Press Releases
AMERICAN FESTIVAL POPS ORCHESTRA PRESENTS "SATURDAY NITE FEVER" ON OCT. 5 AT 8PM
Released Aug. 7, 2013
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS AMERICAN FESTIVAL POPS ORCHESTRA “SATURDAY NITE FEVER”
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 at 8 p.m.
FAIRFAX, Va., Aug. 7, 2013 – Northern Virginia’s very own pops orchestra presents a celebration of popular music of the 70’s and 80’s including the many eras of rock music, hit musicals, memorable movie and TV themes and more when the American Festival Pops Orchestra (AFPO) performs “Saturday Nite Fever” at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 at 8 p.m. A pre-performance discussion, free to ticketholders, begins 45 minutes prior to the performance on the Center’s Grand Tier III, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Center for the Arts.
A longstanding favorite at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts, this accomplished ensemble features 60 talented musicians from the greater Washington, D.C. area. Under the baton of founder and Artistic Director Anthony Maiello, AFPO performs an exciting program that includes tunes from such influential artists as The Beatles, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and a rousing rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band’s hit “Devil Went Down to Georgia” performed by Pops Concertmaster, Peter Wilson. AFPO also revisits Broadway blockbuster numbers including Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns”, musical selections from “Grease,” “Chicago” and Marvin Hamlisch’s “A Chorus Line”, as well as some of film's greatest musical moments from “James Bond” to “Rocky” to John Williams' iconic theme from “Star Wars.” Conductor Anthony Maiello leads this accomplished ensemble and welcomes George Mason University’s own Mike Nickens and his athletic band “The Green Machine” for a special guest appearance.
An associate director and university professor in George Mason University’s School of Music, Maestro Anthony Maiello makes professional appearances throughout the United States and abroad, conducting music festivals, adjudicating ensembles and presenting lectures, clinics and workshops. He has served as conductor of the Gold Medal Ceremonies at the 1980 Winter Olympics; musical director for Music Festivals International; associate conductor of the McLean Orchestra in McLean, Va.; and honorary conductor of the United States Navy Band. He was also a participant in the National Conducting Institute with Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra, to which he has lent his services as a cover conductor. After AFPO’s inaugural season in 2009-2010, he was inducted into the Bands of America Hall of Fame in Indianapolis. In 2012, Maiello was awarded the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia “Signature Award” for promoting music in America and is a current nominee for a 2013 GRAMMY Music Educator Award. He is the author of “Conducting Nuances” (GIA Publications, Inc.) and “Conducting: A Hands-On-Approach” (Warner Bros./Alfred Publications).
Please Note: The American Festival Pops Orchestra will perform “Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season” at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013 at 8 p.m. and George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 at 8 p.m. Please visit HyltonCenter.org and cfa.gmu.edu for more information about these performances.
Program subject to change.