. Recently, she was featured as a guest star on the mock game show Bunk on IFC, as well as on ABC’s Trust Us With Your Life, an improvisation show from the creators of Whose Line Is It Anyway? She also is a frequent soloist with orchestras around the country.
This summer marks the 30th anniversary of performances in Cary and the orchestra’s 15th season in the stunning lakeside pavilion built by the Town of Cary, a major sponsor of Summerfest. Gates open for the concerts series at 5:30 p.m., except for Independence Day, when they open at 3 p.m. Thanks to sponsor Golden Corral, children 12 and under are admitted free on the lawn, so attending a North Carolina Symphony concert at Booth Amphitheatre is a wonderful summer bargain for families.
The North Carolina Symphony’s popular Rex Healthcare Summerfest concerts bring great music for relaxed listening to Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre through July 9. While concerts begin at 7:30 p.m., concertgoers may bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs as early as 5:30 p.m. to enjoy the striking natural surroundings before the music begins. Some of music’s most exciting offerings—as well as contests and prizes, the MetLife Instrument Zoos for the kids, the Town of Cary’s Fourth of July celebration, with fireworks and so much more—make these evening performances under the stars a special treat for everyone in the family.
Tickets and Subscriptions
General admission lawn seating to “Totally 80’s” is $33 in advance, $35 at the door. Covered table seating is also available for $35 in advance, $37 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free for lawn seating at all Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series concerts.
Flex tickets on the lawn and covered tables are also available for the entire series, on sale through June 8. Beginning at $108, flex tickets allow music lovers the easiest access to the Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series, for savings of up to 40% when compared to single-concert ticket prices. For more on becoming a series subscriber, visit the Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series page at www.ncsymphony.org/subscriptions.
This year’s series lineup also includes:
- On Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, the orchestra, led by David Glover, will bring Summerfest audiences the two-night White Nights: Russian Festival that features music by some of the world’s greatest Russian composers.
- Friday’s program includes Shostakovich’s Festival Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, featuring Jinjoo Cho, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnole.
- Saturday’s program includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring Sean Chen.
- On Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20, audiences will enjoy two great evenings of music from stage and screen performed by the Symphony, and led by David Glover.
- Friday night’s program is An Evening of Broadway, with music from Annie, Oliver, Wicked, and more.
- Saturday night’s concert will be Symphonic Wizardry, featuring the Music of Harry Potter, a musical journey inspired by the world of Harry Potter, with selections from How to Train Your Dragon, Ghostbusters, and others.
- Back by popular demand on Saturday, June 27, guest conductor Brent Havens, the North Carolina Symphony and a rocking tribute band salute The Music of the Eagles. Hits include “Hotel California,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Witchy Woman,” “Desperado,” “Tequila Sunrise” “One of These Nights,” and many more.
- The Symphony’s free “Independence Day” concert with fireworks on July 4. The gates open at 3 p.m., so come early to Booth Amphitheatre and grab the best seats on the lawn for the area’s biggest Fourth of July fireworks display. This concert filled with patriotic favorites will feature David Glover and tenor Scott MacLeod.
- The Finale of the Rex Healthcare Summerfest 2015 series on Thursday, July 9, will feature a concert presented by the North Carolina Symphony that showcases talents of the Hot Sardines, an electrifying band from Manhattan that is captivating audiences world-wide. (The North Carolina Symphony is presenting, but not performing at this concert.)
Summerfest 2015 is presented by Rex Healthcare. Co-sponsors are the Town of Cary and First Citizens Bank, Summerfest partners are Golden Corral, MetLife, CaptiveAire, Synergy Spa / Collins & Franklin Plastic Surgery, North State Bank, Deloitte, LORD Corporation, Raleigh Windows & Siding, and Crabtree Valley Mall. Media sponsors are Cary Magazine, FOX 50, WRAL.com-TV5, MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM.