BIRMINGHAM-BLOOMFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
"A Bit of Americana "

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. - The Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra (BBSO) will present its "A Bit of Americana" concert on at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, 2008.

The concert will be held at Temple Beth El, at the intersection of 14 Mile and Telegraph roads in Bloomfield Township , Michigan . Adult admissions are $25; students and children 18 and under are free.

The concert features musical selections from Chadwick, Copland, Ives and Hanson. Charles Greenwell, music director and principal conductor of the BBSO, will conduct.

Joining the BBSO for a special guest performance is J. Jesse Bennett, winner of the BBSO’s Young Artist Piano Competition. A resident of Ann Arbor , Mich., Bennett has played the piano since age five and is a student of Professor Logan Skelton, Piano Department Chair, University of Michigan School of Music.

Bennett’s awards include being a three time winner of the Ann Arbor Area Piano Guild Foundation scholarship prize and the 2004 and 2005 Ann Arbor Bach Festival and Sonata-Sonatina Festivals at Schoolcraft College . His most recent awards include second place in the 2006 Ann Arbor Society for Musical Arts Youth Music Competition, alternate winner for the 2006 Dearborn Symphony Concerto Competition, 2006 Solo Division first place winner at Ithaca College Piano Competition, alternate winner of the 2007 Music Teachers National Association Piano Competition and the first place winner of the 2008 Michigan Music Teachers Association Piano Concerto Competition.

Musical selections of the concert program include:

Chadwick: Jubilee, from Symphonic Sketches
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Ives: Variations on " America "
Hanson: Symphony No. 2, "Romantic"

Known to music lovers throughout Southeastern Michigan , the Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra (BBSO) is an all-professional ensemble and performance outlet for talented musicians. The BBSO has won the Detroit Motor City Music Award for "Most Outstanding Community Orchestra" 12 times and actively supports educational music programs for students in area schools. More information about the BBSO is available by calling 248.645.BBSO (248.645.2276) and online at www.bbso.org.

All BBSO concerts are held at the Temple Beth El at the intersection of 14 Mile and Telegraph roads in Bloomfield Township . Adult admissions are $25, and students and children 18 and under are free. Special group rates are offered for more than 10 people. For ticket orders, call Ticket Hotlines at 248.645.BBSO or 734.525.7578.

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