Launching summer 2012, The Queen Extravaganza is a spectacular touring concert show designed to take the glorious music and the live experience of legends of rock Queen to generations of fans in cities coast-to-coast across the US and Canada.

Behind the show are Queen: legendary guitarist Brian May and iconic drummer Roger Taylor, whose talents as writers and musicians have inspired such legends of modern times as the Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry, and even Lady Gaga,  who took her name from one of Taylor’s biggest hit songs.

Taylor’s idea was to the create the ultimate Queen concert experience in an electrifying road show that celebrates the band’s music and legacy performed by some of the best new music talent out there today.  Taylor personally takes the role of producer and music director.

To guarantee the touring show matches the fabled design and excitement of Queen at its live best, Taylor has enlisted a heavyweight production team headed by stage designer Mark Fisher.  Fisher has been responsible for some of the most memorable rock concerts ever staged, including The Wall for Pink Floyd, every Rolling Stones show since 1989, and, working with lighting designer Willie Williams, every U2 concert.

The Queen Extravaganza touring band – four vocalists and five musicians (two guitars, bass, drums and keyboards) – were hired after an intensive 12 week online audition search. The buzz surrounding the public auditions sparked worldwide interest with video submissions generating more than 10 million views.

Television host Ellen DeGeneres was so impressed with the level of talent, that she invited one hopeful to perform his audition on her show. That contestant, Nashville’s Marc Martel, secured himself a place in the final band. The rest of The QE band includes vocalists and QE contestant Jennifer Espinoza along with addition vocalists Yvan Pedneault and Jeff Scott Soto; bassist Francois Olivier Doyon; guitarists Brian Gresh and Tristan Avakian; drummer Tyler Warren and keyboardist & musical director Brandon Ethridge.

In a show which will run just over two hours of playing time, The QE band will perform close on 40 true Queen classics drawn from a list of the band’s biggest all-time chart hits – “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Under Pressure,” “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” “A Kind of Magic,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Somebody to Love,” “Killer Queen” - as well as highlighting some of the band’s finest heavy-duty rock based anthems which have long been at the core of their live performances,  so audiences can also expect a healthy dose of early period Queen with songs such as  “I’m In Love With My Car,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” “Seven Seas of Rye,” and “In the Lap Of The Gods” among them.

Production values will be boosted with the inclusion of never-before-seen video footage.

“The Queen Extravaganza will not be like a traditional tribute show,” says Taylor. ”It is a brand new show specially designed to enable these new fans, together with fans of old, to celebrate the music of Queen in a heart stopping event.”  Adds Taylor, “It’s going to be very spectacular, it’s going to be very visual, there are going to be some shocks and some tremendous surprises. It will be a rock celebration in the Royal tradition.

The Queen Extravaganza tour dates are as follows:

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In its second season, the Dayton Philharmonic’s Rockin’ Orchestra Series is playing to sold-out houses at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dayton, Ohio . The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is the first American orchestra to package rock-with-orchestra-based music into a season subscription series. The innovation has proven to be quite successful.

Both of the first series dates for the current season (Three Dog Night, 11/12/11 and Music of Pink Floyd, 2/9/12) packed the 2,300 seat Mead Theatre with excited music fans.

The latest offering in the 2011-2012 series, ”The Music of Queen: A Rock and Symphonic Spectacular,” is set for Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. - with a 3:00 matinee performance just added for the same date.

Rock ‘n roll veterans will join a DPO complement of over fifty musicians to present two dozen of the legendary group’s hits including We are the Champions, Radio Gaga, Fat Bottomed Girls, Somebody to Love, Another One Bites the Dust, and Bohemian Rhapsody. Tickets are available at the DPO website or (888) 228-3630.

“Initially created as a ‘pops’ format for boomers, the Rockin’ series is attracting music fans of all ages. Much of the rock ‘n roll canon is a great fit with the orchestral setting. This series boldly melds the two into something new,” says DPO Marketing Director David Bukvic .

The DPO welcomes four top vocalists, six rock instrumentalists and conductor Richard Sidwell for this engagement. All have earned their stripes in London’s famous musical We Will Rock You written by Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor . Featured vocalists are Sean Jenness , Justin Sargent, Jenna Lee James and Rachael Wooding . Collectively, they boast top theatrical credits for everything from Sleeping Beauty to Boogie Nights.

Boost Rewards , concert sponsor, has a few treats in store for concertgoers.

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra is the largest performing arts organization in the Dayton region, performing six series and six specials per season, and headed by Music Director Neal Gittleman. Location: 109 North Main St., #200, Dayton, Ohio 45402.

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