Stephen Sondheim, Idina Menzel and More to Lead Smith Center's Summer Music Lineup

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts announces an all-star summer line-up set to kick off in June.  The summer will feature the legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, jazz songstress Diana Krall, instrumentalist Chris Botti, the multi-talented Steve Martin and many more. Tickets to all performances go on sale Friday, April 27.  Season sponsors include Bank of Nevada and the Las Vegas Design Center.

Tickets to individual shows begin at $26 and can be purchased online at www.thesmithcenter.com or by calling (702) 749-2000.

THE SMITH CENTER’S SUMMER LINE-UP:

Idina Menzel

Reynolds Hall

June 10, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Garnering huge critical acclaim, Menzel reached superstardom on Broadway with her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba, the misunderstood green girl, in the blockbuster Wicked and in her Tony-nominated role as Maureen in the revolutionary Rent. This season, Menzel reprised her role on “Glee,” FOX’s smash hit television series, as Shelby Corcoran, Rachel’s biological mother. Amazing audiences with her captivating performances, Menzel has a diverse career on the stage, in film, television, and in music. With the recent release of her CD and DVD entitled Idina Menzel LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY, Menzel presents a special journey through a diverse repertoire of classic pop and musical theater favorites, including a fresh spin on contemporary songs, led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch, filmed at The Royal Conservatory’s beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada.

Chris Botti

Reynolds Hall

July 6, 2012, 8:30 p.m.

Trumpeter Chris Botti, the world’s largest selling jazz instrumentalist, will perform at The Smith Center in support of his latest album release, Impressions (Columbia Records, April 17, 2012).  Melody has always been at the heart of Botti’s music.  Whether applying the lush sounds of his trumpet to the long, lyrical phrases of a familiar ballad or the arching, rhythmic lines of a jazz improvisation, his solos tell evocative stories, finding their way into the very heart of a song. The colorful array of music Botti has selected forImpressions reaches across stylistic areas and national boundaries with works by classical composer Frédéric Chopin, American songwriters George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, R. Kelly, Randy Newman, Bob Thiele and David Weiss, Brazilian songwriter Ivan Lins, Argentine composer Astor Piazolla, Cuban composer Cesar Portillo de la Luz, as well as a pair of songs co-written by Botti. Many of the tracks are deeply enhanced by the superb orchestrations of William Ross, Vince Mendoza, Gil Goldstein and Jaques Morelenbaum.   

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