World Premiere Program Bridges Gap Between Pop and Classical Music

In what is sure to top the trend in pop-meets-orchestra performances, French duo AIR will perform with a full orchestra for the first time in their seven-year history for a special program at the newly-renovated Hollywood Bowl, on Sunday, September 26, at 6 p.m. The concert, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, bridges the gap between pop and classical music, and includes special arrangements created for this first-time program.

The show's musical arrangements will be created by Los Angeles-based composer and arranger Roger Neill, who also conducts the orchestra of 60-plus players for the evening's performance. Neill previously worked with Air on their 2001 album 10,000 Hz. Legend.

Fresh off their unforgettable sunset performance at the Coachella Arts and Music Festival in Indio on May 2, Air is returning to the U.S. especially for this special performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Up-and-coming Astralwerks pop act Phoenix will open the show; two additional acts will be announced. Tickets go on sale beginning Thursday, June 17 at noon.

Though AIR's Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel both grew up in Versailles, the two didn't meet until they began studying at the same college, later becoming Air by 1995. During 1996-97, the duo released singles on Britain's Mo' Wax ("Modular") and the domestic Source label ("Casanova 70," "Le Soleil Est Prés de Moi"). That same year, Air remixed Depeche Mode and Neneh Cherry, and joined French musique concrete popster Jean-Jacques Perrey for a track on the Source compilation Sourcelab 3. Signed to Virgin, Air released their debut album Moon Safari in early 1998. The singles "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars" became moderate hits in Britain, and earned airplay on MTV. Later that year, Godin and Dunckel mounted an ambitious tour throughout Europe and America, though they had originally decided to forego live appearances. Their early singles were collected in 1999 under the title Premiers Symptomes; the duo's soundtrack to the Sofia Coppola film The Virgin Suicides followed in early 2000. Air's second studio effort, 10,000 Hz Legend, appeared in spring 2001 with a subsequent tour of the U.S. They bridged the gap between the pop of Moon Safari and the experimentalism of 10,000 Hz Legend with their 2004 release, Talkie Walkie. This performance is Air's Hollywood Bowl debut.

ROGER NEILL is a Los Angeles-based composer and arranger, active in film and television music, song writing, musical theater, music for commercials, records, and many other creative endeavors. He has written the music for some 20 feature films, including C.Q. for Roman Coppola, Trixie for Alan Rudolph and Where the Money Is (starring Paul Newman and Linda Fiorentino). As an arranger, Neill is heavily in demand, working with such artists as Beck, Mellow, Jason Falkner, and Air on their album 10000 Hz Legend. An eclectic and versatile musician, he is well known for his unique guitar and orchestra music for the hit Fox animated series, King of the Hill, which he has been composing since the show's debut eight seasons ago. Other recent television projects for Neill include the music for the Paris Hilton/Nicole Richie reality series The Simple Life, for which Neill received an ASCAP Composer's Award in 2004. Neill is an accomplished flutist, pianist and guitarist, as well as composer. He holds a Ph.D. in music composition from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. He teaches film scoring techniques at the UCLA Extension School and is the recipient of many awards for his dramatic scores and for his classical concert music, including several BMI and ASCAP awards. This performance is Neill's Hollywood Bowl debut.

EDITOR'S PLEASE NOTE:

Sunday, September 26, at 6:00 p.m.

Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood

AIR with orchestra

PHOENIX

ROGER NEILL, conductor

(additional artists to be announced)

Tickets ($3-$130) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at HollywoodBowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850-2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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