Jeff Tyzik, conductor

GRAMMY Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America’s most innovative and sought after pops conductors.
Tyzik is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming and engaging rapport with audiences
of all ages. Tyzik holds The Dot and Paul Mason Principal Pops Conductor’s Podium at the Dallas Symphony
Orchestra and serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Detroit Symphony, the Oregon Symphony and The
Florida Orchestra. This season, Tyzik will celebrate his 23rd season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra.

Frequently invited as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with over fifty orchestras including the Boston
Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Milwaukee Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony,
Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Malaysian
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

In May 2007, the Harmonia Mundi label released a recording of works by Gershwin with Tyzik conducting the RPO
and acclaimed pianist Jon Nakamatsu. This recording stayed in the Top 10 on the Billboard classical chart for over
three months. Alex Ross of The New Yorker, called it “one of the snappiest Gershwin discs in years.” “His concert
is the kind of thing that’s likely to give classical music a good name, perhaps even make it seem, dare I say, relevant,”
writes John Pitcher of the Gannet News Service.

As an accomplished composer and arranger, Tyzik has had his compositions recorded by the London Symphony
Orchestra, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vancouver
Symphony and Doc Severinsen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He has also produced and
composed theme music for many of the major television networks, including ABC, NBC, HBO, and Cinemax, and
released six of his own albums on Capitol, Polygram and Amherst Records.

Tyzik worked closely with Doc Severinsen on many projects including orchestrating many of the great band
leader’s symphony orchestra programs. He produced a GRAMMY Award winning album, The Tonight Show
Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1. Tyzik’s subsequent recordings with Severinsen garnered three more GRAMMY
nominations.

In his twenty-two years with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Tyzik has written over 200 arrangements,
orchestrations and compositions for orchestra. A consummate musician, Tyzik regularly appears as a guest
conductor in the orchestra’s classical subscription series. He has also been commissioned to compose original
works for orchestra, including a Trombone Concerto, which was funded by a grant from the National Endowment
of the Arts and subsequently performed at Carnegie Hall. Tyzik conducted the world premiere of his original
work New York Cityscapes with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2010. Tyzik composed a Timpani
Concerto, commissioned by the RPO, and also led the RPO in the premiere of his new orchestral suite, “Images:
Musical Impressions of an Art Gallery” to rave reviews. In the 2015/16 season, Tyzik premiered his new work “Jazz
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra” on his Philharmonic Series performance with the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra.

A native of Hyde Park, New York, Tyzik began his life in music when he first picked up a cornet at age nine. He
studied both classical and jazz throughout high school and went on to earn both his Bachelor’s and Master’s
degrees from the Eastman School of Music. While there, he studied composition/arranging with Radio City
Music Hall’s Ray Wright and jazz studies with Chuck Mangione. Tyzik subsequently toured with Mangione as lead
trumpet and worked on five Mangione recordings as a producer and performer from 1976 to 1981.
Committed to performing music of all genres, Tyzik has collaborated with such diverse artists as Megan Hilty,
Chris Botti, Matthew Morrison, Wynonna Judd, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Dawn Upshaw, Marilyn Horne, Arturo
Sandoval, The Chieftains, Mark O’Connor, Doc Severinsen and John Pizzarelli. Tyzik has created numerous original
programs that include the greatest music from jazz, classical, Motown, Broadway, film, dance, Latin and swing.

Colin Smith, vocalist

With a career spanning over 20 years, Irish born Colin Smith has led a musical life as varied as it is impressive. With his former band MrNorth, while on RCA, they toured extensively with the likes of The Who, Van Halen, Sheryl Crow and Journey among many others. As a solo artist, songs from his two records have been licensed to movies and TV alike. Colin has been seen in live collaborations with Alicia Keys and has worked multiple times on Saturday Night Live as the featured vocal talent. Colin has been most recently been seen touring with Christina Aguilera, duetting with her on the GRAMMY winning “Say Something” to audiences across the globe, as well as performing background vocals for the show. Colin splits his time between NYC and LA.

Paul Loren, vocalist

New York singer-songwriter Paul Loren has always been steeped in the classic
American songbook. With his earlier work channeling 60's R&B, Brill Building pop and
even big band-era crooning, Paul’s voice, tailored sense of style, and twinkle-in-his-eye
personality has won over fans and devotees from coast to coast.

Loren launched his solo career with a string of sold-out shows in New York City at
famed venue Joe’s Pub at the Public with his ‘One-Night Only Band’ in early 2014.
His first solo single, “All By Myself,” released in 2015, was supported by radio stations
Lightning100 in Nashville, SiriusXM’s The Pulse, WCOO/Charleston and KPND/
Spokane, among others.

A six-song debut EP came in 2016, Paul Loren Is...Available!, featuring swing-era
covers of classic songs by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, the songwriting team
behind Sinatra’s classic 50’s run.

2017 saw the release of the single and video for the original song, “I Know A Place,”
inspired by Civil Rights-era anthems and “evoking the somber hope of Louis
Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.” (HuffPost)

A slew of singles followed, including the 50’s-inspired “(Gonna Take) A Little Time,”
with its accompanying whimsical video filmed at Brooklyn’s The Royal Palms
Shuffleboard Club and premiering on Parade.com.

During this time, Loren was personally selected by Jennifer Lopez to perform at her
Birthday Gala in Las Vegas; appeared on “The Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon,
partnered with The Ryan Seacrest Foundation; performed at the legendary STAX
Museum in Memphis Tennessee; and recorded in the world-renowned Sun Studio.
He has opened for and supported touring artists including: The Temptations; singersongwriter
Brendan James; American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks; folk singer and guitarist
David Bromberg; British soul singer James Hunter; and has shared the stage with Paul
Shaffer, Queen Latifah, Christie Brinkley and food personality Giada De Laurentiis.
With his new 11-song collection Betwixt, (and its forthcoming follow-up Between), Paul
is ready to pivot in a new direction. The songs, while retaining his knack for melody and
timeless songwriting chops, traffic in a depth and brutal honesty not found in his earlier
material. There’s a connective thread in the new songs reminiscent of Elvis’ early Sun
Studios recordings, spun fresh with Americana and folk influences.

“While his earlier material put him on the map, Loren’s heightened, and at times
devastating, lyricism set against an upbeat groove-based sonic backdrop sets the LP
as a career milestone.” (American Songwriter). Through it all, he ties together the more
profound lyrical territory with a blazing rhythm section that feels rearing and ready to hit
the road again.

Nick Cassarino, guitar/vocals

Nick Cassarino is a sideman or bandleader, and has worked at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, Le Passion Rouge, Jacob Javitz Center, and Sullivan Hall in New York City, and also The Venetian Hotel in Macau, China. In the Greater Burlington Vermont area, he headlined the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival for two years and played at such venues as The Flynn Theater, The Flynnspace, and Nectar's. He has shared the stage, studio or playbill with such renown musicians as Allison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Lovano, John Faddis, Michael Ray, Bob Gullotti, Trey Anistasio, Page McConnell, Mike Gordon, John Fishman, Dave Grippo, Jennifer Hartswick, Jeff Davis, and David Bratton.

Brian Killeen, bass

Brian Killeen is a NYC bassist that has enjoyed performing with many inspiring artists. Some of his favorite musical situations have included sharing stages with Chuck Loeb, Jarle Bernhoft, Liz Longley, A Great Big World, and Joe Sumner, as well as various on and off-Broadway theatrical productions. He is thrilled to be a part of Revolution: The Music of The Beatles.

Jordan Rose, drums

The feeling, the texture, the sound, the depth, the power, the sensitivity, the nuance, the groove, and so much more. I love everything about drums and am grateful to have been trusted behind a drum set with a variety artists whom I greatly respect, such as: Theo Katzman, Cory Wong, Caleb Hawley, Darren Criss, Charlie Puth, Pomplamoose, Charlie Hunter, Jeff Coffin, Joe Louis Walker, Louis Cato, Dear Evan Hansen (on Broadway), Rufus Wainwright, Ruel, SZA, Maddie Poppe, and others.

When I was 20 I lost all of my hearing in my right ear due to an unexpected medical complication. After four major surgeries spread over the course of two years, my hearing was thankfully restored to a normal level. These two years of my life with only half of my hearing taught me more about music than all other years combined. I believe that music has the power to speak to our hearts and uplift our souls. Music is the universal language and I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to share music in many parts of the world through live performance, education, and recordings.

I’ve lived in Houston, the Hawaiian Islands, Utah, Boston, and currently reside in Brooklyn, NY with my beautiful wife, Jules.

Cynthia Meng, keyboard

Cynthia Meng is a New York-based music director, vocalist, and pianist. She works mostly in the New York theatre scene, though she also performs regularly as a session keyboardist and singer in the live music circuit as well. She is a member of the music team for the the Tony- and Grammy-winning production of Anaïs Mitchell’s HADESTOWN, currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City. In addition, she has played keyboard for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and currently plays keyboard in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY (starring Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone), fresh off a successful run on the West End.

As a side woman or orchestra member, she has played at the likes of Radio City Music Hall and the Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. She has played with the Emmy- and Grammy-nominated actress Lea Michele, Tony-winning composers Jason Robert Brown and Laurence O’Keefe, Grammy-winning artists David Byrne and Kirstin Maldonado, and twelve-time Grammy-nominated artist Ledisi, among many others.

Other select favorites from the theatre realm include the FROZEN 1st National Tour, MEAN GIRLS, MOULIN ROUGE! at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, IN THE GREEN at Lincoln Center Theatre, SUFFRAGISTS (by Shaina Taub), and the Broadway-bound musical LEMPICKA (dir. Rachel Chavkin), which will have its West Coast premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2020. As a composer, she has also been featured at venues such as 54 Below and the New York Musical Theater Festival. She also moonlights as a software engineer.