LSO Pops Concert with Lisa Vroman, Soprano

Under the direction of Music Director & Conductor Daniel Meyer, the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra (LSO) opens its 61st Summer Concert Series in Hoover Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27. The Pops Concert features music from Broadway and special guest Lisa Vroman, soprano.

LISA VROMAN, SOPRANO

Lisa Vroman starred for several years on Broadway as Christine Daaé in “The Phantom of the Opera.” As Christine, she garnered Theatre Critics’ Awards for the role in a record-breaking run in San Francisco and did a return engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

Vroman starred as Rosabella in “The Most Happy Fella,” making her New York City Opera debut with Paul Sorvino playing the title role. She played the role of Charlotte in “A Little Night Music” with the Michigan Opera Theatre, starring Leslie Uggams and Ron Raines. She starred as Lili Vanessi in “Kiss Me Kate” with both Glimmerglass Opera and the MUNY Theater of St. Louis and played Marian Paroo in “The Music Man” with Shirley Jones (Mrs. Paroo) and Patrick Cassidy (Harold Hill) at The Bushnell Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut.

Vroman sang the role of Birdie in “Regina” with Utah Opera, conducted by Keith Lockhart; made her New Jersey Opera debut as Rosalinda in “Die Fledermaus” (directed by Ira Siff); and premiered and recorded two Comic Operas by composers John Musto (Bastianello) and William Bolcom (Lucrezia) with the New York Festival of Song.

Vroman’s Broadway debut was in “Aspects of Love,” and she was the first to play both Fantine and Cosette in “Les Miserables.”

For PBS, she was featured with Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball in Cameron Mackintosh’s “Hey, Mr. Producer!” at the Lyceum Theatre in London, a Royal Gala attended by Queen Elizabeth II. She sang the role of Johanna in the San Francisco Symphony’s Emmy Award-winning “Sweeney Todd in Concert” with Patti Lupone and George Hearn. Both are available on DVD.

Vroman starred as Laurey in “Oklahoma,” filmed live in concert for the BBC Proms Festival at Royal Albert Hall in London and starred as Mary Turner in Gershwin’s “Of Thee I Sing/Let ’em Eat Cake” in concert with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, directed by Pat Birch.

Other roles have included  Lucy Brown in “Threepenny Opera” at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco with Bebe Neuwirth, Nancy Dussault and Anika Noni Rose; Laurie in “The Tender Land” at the Cabrillo Music Festival with Marin Alsop conducting; Maria in “The Sound Of Music” with Tulsa Opera; Josephine in “HMS Pinafore” and Yum-Yum in “The Mikado” with the Utah Opera; and Anna 1 in “The Seven Deadly Sins” with the Utah Symphony, Florida Symphony, Portland Symphony and Parnassus Symphony.

She has sung Maria in “West Side Story,” Guenevere in “Camelot,” Carrie Pipperidge in “Carousel,” Christine in Maury Yeston’s “Phantom,” Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” and Amalia Balash in “She Loves Me,” as well as many other well known musical roles.

Vroman is a George London Competition Grant recipient and a 1999 Minerva Award recipient from the State University of New York at Potsdam.

She received a bachelor’s degree in music education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, a master’s degree in fine arts and opera performance from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and was recently awarded an honorary Doctor of Music from SUNY Potsdam.

She has become an active mentor and sought-after clinician with many colleges and universities across the country and around the world.

DANIEL MEYER, MUSICAL DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

Daniel Meyer was named Music Director & Conductor of the LSO in 2019.

As Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic and Artistic Director of the Westmoreland Symphony and Cleveland’s BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, Meyer has reinvigorated orchestras with his innovative programs, engaging presence and keen musical intellect.

In addition to collaborating with world-renowned soloists such as Marc-André Hamelin, Sharon Isbin, Gil Shaham, Jeremy Denk, Daniil Trifonov, Midori and Emanuel Ax, Meyer has commissioned new works by Michael Torke, Vivian Fung, Richard Danielpour and Zhou Tian.

Meyer recorded the music of Hanson, Diamond and Daugherty for the Bavarian Radio with the Bamberger Symphoniker, and his recent guest appearances include the Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Portland Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Württembergische Philharmonie, Staatsorchester Darmstadt and the Nuremberg Symphony in Germany.

In his role as Director of Orchestral Activities at Duquesne University, Meyer embarked on a recording project of the concertos of American composer Lynn Purse.

In recent seasons he conducted the Rochester Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony, as well as guest engagements with the Indianapolis, Columbus, Phoenix, Eugene, Alabama, Toledo and Knoxville Symphonies.

His critically acclaimed European debut took place with the Staatstheater Stuttgart Orchestra and violinist Thomas Zehetmaier, and he returned to Germany soon after for concerts with the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen and to Austria with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna and the Wiener Jeunesse Orchestra.

Meyer’s summer festival appearances have included the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, the Aspen and Grand Teton Music Festivals, the Chautauqua Festival and the Brevard Music Center.

Upon the invitation of Mariss Jansons, Meyer was named Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, where he served until 2009.

A native of Cleveland, Meyer studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

He composed and conducted works for ensembles at both schools, including a Stabat Mater for soprano, chorus and orchestra.

At Boston University, Meyer received the Orchestral Conducting Honors Award and was awarded the prestigious Aspen Conducting Prize from David Zinman. He received an honorary doctorate from Edinboro University in 2016.