PATRICIA C. SYAK | Symphony Notes Orchestra will celebrate during 2003-04 Ford Pop season

The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra explores a potpourri of celebrations during the 2003-04 John W. and Dorothy B. Ford Pop Series.
Subscriptions to the four-concert series are available now by calling the Symphony Center box office at (330) 744-0264.
The Pop season begins Nov. 1 accenting Halloween when Craig Schulman returns in his one-man show, "Heroes, Monsters and Madmen."
Schulman, the only actor in the world to have portrayed the Phantom in Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" and the title roles in "Jekyll & amp; Hyde," presents a Broadway tour de force with the orchestra under the direction of Isaiah Jackson.
The heroes of the program will be represented by songs from "Man of La Mancha," "Les Miserables," "Carousel," "Camelot" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel."
Among the monsters are "The Phantom of the Opera" and the beast from "Beauty and the Beast."
"Little Shop of Horrors" and "The Secret Garden" will supply the madmen.
There will also be a couple of characters who defy definition such as Sky Masterson from "Guys and Dolls" and a combination of personalities in the presence of Dr. Jekyll and Edward Hyde.
"Heroes, Monsters and Madman" is underwritten in part by Home Savings.
Dionne Warwick
The orchestra extends season greetings with five-time Grammy Award winner Dionne Warwick Dec. 6.
Warwick is celebrated as the first black woman of her generation to win the prestigious Best Contemporary Female Vocalist Award and has earned a dozen consecutive top 100 hit singles.
An international superstar with more than 60 Billboard hits including "That's What Friends Are For," "Walk On By," "I Say A Little Prayer," "Do You Know The Way To San Jose," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and "What The World Needs Now," Warwick presents an evening of timeless classics.
The Dec. 6 concert is underwritten in part by Butler Wick & amp; Co. Inc. and Linde Hydraulics Corporation.
Symphonic Valentine
The orchestra returns to the musical theatre stage as the inspiration for Symphonic Valentine on Feb. 14 with three leading ladies of the theatre.
Featuring Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins' "Broadway"), Jan Horvath ("The Phantom of the Opera" original cast member) and Christine Noll (from the original "Jekyll & amp; Hyde"), the trio steps into the spotlight with the orchestra and Isaiah Jackson in such memorable tunes as "Let Me Entertain You" and "Some People" from "Gypsy"; "Sweet Charity's" "Hey Big Spender"; "So In Love" from "Kiss Me Kate"; "All That Jazz" from "Chicago" and a sensational new Andrew Lloyd Webber love trio including "Love Changes Everything," "Unexpected Song" and "I Don't Know How To Love Him."
Symphonic Valentine is underwritten in part by the William B. Pollock Foundation.
Golden age of radio
The Pop Series concludes with a springtime salute to the golden age of radio with Five by Design April 3, 2004.
Radio Days turns the dial to an era when Jack Armstrong -- all-American Boy, The Shadow, Little Orphan Annie and big band remotes from Chicago, New York City and Hollywood ruled the airwaves.
Paying tribute to the vocal groups which fronted the big bands of the 1940s with tunes such as "I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo," "Moonlight Serenade," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "Juke Box Saturday Night," Radio Days interweaves the tunes, vintage serials, comedies quiz shows, commercials and theme songs of yesteryear's stay-at-home entertainment.
Radio Days is underwritten in part by First National Bank.
XPatricia C. Syak is executive director of the Youngstown Symphony Society.