Bat McGrath to Join Legendary Friends and Love Concert with RPO

Rochester, NY – The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is pleased to announce the addition of guitarist and vocalist Bat McGrath to the RPO’s May 25 and 26th Pops concert, Friends and Love with Chuck Mangione and Don Potter.  All three were original performers in the now legendary 1970 Friends & Love concert with the RPO at the Eastman Theatre, a concert featuring Chuck’s compositions for full symphony orchestra and six accomplished soloists.  This concert was recorded live by WXXI and led to a recording contract with Mercury records and a Grammy nomination.  The original music – combining an eclectic variety of musical idioms – will be completely recreated for this pair of concerts.  Also joining them will be Gap Mangione (piano), Lew Soloff (trumpet) and Gerry Neiwood (saxophone).

Tickets for these performances are $20-$56, available online 24/7 at www.rpo.org, by phone (454-2100) and in person from the RPO Box Office, as well as at any Wegmans locations.  RPO Box Office hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (non-concert Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.). Wegmans is open seven days a week; a convenience fee may apply.  The WPOP Series is sponsored by Wegmans; this concert is sponsored by Xerox.  Chuck Mangione’s appearance is sponsored by the Harold and Judy Samloff Family Fund.