Phantom of the Opera Star Chris Mann to Headline Arcadia Performing Arts Center Inaugural Gala

Mann will showcase unreleased Urban Songbook songs and award-winning favorites with global talent Maki Hsieh, and 135 young artists from the center’s resident companies Arcadia Stage, Band, Chanteurs, Orchesis and Orchestra 3’s strings octet. – Courtesy photo

NBC’s The Voice finalist and The Phantom of the Opera star Chris Mann is opening the Arcadia Performing Arts Center’s Professional 2017-18 Season Inaugural Gala. The season will raise funding to help the Arcadia Unified School District launch art, dance, music and theatre education in six elementary schools by Fall 2018.

Mann rose to fame as NBC’s The Voice finalist. He has performed at the White House, reached millions with his PBS concert Chris Mann in Concert: A Chris Mann for All Seasons, and was hailed as “the best Phantom since Michael Crawford” after two years of 700 performances as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera’s 25th Anniversary Tour.

Mann’s three albums have collectively made #1 on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes charts. Paul Anka reworked “My Way” for Mann, who holds the honor of recording the only other official version of Frank Sinatra’s standard.

Mann’s upcoming studio album Urban Songbook reinvents Great American Songbook jazz melodies with modern rhythms. On September 16, Mann will showcase unreleased Urban Songbook songs and award-winning favorites with global talent Maki Hsieh, and 135 young artists from the center’s resident companies Arcadia Stage, Band, Chanteurs, Orchesis and Orchestra 3’s strings octet.

General admissions doors open at 7:30 p.m. for the 8 p.m. concert which ends at 9:30 p.m. For VIP ticket holders, the Red Carpet Club pre-show experience begins at 5:30 p.m. with dress rehearsal and artist Q&A, catered buffet and grill, celebrity media wall, artist meet-and-greet, and live music featuring the Marimba Ensemble and AHS String Quartet. The premier silent auction includes rare RIAA-certified platinum and gold albums of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and other artists.

To engage youth audiences, a 20 percent discount of general admission tickets is available for all students through undergraduate studies with valid I.D. In addition, 30 percent Early Bird discount is available through August 16 followed by 20 percent Second Chance and 10 percent Last Chance promotion. General admission tickets start from $19 Mezzanine to $200 VIP.

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