JS ONLINE
Special News
Saturday,
October 7,2000
Dick Geyer, president of the Wisconsin Center, approached the FCS about a
series of concerts in the Milwaukee Auditorium, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave.
patterned after the Boston Pops model, with light music, tables on
the main floor and food and beverage service. The orchestra, which in recent
years has shifted from an amateur to a professional ensemble, responded
eagerly.
The first such concert will feature Welsh teen singing sensation Charlotte
Church at 8 p.m. Oct 7. Church, now 14, has charmed huge audiences the
world over by singing opera arias, pop tunes and patriotic and
inspirational songs since she was 11. Her debut CD, "Voice of an Angel,"
sold 2 million copies. Unlilke her pop-rock peers Britney Spears and
Christina Aguilera, Church projects angelic chastity rather than Lolita
sex appeal.
The Milwaukee appearance with the Festival City Symphony will be Church's
local debut and her only appearance in Wisconsin or northern Illinois
this fall. Festival City Symphony and Wisconsin Center District are
co-presenting the program, sharing the $150,000 it will cost to produce
it, and will share the anticipated profits.
The Wisconsin Center has spruced up the Auditorium(also known as Bruce Hall)
and made it a much more pleasant show and concert venue. Giant video screens bring the action clcose to those
in the far reaches of the
Auditorium, which will seat 4,014 when configured for the Church event.
Church is a big name to kick off the idea and win public attention; the
ticket prices reflect her fee. Future concerts might focus on the
orchestra itself and on less expensive local talent, with lower ticket prices.
Geyer was quick to point out
that neither he nor the FCS wants to compete
with the Milwaukee Symphony Pops, and he'd take care not to schedule against Symphony pops.
Tickets for the Church concert go on sale at 10:a.m. Monday through Ticketmaster, (414)276-4545 and www.ticket master.com. Single tickets are
$28 to $100 plus service charges. The floor of the auditorium will be set
up in cabaret format with tables; dessert and champagne will be served at
intermission in some sections. Tables for four, with selections of gourmet
fruits and cheeses, are $425 in the front section and $320 in back.
Subscriptions and tickets; The Family Package is $50 for all four concerts;
single tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for children. Family Packs
are on sale now through the Festival City Symphony office, (414)963-9067.
Single tickets will go on sale Sept.1 at the Pabst Theater box office (414)286-3663.
