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Pop! Go The Classics, with Mac Frampton, set for April 23

By Staff | Apr 11, 2019

Pop! Go the Classics showcases celebrated pianist and arranger Mac Frampton, accompanied by the ThreePenny Orchestra, a world-class ensemble of six musicians trained in the classics, in a production that merges his conservatory training with his mastery of the pop and jazz idioms, bringing to the stage fresh and original interpretations of revered classical works.

Pop! Go The Classics, set for April 23 at Nashua High School North, has been in the planning stages for three decades. Over his career, Frampton has built a library of innovative arrangements based on classical themes, such works as Pictures At An Exhibition; Rachmaninoff’s Prelude In C# Minor; Flight Of The Bumblebee; Johann Sebastian Bach performed as if he were alive and well and living in Greenwich Village; Appalachian Spring; Chopin from the setting of a cool jazz club; and, of course, George Gershwin.

Now in his 40th season as a concert pianist, Frampton, a native of South Carolina, credits his durability to a continuing evolution as a performer. He started playing the piano at the age of 3. His formal training began at age five, and he was eight when he made his professional debut. After his musical studies at Erskine College, he did graduate work at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he received the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. While a student, he gained national prominence as a medal-winning semifinalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

He started his career in the 1970s as a solo pianist, later adding a rhythm section of bass and percussion – a combination that earned the Mac Frampton Triumvirate hundreds of college concerts. In the 1980s, Frampton began to produce a variety of revues, including tributes to George Gershwin and to the music of the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1990s, his attentions turned to larger ensembles; first, an acclaimed production entitled Music of the Night, and then The Hollywood Hills Orchestra in 1995. More recent productions include homage to the music of the 1970s: Yesterday Once More, That Mancini Magic! – a tribute to the iconic Henry Mancini, and Fanfare For The American Hero, which honors our veterans and active duty military.

Over the past 24 years, Frampton and his group have played over 3,000 concerts in the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe and the Mideast. He holds the record for return engagements at many locations, having appeared as many as twelve times on a single stage. He has teamed with Bill Cosby, Roberta Flack, Victor Borge, Louis Nye, The Fifth Dimension, and Metropolitan Opera star Roberta Peters, among others. Frampton has released more than 25 recordings and a motion picture soundtrack during his career.

The event is part of the Nashua Community Concert Associations annual slate of shows. Tickets may be purchased online at www.nashuacommunityconcerts.org or at the door.

For additional information, call 603-579-0603.

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