THE THEATERS OF VISION ALL STAR COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA (TOVASCO) GIFT OF MUSIC EXPERIENCE

The TOVASCO gift of music experience is offered as a an benefit outreach educational and cultural opportunity for high school and college upcoming musicians all over the San Gabriel Valley. In it’s second year, it is a mentoring program which brings 6 mentoring musicians and a mentoring professional conductor together with 30 student musicians and hopeful arrangers / composers from 10 schools / colleges. They include Pasadena High School, South Pasadena High School, Arcadia High School, John Muir, Monrovia HS, Polytechnic, Marshall Fundamental, Temple City High School, Pasadena City College, Cal State University. They all take the journey together.

The opportunity this year and the showcase for their talent is an original benefit production called Harry Who? which will be produced and presented by Theaters of Vision Productions / The Ambassador Foundation, non-profit Tax I.D. # 20-2887756. It highlights the music and history of Harry Warren who wrote and published over 800 songs, winning several Academy Awards for his music throughout the 20’s through the early 70’s. TOVP / AF will be concentrating on the 30’s & 40’s and will backdrop the entire production on the rich history of Pasadena and the Hollywood era during that time.

The TOVASCO Orchestra will be the featured, on stage, big band style and they will be complimented with a cast of 100 + diverse talented performers from all over the San Gabriel Valley; vocalists, dancers, soloists and variety. The Tap Chicks (Choreographer, Pam Kay), Towne Singers, Brighterside Singers, Centre Stage Productions, Inc., TOVP Dancers, Rose City Ballroom (Choreographer, Christian Perry of Dancing with the Stars), SambaLa Samba Dance Academy, Sisters of Swing, several soloists and many more.

The Theaters of Vision All Star Community Orchestra (TOVASCO) was founded by Lani Ridley Pedrini Owner / Producer of Harry Who? whose family established the Pedrini Music stores in 1934 with retail outlets all over Southern California. Her Co-Chair and the orchestra’s conductor is David Miller, the Orchestra Director and recipient of much notoriety for his great work with the music department at Pasadena High School. The Orchestra Directors/ Music Teachers from the participating schools are the members of the TOVASCO Advisory Board.

Harry Warren music has been heard throughout the world and many of the great songs we all love today are his creation. Such songs as Home in Pasadena, At Last, Serenade in Blue, I Found a Million Dollar Baby, Don’t Give Up the Ship, Stanley Steamer, 42^nd Street, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, You must Have been a Beautiful Baby, We’re in the Money, Jeepers Creepers, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. For a Buck and a Quarter a Day, I only Have Eyes for You, and many more. And all written for the great classic films produced by Paramount , MGM, Fox and Warners during the 30’s & 40’s.

We are very pleased to present the results of the TOVASCO Orchestra community outreach cultural and educational benefit experience performance Harry Who? on Saturday, April 24, 2010, 2 performances, 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, live onstage at the Ambassador Auditorium.

Our musicians will be honored as they take the TOVASCO Harry Who? journey and perform this wonderful music in the amazing acoustics and ambience of the Ambassador Auditorium. Their high schools / colleges will benefit by receiving a portion of the net proceeds back to their music departments. Our goal is to help enhance and fuel the professional experience of all of those up and coming musicians / performers as they strive to perfect and grow their performance skills. Our prayer is to be able to continue to provide, through this diverse outreach, future educational and cultural performance opportunities to the local talent and a wholesome, quality family entertainment experience to our wonderful audiences and the Pasadena community at large.

Best Wishes,

Lani Ridley Pedrini
Founder TOVASCO Orchestra
Theaters of Vision Productions/HRC Ambassador Foundation