Wednesday, December 31, 2014 - 9:00 pm
Severance Hall
The Cleveland POPS Orchestra with conductor Carl Topilow will welcome 2015 with their 19th annual concert and dance at Severance Hall. The two-hour concert starts at 9:00 p.m. with an exciting and wildly eclectic fusion of audience favorites performed by the Cleveland POPS Orchestra with conductor Carl Topilow, to the hot Latin rhythms of the MAMBO KINGS. Along with traditional New Year’s Eve musical fare, the first half of the concert will include “Happy” by Pharrell Williams and a special arrangement of Nino Rota’s “Theme from The Godfather,” arranged by Cleveland POPS principle trombonist Paul Ferguson.
The second half of the concert will feature the famous and celebrated Mambo Kings. Formed in 1995 by Richard DeLaney, Mambo Kings are enjoying great success as a leading Latin jazz ensemble, and have rapidly earned a national reputation for their explosive blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation. Since their debut in 1997 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, Mambo Kings have appeared as featured soloists at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and in concerts with the Baltimore, San Antonio, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Dallas Symphony Orchestras. The band was featured at the 2003 Rochester International Jazz Festival and reached the finals of the 2003 Kennedy Center-U.S. Department of State Jazz Ambassadors national competition. The Mambo Kings’ New Year’s Eve performance with Cleveland POPS will include “Day Tripper” (Lennon/McCartney), “Blue Mambo a la Turk” (Dave Brubeck) “Danzón,” “Tres Lindas Cubanas,” “Marinera,” “Oye Como Va,” and many more.
The concert is followed by dancing to two different bands in two locations in Severance Hall. Carl Topilow and an ensemble of Cleveland POPS Orchestra Members will provide the dance music in the Grand Foyer, while Rock & Roll music will be provided by the No-Name Band (lawyers playing music for dancing from the ’60s and ’70s, and beyond!) in the Smith Lobby. Further amenities include cash bars, a midnight balloon drop and complimentary desserts and coffee. The festivities continue until 1:00 A.M.