Flagstaff has the terrific opportunity to hear favorite love songs set to full orchestral arrangements when the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra presents Motown & Classics on Friday, March 16. Conducted by Charles Latshaw, the concert begins at 7:30 pm at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium on NAU campus.
Guest vocalist Laurice Lanier will prompt memories and touch hearts with her range of songs. Featuring hits such as Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” Barbra Streisand’s” The Way We Were,” “Skyfall” by Adele, and ”The Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston, the show covers favorite tunes from several decades of pop music.
For good measure, the concert will also include “Thunder and Lightning Polka” by Strauss, and the beautiful “Intermezzo” from Cavalleria Rusticana by Mascagni. But Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” may have the audience dancing in the aisles. From Etta James’s unforgettable “At Last” to Destiny Child’s “Stand Up for Love,” the broad selection of hits will please all ages.
Currently Director of Music Ministries for First United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Texas, Ms. Lanier grew up as a preacher’s daughter in Jackson, Tenn. Her love of singing and performance took her to Manhattan’s Juilliard School, where she studied with Edith Bers. She has performed on Broadway, in performance and concert halls, opera houses and churches across the U.S. and abroad. Her repertoire includes opera, jazz, blues and soul.
“When Laurice sings you forget the bad in your life,” said Meeno Feenstra, the Artistic Director of the Royal Opera House. Ms. Lanier was named by Maryland Public Television “one of the most versatile voices on the planet.” The FSO program will showcase the breadth of her ability to tackle a wide range of performers and styles with the songs that audiences love. And the audience will get to enjoy these songs backed by a full symphony orchestra.
ABOUT THE FLAGSTAFF SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The mission of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra is to enrich, engage, and inspire our community through the performance of orchestral music. Founded in 1950, the FSO is a regional orchestra of some 65 professional musicians who perform new works as well as the best-loved classical repertoire. Now in its 68th season, it is the largest and most active nonprofit performing arts organization in northern Arizona.
