News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 11/21/03   Click on image for publication quality photo COLUMBIA THEATRE’S LPO CONCERT IS MUSICAL HOLIDAY GIFT       HAMMOND -- The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will wrap songs of the season into a festival holiday package on December 5 at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts.       The concert, the final performance of the Columbia’s 2003 season, begins at 7:30 p.m. at the historic downtown Hammond theater.       Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert are $30, Orchestra 1 and Loge; $25, Orchestra 2 and Balcony 1; and $20, Balcony 2. Tickets are available through Ticketweb – www.ti cketweb.com – and will go on sale on December 1 at the Columbia box office, 985-543-4371. The box office, located in the theater’s lobby at 220 E. Thomas Street, is open from noon to 5 p.m.       Guest conductor William Grimes will lead the orchestra in a variety of holiday sounds from Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” and traditional Christmas hymns such as “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” to his own arrangements of “Still Still Still” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”       The program also will feature the world premier of two works -- “Quiet Christmas With You” and “Louisiana Holiday” – by composer, singer, producer Bruce Wermuth, who also will  appear as a soloist.       Conductor, composer, arranger, jazz bassist, and teacher, Grimes currently is director of graduate studies in the Louisiana State University School of Music and director of the LSU Jazz Ensemble. A widely respected virtuoso performer, he has worked with jazz legends such as Joe Pass, Monty Alexander, McCoy Tyner, Phil Woods and Bill Dobbins. He has made numerous recordings, including an album entitled “Dream Dancing,” featuring his own trio, and a duo album with pianist and former Southeastern music faculty member Willis Delony entitled “Civilized Conversations.”        Grimes is one of the nation's leading pops orchestra conductors and arrangers with more than 100 scores to his credit. He is a regular conductor with the Huntsville (Ala.) Symphony, and has led the LPO, Minnesota Orchestra, and Baton Rouge Symphony on many occasions. He arranged and conducted an album of Gershwin classics, “S'Wonderful,” which featured trombonist Harry Watters and the Czech Philharmonic and The Beach Boys.        Wermuth works internationally as a composer/arranger, songwriter, producer, conductor, trumpet player, clinician, and as a featured vocalist in the studio and in a variety of live performance settings.       As a featured vocal soloist, he has appeared with the LPO and the Memphis Symphony, at the Montruex International Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland and the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. He performs globally in large-scale corporate productions, most recently for IBM, Rite Aid, Aflac, Prudential and NCR.        Most recently, he played the leading role of Ted Wilson in the world premier of the new musical “Radio!” His recorded voice is heard daily on radio and television stations throughout the world on commercials, station IDs and numerous network program themes.        An accomplished trumpet player, he has been a featured artist in jazz bands and symphony "pops" concerts, and has played for artists including Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Paul Anka, The O'Jays,  and late legends Bob Hope, Henry Mancini and Rosemary Clooney.  As a writer/producer, he has worked with and written music performed by The Dixie Chicks, Ronnie Milsap, The Smothers Brothers, Gary Morris, mime artists Shields and Yarnell, and Italian tenor Massimiliano Drapello. His extensive client list as a music writer includes IBM, Chevrolet, Texaco, KZLA in Los Angeles, WFAN in New York, and BBC Radio 2 in the U.K.        His song "Downtown" reached #11 in “Billboard Magazine's” Urban Hot 100 in 1987, and he was recently honored as a 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Winner for his song "The Rhythm of Life."         As an educator, Wermuth served on the jazz faculty at the University of Memphis, and continues work as a clinician, including for The University of North Texas Summer Jazz Workshops. Committed to promoting music in the community, he currently directs the Southlake Community Choir in Southlake, Texas.       For additional information about the LPO “Fantastic Finale!” concert and other Columbia 2003 performances, call the Fanfare-Columbia office, 985-543-4366 or e-mail fanfare_ctpa@selu.edu. Return to News Releases