ABOUT THIS CONCERT
Cole Porter’s sophisticated, sexy, and timeless songs continue to inhabit a unique place in society. It’s no wonder his work has been interpreted by countless artists across the decades. Join Tony DeSare and his guests Bria Skonberg (trumpet/vocals) and John Manzari (tap dance/vocals) as they give their fresh spin on such hits as: “Night and Day,” “I Get A Kick Out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “You’re the Top,” and many more.
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PREVIEW: Tony DeSare Sings “Anything Goes”
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music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and principal pops conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Dallas, Detroit, and the Ravinia Music Festival.
On stage, Steven has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock, including Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra—in a first for the show’s 45-year history— performing live music excerpts between news segments. In 2018, Steven led the National Symphony Orchestra with hip hop legend Nas performing his seminal album Illmatic on PBS’s Great Performances.
As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.
A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently lives in New York City with his husband, Eric Gabbard.
Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Atlanta, Cincinnati, Edmonton, San Francisco, and Sarasota.
On stage, he has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television, and rock, including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra, in a first for the show’s 45-year history, performing live music excerpts between news segments. In 2018, Steven led the same orchestra and hip hop legend Nas performing his seminal album, Illmatic, on PBS’s Great Performances.
As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare commemorated the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.
A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, where he earned Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He lives in New York City with his husband, Eric Gabbard.
Named a Rising Star Male Vocalist in Downbeat magazine, Tony DeSare has lived up to this distinction by winning critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout North America and abroad. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas, headlining with Don Rickles and major symphony orchestras, Tony has brought his fresh take on old school class around the globe.
Tony has four top ten Billboard jazz albums under his belt and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, and the Today Show; and his music has been posted by social media celebrity juggernaut, George Takei. Tony has also collaborated with YouTube icons Postmodern Jukebox. His Lush Life recording debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Traditional Jazz Chart, and he released Song Diaries Vol. 2 in early 2022, now streaming on all platforms.
An accomplished award-winning composer, Tony not only won first place in the USA Songwriting Contest, but has written the theme song for the motion picture, My Date with Drew, and several broadcast commercials. He has composed the full soundtracks for the Hallmark Channel’s Love Always, Santa and Lifetime’s new A Welcome Home Christmas.
In addition to these concerts, Tony’s appearances this season include the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and The Florida Orchestra.
He releases new recordings and videos of standards and new originals regularly on his YouTube channel, iTunes, and Spotify. Follow Tony on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on YouTube to stay connected.
Tony DeSare is a Yamaha Artist.
Triple threat trumpeter, vocalist, and songwriter Bria Skonberg, who was born in British Columbia, Canada, and now lives in New York City, has been a featured bandleader and guest artist at hundreds of festivals and stages worldwide. Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal), she has created a signature sound of fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals blending jazz, blues, and beyond with storytelling and adventurous concoctions of classic and new.
Her debut LP on Sony Masterworks won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts. Heard on more than 25 albums, she recently released her sixth studio solo album, Nothing Never Happens, consisting of mostly original compositions. Her music has garnered more than 13 million streams for 85,000 social media followers. A 6x Downbeat Rising Star, she received the Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing Award, Best Vocal and Best Trumpet (Hot House Jazz Magazine), and Outstanding Jazz Artist at the Bistro Awards.
She has served on faculty at the Teagarden Jazz Camp (2008- present), Geri Allen Jazz Camp (2020-21), and Centrum Jazz Camp; performs outreach on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center; has developed educational activities for the Louis Armstrong House Museum; and co-directs the New York Hot Jazz Camp she co-founded in 2015. She is an active member of the International Trumpet Guild, Women in Jazz Organization, Jazz Education Network, and a Bach Conn-Selmer artist.
Bria studied jazz and performance at Capilano University in Vancouver while balancing a full road schedule with two bands. After graduating, she traveled extensively, performing in China, Japan, and Europe as a featured artist. When she wasn’t traveling, she was honing her chops with Dal Richards, Vancouver’s King of Swing. Playing at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver capped off this exciting period, with Bria featured at the Paralympics opening ceremony. Upon moving to New York in 2010, Bria jammed with friends in Washington Square Park; an hour into playing, world-renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis stopped to listen. He gave her a thumbs up, and she never looked back.
John Manzari is an Ovation Award and Helen Hayes Award-nominated performer, teacher, and choreographer. A multifaceted artist, he is best known for tap dancing. Stage performances include Ayodele Casel’s Chasing Magic, NY Pops Up, 42nd Street, Maurice Hines: Tappin’ Thru Life, The Wiz is 40, and Sophisticated Ladies. On television, he has been featured on The View, PBS’s special Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room, The Jerry Lewis Telethon, and the season seven finale of So You Think You Can Dance. John can be seen in the documentary about his mentor, Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, and the short film, Slip.
