American Festival Pops Orchestra

Press Releases

HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER PRESENTS AMERICAN FESTIVAL POPS ORCHESTRA

Released February 17, 2011

This remarkable orchestra of D.C. area musicians made its debut last season and it was an immediate hit. The American Festival Pops Orchestra comes to the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 8 p.m. to present a delightful selection of popular American music. Performing favorites by such renowned composers as Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Leroy Anderson and John Williams, this big powerful orchestra will fill Merchant Hall with the timeless music that everyone knows and loves. Founder and artistic director, Anthony Maiello has brought together this fantastic orchestra of 60 talented musicians, and under his direction, they perform some of the most memorable and treasured music of the 20th century. This performance is family friendly and tickets are half price for youth through grade 12 when accompanied by an adult. A pre-performance discussion by Dan DeVany of Classical WETA will be held one hour prior to the performance in the Hylton Center’s Buchanan Partners Art Gallery. Novant Health is the Grand Opening Season Sponsor of Hylton Presents at the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

The program features several well-respected D.C.-area artists as guest soloists. Praised by The Washington Post for his “pristine melodic lines” and “showering virtuosity,” acclaimed violinist and American Festival Pops Orchestra Concertmaster Peter Wilson will perform John Williams’ poignant “Theme from Schindler’s List.” An artist-in-residence with Verge/The Contemporary Music Forum and at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the associate director of Vocal Studies at Mason, Kathryn Hearden, soprano, captivates with Cole Porter’s timeless classic, “Night and Day.” A versatile performer and saxophonist, Jim Carroll, artistic director of the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra and director of instrumental studies at Mason, delights with the time-honored musical treasure that is Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust.” Appearing regularly with the National Symphony, Washington National Opera and Washington Ballet, active performer and dynamic percussionist John Kilkenny, who also serves on Mason’s faculty and as assistant director of Mason’s Potomac Arts Academy, takes the stage to perform Leroy Anderson’s lively pops concert staple, “The Typewriter.”

Presently associate director of George Mason University’s School of Music, Anthony Maiello makes professional appearances both nationally and abroad conducting music festivals; adjudicating ensembles; and presenting clinics, lectures and workshops. He conducted musical activities for the Gold Medal Ceremonies at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.; served as musical director for Music Festivals International; was selected as President of International Association of Jazz Educators – N.Y. State Chapter; and is a guest clinician for Yamaha Corporation and Warner Bros. Publications. Maiello also has served as associate conductor of the McLean Orchestra, McLean, Va.; has been appointed an honorary conductor of the United States Navy Band, Washington, D.C.; and was a participant in the National Conducting Institute with Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., to which he has lent his services as a cover conductor.

The Hylton Performing Arts Center is pleased to recognize Novant Health as the Grand Opening Season Sponsor of the 2010-11 Hylton Presents season.

Tickets for the 2011-2012 HYLTON PRESENTS SERIES go on sale on Sept. 1, 2011. Charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit tickets.com. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on the Prince William campus of George Mason University. Directions from Rt. 66 East and West: Take Exit 44 (234 South), turn left at University Boulevard (the 4th stoplight) and make a left on Freedom Center Dr., then a left on Edwin King Lane, and a left onto George Mason Circle and take the road all the way to the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Parking is available in the lots surrounding the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Please visit www.hyltoncenter.org.