Peter Nero and Members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra To Open Music by the Lake Series July 1

Williams Bay, Wis., June 14, 2006 — The sixth annual Music by Lake series opens on Saturday, July 1, at 7:30 p.m. with two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist, arranger and conductor Peter Nero leading members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in a program blending classical, swing, Broadway, blues and jazz.

Performances are held in the Allyn Pavilion for the Performing Arts at George Williams College of Aurora University, located on the shores of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, WI.

Peter Nero, who lists collaborations with many leading symphony orchestras and classical artists around the country (including the MSO), has also teamed up with popular performers and celebrities. They include Johnny Mathis, Melissa Manchester, Margaret Whiting, Senator John Glenn, Ann Hampton Callaway and Sir Elton John.

Without sacrificing an immense regard for his classical roots, Nero has become the Pied Piper of pops concerts, founding the largest independent pops orchestra in the world—The Philadelphia Pops. Now in its 20th season, the Philly Pops presents 20 concerts each year under Nero’s baton, and he adds 25 additional appearances as pops director of the Florida Philharmonic.

To this challenging schedule, Nero includes appearances with the Utah, Phoenix, San Francisco, Dallas and Toledo symphonies, and the Buffalo, Rochester and Tulsa philharmonics.

Born Bernie Nierow in Brooklyn, N.Y., Nero began his formal training at the age of seven. By the time he was 14, he was accepted to New York’s prestigious High School of Music and Art and won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. When he took first place in a radio competition judged by Rudolf Serkin at 18, he found himself playing “Rhapsody in Blue” on Paul Whiteman’s television special, and then appeared on Arthur Godfrey’s influential radio show.

The radio exposure led him to renowned pianist and teacher Constance Keene, who recalls that he wanted to be “a second Horowitz.” Yet, she also recalls that “After each lesson he would play jazz, and his direction was obvious.” But Nero’s love of classical playing, and Horowitz, never diminished.

He said, “Before high school classes, I would get to Carnegie Hall about 6 a.m. for Horowitz tickets. He was like God. When we finally met and got to know each other, he insisted I send him all my albums. It was a dream come true.”

From these deep, traditional roots, Nero insists, “I have never played a classical piece in a pop style. I’m a traditionalist who respects the masters, as well as a renegade. We play popular songs, often interjecting a classical style to share with the audience.”

This defining statement, and his seriousness about the cause has resulted in sold-out halls across the country. But when playing popular repertoire, Nero contends “playing pops is different stylistically, but the standard practice of improvising inside a work is a lost art once taken for granted.”

Nero revels in the improvisational skills that allow him to make musical connections, injecting, say, Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” with an opening in the style of Beethoven.

Each program is generous with central piano solos, which vary from concert to concert. Nero’s inimitable style, when teamed with members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, guarantees a performance of vibrant virtuosity, amazing authenticity and an infectious sense of humor.

Additional Music by the Lake performances this season are:

• The Ramsey Lewis Trio, featuring Chicago’s legendary jazz artist, on Saturday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m. The artist underwriter for this performance is The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation.
• “The Student Prince,” an operetta by Sigmund Romberg, featuring the Music by the Lake Orchestra, Chorus and soloists, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 22, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 23.
• The Irish Tenors with Arnie Roth and members of the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5. The artist underwriter for this performance is The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation.

Single tickets are available for all performances in the terrace seating area for $25 and the lawn area for $10. Tickets for the special afternoon performance of “The Student Prince” on Sunday, July 23, are available for the following: dress circle seating, $25; pavilion and terrace seating, $15; and lawn seating, $5. Season subscriptions are still available with terrace seating at $100. Lawn seating packages (four tickets redeemable at any event) are available for $35.

For tickets, visit the Web site at www.aurora.edu/mbtl or call 866-843-5200, toll free.

The 2006 Music by the Lake concert series is generously supported by presenting sponsor Keefe Real Estate; platinum sponsors AT&T and Gage Marine and Lake Geneva Cruise Line; gold sponsors The Abbey Resort, Aurora Health Care, Fairwyn Development & Investment, Gilbert’s Fine Dining, Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, Interlaken Resort & Country Spa and Scherrer Construction, Inc.; and silver sponsors Arts Midwest, Balestrieri Environmental and Development, Inc., Community Shoppers, Inc., Hillcrest of Lake Geneva, LaSalle Bank Wealth Management, M&I Wealth Management, locally-owned Mid-America Bank, Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects, Sodexho Campus Services and WLKG 96.1 The Lake.

Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. The university is comprised of two campuses: a 27-acre campus in Aurora, Ill., with 10 academic, administrative and residential buildings; and the 241-acre George Williams College on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wis. Approximately 4,000 degree-seeking students are enrolled each year on the university’s Illinois and Wisconsin campuses, and the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to award degrees at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels.

George Williams College of Aurora University in Williams Bay, Wis., offers 12 academic programs, unique conference facilities for business meetings, an 18-hole golf course, recreation activities, and the annual Music by the Lake series.