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Contact: Bill Webb |
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Media Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EHS Concert Band to perform with nationally renowned musician Edina, Minn., Feb. 18, 2009 – Some lucky Edina High School (EHS) students this week are getting the next best thing to working with Old Blue Eyes himself. The EHS Concert Band is proud to welcome Ray Coussins, formerly Frank Sinatra’s pianist of 14 years, to its 57th annual POPS Concert this weekend, Feb. 19 and 20. Coussins -- who in addition to his work with Sinatra is an internationally acclaimed music director, singer, composer, conductor and arranger -- will play rehearsals and conduct clinics with the EHS Concert Band students leading up to the concert, before performing with them during the opening weekend. Bill Webb, band director for EHS, said his students are fortunate for an entertainer as accomplished as Coussins to work along side them. “It’s really a chance to rub shoulders with and learn from an icon in the music business,” Webb said. Band students first came into contact with Coussins last year during their Concert Band tour to the Caribbean. The group was aboard the Princess Cruise Ship, where Cousins was singing, and they immediately hit it off. Students from the band kept mentioning ‘POPS’ and Coussins told them he’d love to come to their concert. Coussins, a Scotland native, is a classically trained pianist and son of a band leader. Throughout his career, Coussins’ musical tastes gradually expanded into other styles -- like jazz, modern, pop and big band -- and he began making a living as a globe-traveling musician. One of Cossins first jobs after coming to the United States was playing at a New York nightclub owned by Sinatra’s good friend, Jilly Rizzo. There he came to the attention of Sinatra and fellow Rat Pack members, like Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett, and spent the next 14 years playing Sinatra’s personal, public and private events. Since then, Coussins has also appeared on the Tonight Show several times, played at the White House and Constitutional Hall, was asked to appear at the Royal Command Performance in front of the British Royal Family and performed his own show in Las Vegas. The EHS Concert Band POPS Concert begins Friday, Feb. 19 and 20, with another round of shows Feb. 25-27. Coussins, however, will only be appearing the first weekend. All shows are preformed at EHS in Fick Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets cost $10 for adults and $6 for students and senior citizens, while reserved seats cost $13. All tickets can be purchased online at www.edinabands.com. About Edina Public Schools: ###  |
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