FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUSCALOOSA – With two performances on September 9 and September 10, 2010, veteran classic rock band KANSAS will team up with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra of The University of Alabama. Inspired by the success of their 2009 StarCity Recording DVD/CD release ‘There’s Know Place Like Home’ – which saw KANSAS team up for a special night with the Washburn University Orchestra – the group decided to take this idea on the road. The feedback that KANSAS drummer Phil Ehart received from prospective universities has been overwhelmingly supportive in their desire to bring the concept to their campuses.
“We started by cold-calling schools all over the country to find out if there was interest in us coming to play with their orchestras. We immediately discovered that most schools have no money for their music programs. We then thought of performing the shows as fundraisers, helping to raise funding for the school’s music programs. As we started talking to the schools, we found out that many of them don’t even have a place on campus for a school symphony concert…but they do have an 80,000 seat football stadium! I had one school music director actually break down emotionally on the phone with me – he was very distraught that this might be his school’s last year with a music program. He thought this concert might actually save the music
program for another year!
The result is the ‘KANSAS Collegiate Symphony Tour.’ With performances booked throughout September and October, the group will be joined by
each respective college’s symphony, conducted by Larry Baird, for what promises to be a truly unforgettable evening of powerful rock music. “These
will be full-blown concerts with pro lights and sound,” adds Ehart. “KANSAS prides itself in performing first class shows no matter what the venue. Our college tour will showcase KANSAS and each school’s orchestra in the best possible manner.”
As the presenting sponsor, D’Addario & Company, Inc., is joining KANSAS in their objective to raise funds for college and university music programs. D’Addario, the world’s largest musical products accessory manufacturer, brings products to market under the brand names D’Addario; Planet Waves;
Rico Reeds; and Evans/PureSound/HQ percussion products.
“Receiving the support of D’Addario seemed like such a natural tie-in,” comments Ehart. “Most of us in the band use their gear, and I know you’ll find their products on college campuses across the country.”
“We are so excited to be part of ‘KANSAS Collegiate Symphony Tour,” offers David Via, VP of D’Addario & Company. “The experience and memories that these schools and their students will have from these concerts will last a lifetime. Financially, the D’Addario Foundation will be providing music scholarships to each school’s music department, while D’Addario & Company will be providing complimentary product support to each institution,” concludes Via.
With their self-titled first album released in 1974, KANSAS went on to become one of the decade’s most popular rock acts – issuing classic rock
albums such as 1976′s ‘Leftoverture’ and 1977′s ‘Point of Know Return,’ along with the hit singles “Carry on Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind”, and “Point of Know Return.” The band – which in addition to Ehart, is comprised of singer/keyboardist Steve Walsh, guitarist Rich Williams, bassist Billy Greer, and violinist David Ragsdale – continue to tour in front of large and enthusiastic audiences and to this day remain a fixture on classic rock radio. Additionally, they have reached an entirely new audience through their unmistakable presence on the popular video games Guitar Hero and Rock
Band.
In closing, Ehart hints that the ‘KANSAS Collegiate Symphony Tour’ may point to the band’s future. “This is going so well that other schools are
contacting us for 2011 and 2012. City orchestras are even calling us about doing the same for them. KANSAS has always been a symphonic rock
band; we may have found a whole new niche!”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BAND AND THEIR TOUR, VISIT:
www.kansasband.com
www.daddarioinc.com
FOR TICKET INFORMATION: