Artists

Toyota Pops: “The Music of Ray Charles”
Honolulu Symphony Orchestra 
Matt Catingub, conductor
Ellis Hall, vocals
Afatia, vocals   Ginai, vocals

Concerts

Friday, October 24 at 8 p.m. & Saturday, October 25 at 8 p.m.
All concerts take place at Blaisdell Concert Hall

Tickets

$20, $34, $49, $59, $82 (including service fees)
 Military and seniors receive a 20% discount.
 Groups of 10 people or more are eligible for $10 flat rate tickets.
 Student tickets are only $10.
Tickets are sold at Ticketmaster outlets (1-877-750-4400), Macy’s
and Times supermarkets. www.ticketmaster.com
Call the Box Office at (808) 792-2000 (weekdays) or (808) 524-
0815 ext. 245 (evenings) for more information.
E-mail: boxofficemngr@honolulusymphony.com
www.honolulusymphony.com

Honolulu – The music of the legendary singer-songwriter Ray Charles comes to the Honolulu Symphony Toyota Pops stage in a highly-anticipated new variety concert on Friday, October 24 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 25 at 8 p.m. at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Maestro Matt Catingub and the Pops Orchestra welcome Charles’ protégé – the dynamic vocalist and multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Ellis Hall – for a grand evening of classic songs that span the country, blues, jazz, R&B and funk genres. Audiences can anticipate back-to-back hits including such classics as “America the Beautiful,” “Hit the Road Jack,” “I Got a Woman,” and “You Don’t Know Me.” Special guests and rising stars of the Hawaiian music scene, Afatia and Ginai, also make their Toyota Pops debut
in this concert showcase. Tickets start from only $20 and are currently on sale.

In 2004 – the year of Charles’ passing – Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Charles as number 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Charles was a
groundbreaking musical pioneer who helped shape the sound of American music, particularly soul music, while bringing the sounds of country music into the mainstream. It is this legacy that Maestro Catingub and the Toyota Pops celebrate with this innovative concert presentation.

The Toyota Pops evening begins with the lush sounds of the Ray Charles Overture and features the music of Charles throughout the two-hour show. Afatia and Ginai join Maestro Catingub and the Toyota Pops to kick start the night with archetypal Charles songs including “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” “Bye Bye Love,” and You Are My Sunshine.” Then, Hall makes his Toyota Pops debut in what promises to be the most talked-about performance of the season. Whether you are a Ray Charles fan or simply love great songs, this is a concert you won’t want to miss.

Please call the Box Office at (808) 792-2000 or visit www.honolulusymphony.com for more information.
 
About Ellis Hall
Ellis Hall is a multi-instrumentalist virtuoso who possesses a vocal style that commands attention in its diversity and depth. Born in Savannah, Georgia, Hall moved to Boston at the age of five, where he began his musical career, and has been on a direct course for success ever since.
 
His first release as a solo artist was a version of the Motown smash from the 60s “Every Little Bit Hurts.” His talents were showcased nationally and internationally with the Ellis Hall Group, opening for many top performers such as the Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, the Spinners and Natalie Cole.
 
Hall was featured as lead vocalist on the debut hit single, “What Does it Take,” from the Kenny G. multi-platinum “Duotones” album and joined the soul-stirring hit group Tower of Power as lead vocalist and keyboardist, culminating that stint with his co-production and song-writing prowess on their album, “Power.” He had enormous success as one of the California Raisins with their platinum album, “The California Raisins Sing the Hit Songs,” and a gold album, “Christimas With the California Raisins.” He has also lent his
vocals and/or performed with such diverse artists as James Taylor, Warren Hill, George Duke, Michael Sembello, Huey Lewis and the News, Bo Diddley, Taj Mahal, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Kimball and ToTo, Jason Scheff of Chicago, Bobby Womack, James Ingram and Stevie Wonder.
 
Adding to his credits are a series of movie and television soundtracks as well as a variety of International radio and television jingles. He appeared in the award winning ABC TV show, “The Wonder Years;” performed vocals in “New York Undercover,” Fox TV; “NYPD Blue,” ABC TV; “Hercules,” a Disney feature film; “Lion King II,” Disney Home Video; DreamWorks animated feature film, “Chicken Run,” singing the title track “Flip, Flop and Fly;” on screen as the organist in “Big Momma’s House,” with Martin Lawrence, a 20th Century Fox feature film; singing on screen in a scene with Tom Hanks in the Steven Spielberg movie by DreamWorks, “Catch Me If You Can,” and films, “Bruce Almighty,” Universal, “A Day Without A Mexican,” Universal/BMG and “Polar Express,” Warner Bros.
 
In 2003, for Camille Cosby’s New Visionary Leadership Project honoring Mr. Ray Charles, Ellis performed “You Don’t Know Me” at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.  Hall has also performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Millennium Stage, for his Leadership in Arts and Disability. He also performed a salute to Ray Charles at the Kennedy Center Honors Week-end. 
 
At the Recording Academy’s Inaugural Grammy Jam, in 2004, Hall was featured in a rousing salute to Earth Wind & Fire and in 2005 he celebrated the Music of Stevie Wonder. He was also a featured performer in the Keb Mo Christmas Special, at Disney Hall, Los Angeles. In January, 2005, on the Bob James Showboat Cruise to Mexico, he was featured in several vocal duets with Michael McDonald and sang lead vocals with Tom Scott's LA Jazz All-Star Band.
 
In February 2005, Hall was featured at Concord Records Grammy Party, which was later shown on the BET Special “Jammin’ For Ray.”  In May 2005 he was featured along with Brian McKnight at The Revlon Run/Walk For Breast Cancer at the Los Angeles Colliseum, and in August 2005, he performed with a host of stars in a commemoration for the 75th birthday of Ray Charles “A Night With Concord Records” at the Hollywood Bowl presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association's Jazz at the Bowl series.