Todd Rundgren To Perform With Both Adult And Youth Orchestras In Akron Ohio This August

AKRON, Ohio - April 14, 2013 - PRLog -- RundgrenRadio.com will be presenting Todd Rundgren with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Youth Symphony on August 31st, 2013 at the Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, OH.  The concert will include special guest guitarist Jesse Gress and drummer Prairie Prince as well as background singers Mary Lou Arnold, Michele Rundgren, and Kasim Sulton.  Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster.com or at the Akron Civic Theatre beginning April 19th.

The Todd Rundgren with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Youth Symphony concert will be Rundgren's third symphonic concert in North America; in June of last year, Todd performed two concerts with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra in Rockford, IL.  Both concerts in Rockford were presented by RundgrenRadio.com.  The orchestra concert in Akron will consist of both the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Youth Symphony.  This will be the first time ever Todd has performed with two different orchestras on the same stage at the same time and the first time he has performed with a youth orchestra.

The idea of Todd performing with a full orchestra was the brainchild of Netherland radio DJ and music connoisseur Co de Kloet.  His idea came to life in September of 2011 when Todd performed two concerts in the Netherlands backed by the Dutch Metropole Orchestra.  Todd returned to Amsterdam in November of last year and performed again with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra in front of a sold out crowd at the famous Paradiso venue.  The conductor for the Dutch concerts was Steve Slidewell and the orchestral arrangements were done by Tom Trapp.  The North American concerts would be difficult to do without the generosity of the Dutch Metropole Orchestra sharing their charts from those concerts.

A Wizard, A True Star. The title of Todd Rundgren's 1973 solo album aptly sums up the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, and conceptualist, Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential `60's cult group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him 'Rock's New Wunderkind'. It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow and the above mentioned A Wizard, A True Star, as well as such hit singles as I Saw The Light, Hello It's Me, Can We Still Be Friends, and Bang The Drum.

Rundgren's myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meatloaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, and Hall And Oates. Rounding out his reputation as rock's Renaissance Man, Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics for Joe Papp's 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton's Up Against It  (the screenplay commisioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their third motion picture). He also has composed the music for a number of television series, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Crime Story.

For more than 60 years, the Akron Symphony Orchestra has been a driving musical force throughout the Greater Akron area. Widely recognized for musical excellence and performance versatility, the Akron Symphony Orchestra is committed to enhancing the quality of life of their community through educational and musical excellence.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra is operated by the Greater Akron Musical Association (GAMA). GAMA’s vision is to be embraced and sustained as a community treasure that provides a welcoming environment for all people to experience great music. This vision is realized by operating the Akron Symphony Orchestra, Akron Youth Orchestras, Akron Symphony Chorus and the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir, along with numerous special outreach and educational programs.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra began in 1949 when Mabel Lamborn Graham received $500 as “seed money” from the publisher of the Akron Beacon Journal with the instruction to begin raising money for a professional, union orchestra. After three years of intense fundraising, spearheaded by Mrs. Graham and other dedicated volunteers, the Akron Symphony’s Classic Series was established in the organization’s first season (1952-1953) to provide concerts performed by professional musicians of the highest caliber. Guest conductors and soloists of regional and national stature have been an integral part of the Classic Series since its onset, and remain a high priority for the Symphony.

Akron Youth Symphony is the Akron Youth Orchestras’ flagship ensemble and one of Ohio’s oldest youth orchestras. It presents three concerts each year at multiple venues and provides talented young musicians with an unforgettable, professional musical experience in their formative adolescent years. The orchestra celebrated its 50th anniversary by traveling to New York City and performing a concert in Carnegie Hall.

The Akron Civic Theatre has provided the Akron community with a venue for quality entertainment and live performances for over seventy years. During that time, hundreds of thousands of people have been thrilled by various theatrical presentations, both on stage and on screen.

Long recognized among the community’s cultural landmarks, the Akron Civic Theatre has a rich and spectacular history. The theater was built in 1929 by Marcus Loew and designed by famed theater architect, John Eberson. The interior structure was fashioned after a Moorish castle featuring Mediterranean decor, including medieval carvings, authentic European antiques and Italian alabaster sculptures.

Among facilities of its size, the Civic is one of only five remaining atmospheric theaters in the country where patrons experience a twinkling star-lit sky and intermittent clouds moving across the horizon, all while sitting inside the auditorium.

Rundgren Radio is a fan based online talk radio show for Todd Rundgren and music fans that aired weekly for 4 years from 2007-2011 and now airs occasionally for special edition shows.   All Rundgren Radio shows are permanently archived and can be downloaded.

Rundgren Radio has completed over 200 shows, had over 100 different guests, presented over 20 Todd Rundgren concerts, and has had over 975,000 downloads.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEYDDhYY-rI