Song™ to Give Away Pair of Roundtrip Airline Tickets at Concert

BOSTON, January 12, 2004 — Tickets go on sale this week for the fifth concert in Berklee College of Music's "Song's Nothing Conservatory About It" concert series. On Thursday, January 29, 2004, the college presents "The Great American Songbook: The Music of Irving Berlin." The event is sponsored by Song™, Delta Air Lines' new low-fare subsidiary, and Berklee. A pair of roundtrip tickets to anywhere Song flies will be given away to one lucky concert-goer.

Press: to inquire about photo availability and usage, please e-mail us. Donna McElroy (center) and the Berklee Great American Songbook Orchestra

The concert will feature faculty vocalists Donna McElroy and Robin McElhatten, student vocalist Jeremy Ragsdale, and faculty instrumentalists Walter Beasley and Jeff Stout, performing with the Berklee Great American Songbook Orchestra, a 40-piece all-star band of faculty members and top students. Faculty arrangements in the lush, swinging styles of the pop song's golden age will showcase Irving Berlin tunes such as "Puttin' On The Ritz," "Blue Skies," and "Cheek to Cheek."

"The Great American Songbook: The Music of Irving Berlin" begins at 8:15 p.m. in the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, in Boston. Tickets are $20 for general seating, $30 preferred seating ($15 and $22.50 for seniors) and are available at the BPC box office. For ticket information, call 617-747-2261.

Berklee's annual "Great American Songbook" concerts are presented by the college to pay tribute to those songwriters who contributed to the compendium of mid-20th century popular song. Last year's concert featured the music of George Gershwin. This year, the college honors Irving Berlin, whose 1911 song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" catapulted the then 23-year-old composer to international stardom. Over the next five decades, Berlin wrote a succession of hits, both romantic and rousing, that included "God Bless America," "White Christmas," and "There's No Business Like Show Business." The songwriter led a remarkable rags-to-riches life. A Russian Jewish immigrant who grew up in a New York City tenement, he made a fortune in the music business and died an immensely wealthy man in 1989 — at the epic age of 101.

Compared with George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and other accomplished composers of the time, Irving Berlin was a relatively unsophisticated musician. But the eloquent simplicity of his best songs went straight to the heart. By the 1930s, he was writing for Hollywood as well as Broadway. He wrote the scores for three Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, including Top Hat (1933), which featured the ineffably romantic "Cheek to Cheek." Irving Berlin remained a formidable presence on Broadway with the musicals Annie Get Your Gun (1946) and Call Me Madam (1950), both of which starred Ethel Merman.

Song's Nothing Conservatory About It Concert Series
Song™, Delta Air Lines' new low-fare subsidiary, and Berklee announced the launch of the series in September. The innovative airline and the pioneering "MIT of pop" announced an eight-concert schedule, encompassing jazz, pop, blues, gospel, Latin, folk, and several other shades and genres of contemporary music. This unique concert series, which kicked off in October, pairs masters of contemporary music, such as Pat Metheny and Michel Camilo, with the musical giants of tomorrow, students with the skills and star power to hold their own with the best of them. The surprise of discovering a freshly minted talent, playing alongside a living legend, has made the "Song's Nothing Conservatory About It" concert series an intriguing new entry on the Boston cultural scene.

The series also will feature the formidable talents of the Berklee faculty, not only the world's most accomplished contemporary music educators, but outstanding performers in their own right.

Season tickets to the remaining four concerts in the eight-concert series are $75 for general admission, $95 for preferred seating ($55 and $75 for seniors). Individual tickets may be purchased to all shows, except the Pat Metheny concert on April 30. Admission to the Metheny show is available to season ticket holders only. Season ticket packages may be purchased at the Berklee Performance Center Box Office, 136 Massachusetts Avenue, in Boston or online. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale two weeks prior to the performance. For more information on the entire series, please visit Song's Nothing Conservatory About It Concert Series on the web.

A pair of roundtrip airline tickets to anywhere Song flies is raffled during each concert.

Remaining events in the "Song's Nothing Conservatory About It" concert series include:

Jan. 29 – The Great American Songbook: The Music of Irving Berlin
The songs of Irving Berlin are performed by Berklee faculty in the lush, swinging style of pop's golden age. Tickets $20, $30 preferred.

March 25 – International Folk Festival
Hear the familiar strains of love, loss, triumph, sorrow, and joy in a dozen new ways; featuring student instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers representing Berklee's large and diverse international population. Tickets $10, $15 preferred.

April 26 – Hallelujah! Amen! An Evening of Gospel Music
Berklee's Reverence Gospel Ensemble makes a joyful noise. Come, listen to them testify, and maybe see the light yourself. Tickets $10, $15 preferred.

April 30 – Pat Metheny in Concert
Visiting Professor Pat Metheny is producing a record for a Berklee student group. This group performs the first half of the show. Then, Metheny and special guest Gary Burton play a set with student musicians. Tickets available with season ticket package only.

Berklee is pleased to welcome Song as sponsor of the Nothing Conservatory About It Concert Series. The series' media sponsor is WGBH-FM 89.7.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing 70 plus countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today and tomorrow


Song is an innovative low-fare service that provides non-stop flights between the Northeast and key Florida leisure destinations, plus Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Juan, with over 142 daily flights on 36 Boeing 757 aircraft. All Song flights are operated by Delta Airlines. Song airline tickets can be purchased by visiting: www.flysong.com.


For more information, or for a JPEG photo of Donna McElroy and the Berklee Great American Songbook Orchestra, members of the media may contact:

Toni Ballard
Office of Public Information
Berklee College of Music
tballard@berklee.edu