WHITE ALBUM GROUP AND MEMBERS OF THE MONTEREY SYMPHONY TO PRESENT "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE" CONCERT, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 7:00 p.m. SHERWOOD HALL, SALINAS

August 14, 2009, Monterey, California: On Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. the Monterey Symphony will present "All You Need Is Love!" in conjunction with the Santa Cruz based rock band, "White Album Ensemble." The program will feature Beatles songs dedicated to the theme of peace, nonviolence, and community spirit. Conductor John Larry Granger will lead members of the Monterey Symphony and the White Album Ensemble in most of the songs. The performance is a benefit for Community Partnership for Youth and the Monterey Symphony’s music and education programs. Tickets to the event may be purchased through the Monterey Symphony’s website: www.montereysymphony.org. or by calling the Monterey Symphony at 831-646-8511. Tickets are $75 for VIP seating and a private reception with band members, $40 or $30 for reserved seats, and $20 or $10 for unreserved seats. Patrons are advised to purchase tickets on line and avoid the $5 per order processing fee for phone orders.

The concert was devised by Brian and Dale Gingerich, owners of Monterey Mattress Co., both among the most committed community activists in Monterey County. Brian Gingerich has a passion for putting on concerts, especially those for a cause. He lost a close friend to violence and is devoted to bringing people together to celebrate our differences, work toward a better life, and enjoy live music. The concert is likely to be one of the best ever offered at Sherwood Hall. The event will also include a silent auction benefitting Community Partnership for Youth and a concession stand benefitting the Monterey Symphony. The City of Salinas as generously waived the hall rental for this special event. The theme of the concert will be repeated from commentary on stage as well as the performance of such songs as: A Day in the Life, , Eleanor Rigby, Penny Lane , Martha my Dear, Long and Winding Road, I am the Walrus, Hello Goodbye, Here Comes the Sun , Strawberry Fields Forever, Abbey Road, Golden slumbers, Carry that Weight, Isn't it a Pity, Imagine and, All you need is love.

The White Album Ensemble is a group of established musicians gathered for the purpose of reproducing Beatles music, specifically that which the Beatles themselves never , or couldn't perform live. Being arguably the most popular entertainment act in history (selling over a billion records before 1985), their songs are considered the "classics of our time." In their quest for accuracy and detail, the WAE enlisted cellist Barry Phillips (who's worked with Ravi Shankar, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Eric Clapton) to create string arrangements, based on the recordings. Over $150,000 has been raised for such community causes as Guitars, Not Guns; The Santa Cruz County Symphony, Youth Music Monterey, Adopt a minefield, and youth programs by the WAE. The White Album Ensemble is a renowned musical collective featuring musicians who've worked with the Doobie Brothers, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Eric Clapton, Snail, and many others. The group includes Richard Bryant (Vocals, Keyboards and Percussion).

Peter Booras (Drums), Stephen Krilanovich (Guitars, Keyboard and Vocals), Ken Kraft (Guitars and Vocals), Dale Ockerman (Keyboards, Guitars, Trumpet, Harmonica, Vocals), Tiran Porter (Bass, Vocals) Grammy winner ( Doobie Brothers), with special guests-Drew Harrison ( Vocals, and Guitar), Tammi Brown ( Vocals) Grammy Nominee 2008, and Alysha Antonino (Vocals).

The White Album Ensemble began as a luthier’s dream to put together a crack team of top musicians to perform the Beatles’ "White Album" live in a theater setting. After selling out eight shows in Santa Cruz and creating a considerable buzz around town about the quality and vibe of the performance, the group was persuaded to do more concerts.

There is no attempt to be a "look-alike" or "tribute" band; this is more like the Monterey Symphony performing Mozart or Beethoven. In the case of the quirky and challenging White Album, it’s more like performing Stravinsky or the more avant-garde Var se compositions.

The White Album Ensemble has spent months in rehearsal, and doing research to make these performances authentic. Members wondered, "How would the Beatles have approached this as a live performance?" and made that the standard for decisions about instrumentation and arrangements.

For those who haven’t seen the White Album Ensemble in awhile, the musician lineup has changed. Richard Bryant now performs vocals and keys; Peter Booras is on drums; Stephen Krilanovich does guitars, vocals and keyboards; Ken Kraft does guitars and vocals; Dale Ockerman plays keyboards, guitars and other instruments; and Tiran Porter performs bass and vocals. Special guest Drew Harrison of the Sun Kings does the John Lennon vocals and guitar.

Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue has worked with the concert organizers, and the leadership team is seeking individual and business sponsors to help cover the costs involved in this effort, raise money to support the music and education programs of the Monterey Symphony and to support the excellent work of Community Partnership for Youth. For more information, visit www.cpy.org.

John Larry Granger is in his seventeenth season as Music Director of the Santa Cruz County Symphony. Mr. Granger served for nine years as the Music Director of the South Coast Symphony Orchestra in Costa Mesa and was the conductor of the Pomona College Orchestra from 1989-91. He has been a featured guest conductor with the New Haven Symphony, San Jose Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, and Springfield Symphony, among others. His theater production work has included Stephen Sondheim’s "Pacific Overtures," for which he received the Drama Logue Award for Musical Direction.

Deeply devoted to music education, Granger conducts the orchestras of Youth Music Monterey and the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony. He also has served as conductor for the "Evening of Concertos," a series of professional symphony concerts featuring young solo artists as Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Mr. Granger is in his fifth year as Music Director/ Conductor of the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre Orchestra.

Granger attended the International Institute for Orchestral Conducting from 1979-81 and did private study in Dresden with Herbert Blomstedt, Music Director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony. After receiving his Masters degree in Music from California State University, Long Beach, Granger attended the University of Southern California as a DMA candidate. Born in New York, Granger began his career as an oboist and English horn player.

The Monterey Symphony, under the artistic leadership of Max Bragado-Darman, is the only fully-professional orchestra serving the communities of the Monterey Bay, Salinas, Salinas Valley, Big Sur, and San Benito County. It provides triple performances of a seven-concert subscription series at Carmel’s Sunset Theater and Salinas’ Sherwood Hall, annual holiday concerts, and an extensive youth activities program, including more than 200 visits to classrooms by musicians, which culminates in concerts by the full orchestra for school children.

The Monterey Symphony is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation, supported, in part, through the fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Monterey Symphony; and grants from The James Irvine Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Harden Foundation, The Robert and Virginia Stanton Fund at the Community Foundation for Monterey County, The William and Flora Hewlitt Foundation, The Monterey Peninsula Foundation, The General Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, The Chapman Foundation, The J. M. Long Foundation, The McGraw-Hill Companies, The Nunes Company, Upjohn California Fund, and many other generous foundations and individual donors.

For additional information, please call 831-646-8511 or visit our web site:

www.montereysymphony.org.

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