by Steve Lemmon
The Celebrity Concert Series is in the midst of a banner year. Multiple sellouts for Grammy-winning artists and Billboard chart-toppers have contributed to a memorable season thus far. But on Jan. 11, the series hits a new high as we welcome Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Drifters.
“Up on the Roof.” “Under the Boardwalk.” “This Magic Moment.” “There Goes My Baby.” “Dance with Me.” “Spanish Harlem.” “Stand by Me.” The list of hits goes on and on.
One of rock and roll’s founding vocal groups is once again touring the U.S. under its original management team.
Through a historical journey that included no fewer than five legendary lead singers including Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King, the Drifters’ ongoing story has covered the entire spectrum of rock and roll. It was the first musical group to include string instruments into rhythm and blues music with its hauntingly beautiful song, “There Goes My Baby.” It was the first musical group to sell two million records with the pop classic “Up On The Roof.” Along with fellow inductees the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Supremes, the Drifters were in the first class of rock and roll legends to be initiated into the Hall of Fame and the first African American group to be inducted. Their classic tune “Under The Boardwalk” is the most played R&B record of all time.
They have played at the White House on three different occasions, gave a benefit concert in Berlin the day the wall fell, performed for the Pope, performed for the Queen of England, performed for Nelson Mandela, and toured the world for the USO in three different war zones from Korea to Iraq.
It’s been a while since they toured the country, but they are gearing up for a monumental celebration of their 50-year catalogue in support of their new album, “The Drifters Salute the Great American Songbook Live.”
While the Hall of Fame may be the pinnacle of achievement for rock and roll bands, in the world of classical piano, winning renowned competitions is just as remarkable. In the space of four months, American pianist Stephen Beus won first prize in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and first place in the Vendome International Competition and was awarded the Max I. Allen Fellowship of the American Pianists’ Association.
As a result of winning the Juilliard School Concerto Competition, Beus made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Juilliard Orchestra and James DePreist, playing Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3. He has also performed as a guest soloist with the Gulbenkian Symphony, Oxford Philomusica, the Tivoli Symphony, the Tbilisi National Opera Orchestra, the Northwest Sinfonietta, the Royal Philharmonic of Morocco, and the Vaasa Symphony Orchestra as well as with orchestras in Hamburg, Indianapolis, Nashville, Santa Fe, Utah, Fort Worth, Tucson, Yakima, Bellevue, Salt Lake, Eastern Sierra, Corvallis, Jacksonville, Texarkana, and Walla Walla.
Equally active as a soloist, Beus has performed at Wigmore Hall, the Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot, Merkin Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, the Central Conservatory, Teatro San Carlo, Carnegie Hall, and the Queluz Palace and has performed for the Dame Myra Hess and Fazioli Salon series and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival and has given recitals across the United States as well as in Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Georgia, China, France, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Morocco.
Born and raised on a farm in eastern Washington, Beus began lessons at age 5 and made his orchestral debut four years later. He went on to win numerous national and international competitions throughout his youth, capturing the attention of both audiences and critics. Commenting on Beus’ competition success, Fanfare magazine writes, “In some ways Beus doesn’t fit the mold of the typical competition winner. His playing is strikingly original and, despite his youth, he has an interpretive voice all his own. … Above all, his playing is so natural as to seem effortless and the sound he produces has extraordinary richness and depth, not quite like anyone else’s.”
Beus holds degrees from Whitman College, The Juilliard School, and Stony Brook University, and his teachers have included Leonard Richter, Robert McDonald, Gilbert Kalish, Christina Dahl, and Paulette Richards. He has recorded on the Endeavor Classics, Harmonia Mundi, and Centaur Records labels. Beus is a Steinway Artist and currently teaches at Brigham Young University.
The Celebrity Concert Series welcomes Beus to the Cox Performing Arts Center Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The Drifters perform Jan. 11. Tickets for the Drifters and Stephen Beus are available at the DSU box office, by calling (435) 652-7800, or by visiting dsutix.com. Join us as we welcome the world to our stage.
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