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| Michel Legrand's 50th Anniversary Concert Tribute MGM Grand, Valencia Entertainment, and City Lights Productions UK announced today that three-time Oscar and five-time Grammy Award-winner Michel Legrand will perform a tribute to his 50 years of music and movies at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, March 27. Over the course of his 50-year career, Legrand has composed more than 200 film and television scores as well as several musicals. Legrand was only 22 years old when his first album, I Love Paris, became one of the best-selling instrumental albums ever released. He is a virtuoso jazz and classical pianist as well as accomplished arranger and conductor who performs with orchestras worldwide. During the show, Legrand will conduct a 66-piece orchestra and perform with many of his superstar friends such as George Benson, Melissa Manchester, Jerry Lewis, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams, Patti Page, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Steve Lawrence. Jon Voight along with Jennifer O'Neill will be hosting the concert. The event will pay musical tribute to some of Legrand's Academy Award-winning MGM movies including "Yentl, " "Thomas Crown Affair" and "Summer of 42." The superstar extravaganza also will be captured on film for a made-for-TV-concert-special to air at a later date. "I am thrilled to have the honor to produce and work with Michel Legrand and such an ensemble cast, " said Vincent Vellardita, producer and president of Valencia Entertainment. "Legrand is a musical genius and for many years has touched people in all age groups with his work. We have interest from some of the biggest names in the industry to take part in this spectacular concert and we look forward to announcing them in the next few weeks." Legrand recorded more than 100 albums with international musical stars who span the genres of jazz, variety, and classical, to name a few. He has worked with such diverse musicians as Phil Woods, Ray Charles, Perry Como, Neil Diamond, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, James Ingram, Jack Jones, Kiri te Kanawa, Frankie Laine, Tereza Kesovija, Johnny Mathis, Jessye Norman, Diana Ross, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan and Regine Velasquez, Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli and Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Legrand has earned an Emmy nomination, 13 Oscar nominations which resulted in the three victories as well as the five GRAMMY Awards. Michel Legrand's managers for more than twelve years, Philippe Guiboust & Herve' Genrie's, founders of City Lights Productions, a UK based production and management company, were looking for the right project to pay tribute to Michel Legrand's talent and amazing worldwide career. "We wanted not only to present a concert but to have the opportunity to broadcast such a concert on television to share Michel's talent with the largest audience possible. All this is now possible because of Vince Vellardita's concept, his professionalism and dynamism. This amazing concert event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to celebrate Michel Legrand's 50th Anniversary career surrounded by his superstar friends is exactly what we were looking for to pay tribute to Michel's rare talent for Music and Movies, " stated Herve' Genrie's. Valencia Entertainment is a subsidiary of Valcom, Inc., a publicly held entertainment company (VLCO). Valencia Entertainment has been in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years and involved in producing thousands of episodes of television and more than 100 movies. President and CEO, Vincent Vellardita, also has produced more than 200 major concerts and events, as well as a presidential campaign. The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16, 800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather and George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Sting, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also is home to the annual Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMA) and U.S. Open of Motocross. City Lights Productions UK is a production and management company based in the West-End of London - UK. Founded in 1998 by Philippe Guiboust & Herve' Genrie's, City Lights produces and licenses concerts, musicals, contemporary ballets, as well as shows, in more than 20 countries. City Lights represented the late mime artist Marcel Marceau and currently represent worldwide, among others, Maurice Be'jart's ballet company "Be'jart Ballet Lausanne, " and the multi awarded, 3 times Oscar Winning composer Michel Legrand. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |