McCartney piece to premiere in Pittsburgh

Members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform the North American premiere of a Paul McCartney orchestral adaptation, "Nova."

It'll be a central part of a McCartney-themed Sept. 7 Heinz Hall concert, called "Heart Strings," will be presented by Rock the Heart Foundation to benefit pediatric cardiac research.
Tickets are $25 to $175, available at pittsburghsymphony.com or by calling (412) 392-4900. The $175 VIP tickets include a post-performance reception with guest musicians. VIP guests may bid on two Hofner bass guitars – a model McCartney played when he was with the Beatles. The guitars were autographed by Sir Paul.
The symphony's website notes that McCartney will not appear at the performance.
McCartney composed "Nova" for his late wife, Linda. The world premiere of "Nova" was performed in 2005 for two sold-out audiences in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Those shows were produced by Dennis D’Amico, who also will produce the Heinz Hall show.
A string quartet will open the evening with arrangements of McCartney pop hits.
Grammy Award-winning conductor and jazz pianist Roger Kellaway will conduct "Nova" and perform a McCartney medley. The evening will include other classical compositions by McCartney including, "A Leaf," "Spiral" and "Tuesday."
PSO members, but not the entire orchestra, will be joined by guests who include:

• Pittsburgh’s Annie Rago, the only American to graduate from the Royal Academy in London this year. She has performed for the Queen of England and across the United Kingdom.

• Peter Beets performing a piano jazz arrangement of "A Leaf."

• Steel Magnolia – Winners of CMT’s Can You Duet music contest and the 2012 Academy of Country Music Award winner for Vocal Duo of the Year performing McCartney's "Maybe I’m Amazed" with the PSO

• Sarah Darling, Nashville recording artist whose video rendition of the Beatles' McCartney-penned "Blackbird" premiered on CMT.

• Paulette McWilliams, a Reviver Music/Sony jazz artist who sang backup for Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Billy Idol and Luther Vandross.

• Bill Champlin, a 30-year member of the rock band, Chicago and Grammy-winning collaborator on "After the Love is Gone" with Earth Wind and Fire, and "Turn Your Love Around" for George Benson. Champlin will end the night with a monumental McCartney song.

The show's sponsors are Rock for the Heart, a group founded by Kris Fischerkeller and her husband, Paul, after their son Matthew died at age 16 because of cardiac arrest.
Kris said the couple feels "honored" that members of Pittsburgh's symphony will host the show, adding, “We are equally excited about the importance of generating awareness about sudden cardiac arrest among children and teenagers."
“While the music is certainly the hallmark of the evening, the goal is to raise money for important medical research,” Kris said in a press release.
For more information visit www.rockfortheheart.org/donate.

By Scott Tadystady@timesonline.com

Source: http://www.timesonline.com