release - 2011 - Disson Skating

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 24, 2011
National Press Contact: Scott Klein at Keith Sherman and Associates
(212) 764-7900, [email protected]
MUSSELMAN’S APPLE SAUCE PRESENTS
BRIAN BOITANO
SKATING
SPECTACULAR
Airing on NBC
December 18 th 2-4pm EST
Special to be recorded at the
Compton Family Ice Arena
University of Notre Dame
STARRING MUSICAL GUESTS
A
And Notre Dame’s Marching Band
The Band of the Fighting Irish
FEATURING MICHAEL WEISS, RYAN BRADLEY, STEVEN
COUSINS, CARYN KADAVY, ELENA LEONOVA & ANDREI
KHVALKO, KIM NAVARRO & BRENT BOMMENTRE, and
GEV MANOUKIAN
Olympic Gold Medalist Brian Boitano, musical guest Chicago and University of Notre Dame’s The Band of the Fighting
Irish star in Musselman’s Apple Sauce presents BRIAN BOITANO SKATING SPECTACULAR, a new theatrical figure
skating event taping at The Compton Family Ice Arena at University of Notre Dame on Sunday, November 20th at 1pm.
The show will then be broadcast on NBC Sunday, December 18, 2011 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT
and is part of the Pandora NBC Skating Series. Special guest stars will include three-time U.S National Champion and twotime World Bronze Medalist Michael Weiss, as well 2011 U.S champion Ryan Bradley, two-time World Professional
Champions Elena Leonova & Andrei Khvalko, eight time British national Champion Steven Cousins and World Bronze
Medalist Caryn Kadavy. Musselman’s Apple Sauce presents BRIAN BOITANO SKATING SPECTACULAR supports
The National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Musselman’s Apple Sauce presents BRIAN BOITANO SKATING SPECTACULAR will feature a live musical
performance by the band Chicago, who will be releasing a very special Christmas record this year, O Christmas Three,
produced by Phil Ramone. Chicago is the recipient of the Grammy and multiple American Music Awards and is the first
band to chart Top 40 Albums in 5 decades. They will be performing 10 songs during the evening. Notre Dame’s The Band
of the Fighting Irish will also be performing 2 songs during the figure skating event. The band is under the Musical
Direction of Dr. Ken Dye.
“Chicago is a band that transcends time and their music is classic” said Brian Boitano. “Timelessness is always in style,
whether in music or skating.”
Musselman’s Apple Sauce presents BRIAN BOITANO SKATING SPECTACULAR is directed and choreographed by
Renee Roca, three-time U.S Champion. This is Renee’s 7th year directing and choreographing Boitano’s show. Executive
Producer is Disson Skating. White Canvas Productions is the producer (Scott Williams, Producer and Brian Boitano,
Artistic Director.) Comcast-Spectacor entered into a partnership with Disson Skating in January of 2006, to take figure
skating to a whole new level and has quickly become the leading producers of televised ice skating shows in the United
States and Canada. The lighting design is by Michael Hall and the production manager is Todd Randall with costume
design by Beaver Bauer.
Olympic champion Brian Boitano single-handedly changed the face of professional figure skating by raising the level of
competition. Boitano captured his first National title in 1985 and went on to win the 1988 Olympic Gold Medal. Boitano’s
competitive record is unmatched. It includes 4 national titles, 2 world titles and an Olympic title and more professional
titles than any other skater in the history of the sport. Among those titles are 6 World Professional Championships.
Boitano is a member of the USOC Hall of Fame, the World Hall of Fame, and the US Hall of Fame. Boitano is known for
his speed and powerful command of the ice and most notably for winning the Olympic Gold in the "Battle of the Brians.
In addition, Boitano starred in his own tour "Boitano/Witt Skating". He won a Primetime Emmy for his starring role
in Carmen on Ice (HBO). Brian recently debuted a television series on the Food Network. His weekly cooking show,
"What Would Brian Boitano Make?" showcases his culinary skills and witty off ice personality. What Would Brian Boitano
Make? was named top 10 Food Network shows to watch by TV squad.In 1994, he formed White Canvas Productions,
the company where he serves as President and Artistic Director.This year’s broadcast of BRIAN BOITANO'S SKATING
nd
SPECTACULAR on NBC marks the 22 skating special that White Canvas has produced.
For updates on the show go to http://www.facebook.com/brianboitano
or Twitter: @Brianboitano or his web site http://www.brianboitano.com
Chicago, the legendary rock and roll band with horns, is an American musical treasure. In Billboard Magazine's list
of Top 100 artists of all time, Chicago came in at #13, the highest charting American band. An incredible 25 of their
32 albums have been certified platinum, and the band has a total of 47 gold and platinum awards. Record sales
worldwide top the 120,000,000 mark, and include 21 Top 10 singles, 5 consecutive Number One albums, 11 Number
One singles and 5 Gold singles. Lifetime achievements include a Grammy Award, multiple American Music Awards,
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Chicago street dedicated in their honor, and keys to and proclamations from
an impressive list of US cities. This year Chicago is again partnering with the American Cancer Society to raise
money for breast cancer research at each concert by auctioning off a chance to sing with the band live onstage, one
of their biggest hits, “If You Leave Me Now.” The response last year was tremendous, and the winning fans started
their own Facebook page, “I Sang With Chicago,” with videos from each of their experiences onstage singing with the
band. This year Chicago is raising money in honor of their friend, Paqui Kelly, the wife of Notre Dame head football
coach Brian Kelly, who is a breast cancer survivor.
Chicago generously continues to support two other charitable causes, donating a portion of ticket sales. Since 1995,
Chicago has donated to The Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation to support finding a cure for a fatal
children's disease. Chicago's connection to Notre Dame is well known. Chicago's manager, Peter Schivarelli, played
football for Notre Dame under coaching legend Ara Parseghian, and Schivarelli and the band have been a friend to
the University ever since. The other organization, Hannah and Friends, is based in South Bend and headed up by
former Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis and his wife Maura. Chicago and Schivarelli have built a residential
home for the organization's adults with special needs. Through it all, Chicago continues to be true ambassadors for
their beloved hometown, carrying the city's name with pride and dignity around the world.
The Band of the Fighting Irish is an integral part of campus life and a vital part of every football Saturday at
Notre Dame. Each year, the nearly 400 members of the Notre Dame Band perform for hundreds of thousands of
college football fans live and millions more on national television. The members of the band come from across the
country and overseas and represent every academic major offered at Notre Dame. In addition to the famous Band
of the Fighting Irish, students also perform in concert bands, jazz bands, and chamber ensembles throughout the
academic year.
The Notre Dame Band is the oldest college band (in continuous existence) in the United states and was honored
as such by being declared a "Landmark of American Music" by the National Music Council during the 1976 United
States Bicentennial. Celebrating its 165th year in 2011, the Notre Dame Band was a fixture on campus for
decades prior to Notre Dame playing its first down of football. When Notre Dame did play its first game against the
band was there and has performed at every Notre Dame home football game since.
The Notre Dame Band was selected as the recipient of the 2011 Sudler Trophy. This trophy is awarded by the
John Philip Sousa foundation and recognizes "collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made
outstanding contributions to the American way of life." It is widely considered the "Heisman Trophy" for college
marching bands and is the only nationally recognized award for college bands.