Modesto Symphony going to Disneyland for finale

The tunes may not be quite as old as song, but the music will still be pure Disney as the Modesto Symphony Orchestra closes out its season.

To celebrate the end of its 85th season, the orchestra will present a show filled with favorites from popular Disney films. The Pop Series show will finish up the 2015-16 year, which has included everything from ambitious classical works by Gustav Mahler to classic rock by Queen.

The finale show at Gallo Center for the Arts on Friday-Saturday, June 3-4, should be an all-ages, audience-pleasing array of pieces from Disney animated fare including “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Mulan,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen” and beyond.

“I think we were trying to appeal to the broadest possible part of the community,” said Modesto Symphony Music Director David Lockington, who will conduct the show. “Disney work spans so many decades with so many favorite tunes. I think it’s the perfect way to end the year. It’s a big celebration.”

As the orchestra performs, images from the Disney movies will be projected on-screen, making the concert a true multimedia experience. Lockington said the images add another emotional layer onto the performance.

“What is great about it is the music is very much at the foreground. There’s an emotional link you feel with the images than when you see it in the movie,” he said. “When you hear the voices and all the detailed orchestration, it makes the movies more emotional.”

The show will also feature four vocalists, who will sing songs and medleys, along with the orchestra. The soloists will be:

▪ Andrew Johnson – He has performed on “The X-Factor” and the “MTV Video Music Awards” and sung background for Demi Lovato, Fifth Harmony, LeAnn Rimes and more.

▪ Lisa Livesay – She was a headliner at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage “Laughs, Love & Light” show and played Glinda in the national tour of “Wicked.”

▪ Whitney Claire Kaufman – She just finished two years with the North American Tour of the Broadway smash “Mamma Mia!”

▪ Aaron Phillips – He is an actor-singer with Broadway, opera and TV credits who has also done voiceover work for “World of Warcraft,” “Grand Theft Auto V” and others.

Costumed performers dressed in Disney princess themed-outfits will be in the lobby to greet guests before the show. To help promote the concert, the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra will lead a free singalong show to Disney favorites at the downtown Modesto library at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 31.

Lockington said the finale show should be a fitting end to a successful season for the symphony. He said the variety of the season – from baroque to contemporary to popular music – helped to bring in new audiences.

“For me it’s very exciting to present the broad range of music and shows. I think we set out to do exactly what we needed to do and wanted to do. As a community we honored the past and hopefully inspired people for the future,” he said.

The symphony has also unveiled is new 2016-17 season, which will kick off Saturday, Sept. 10, with the annual Picnic at the Pops show. This year’s season opener will be a celebration of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

The rest of the season will range from time-tested favorites like George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” in October to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in November, a Holiday Pops show with jazz vocalist James Tormé in December, a Russian music concert in February, a tribute to David Bowie in March, string trio Time For Three in April, an opera showcase in May and a season finale show featuring popular music from sports in June.

“We have a lot of variety, with a twist. We’re so thankful for everyone for supporting this wonderful institution,” Lockington said. “We want to continue our ability to bring great cultural experiences to Modesto.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Modesto Symphony going to Disneyland for finale."