A star-studded cast of Broadway artists joins Pacific Symphony to take audiences on a journey through the theatrical worlds of musical masterminds Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber, featuring selections from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Cats,” “Gypsy” and many more! Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman leads the 2019-20 Pops Season opening night with special guest artists Debbie Gravitte, Scarlett Strallen and Hugh Panaro.

One of Broadway's biggest personalities, Debbie Gravitte has found herself in demand from the Broadway stage to the concert stage and beyond. She won the prestigious Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Jerome Robbins’ “Broadway,” along with a Drama Desk Award Nomination and New York Showstopper Award. After making her Broadway debut in the original cast of “They’re Playing Our Song,” she went on to appear in “Perfectly Frank” (Drama Desk Nomination), “Blues In The Night,” “Ain’t Broadway Grand,” “Zorba,” “Chicago” and “Les Miserables.” Gravitte has appeared in the Encores! series productions of “The Boys From Syracuse,” “Tenderloin” and “Carnival” at New York’s City Center.

Scarlett Strallen has starred in productions on Broadway, London’s West End, and is a frequent soloist on the concert stage. She is currently starring on Broadway as Gwendolyn in “Travesties” and has appeared in the title role of “Mary Poppins,” a role she also played in the West End and as Sibella Hallward in “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” A frequent soloist with orchestras around the world, Strallen made her German debut at the Philharmonie in Berlin with the John Wilson Orchestra in “A Celebration of the MGM Film Musicals.” Recent concerts include “Disney on Broadway” at the Royal Albert Hall, “I Love Musicals” arena tour of Sweden with Peter Joback, “Cole Porter in Hollywood” UK tour with the John Wilson Orchestra, a broadcast on Sky television from the Royal Albert Hall in London and “Bernstein Stage and Screen” at the BBC Proms with the John Wilson Orchestra, which was broadcast on BBC television.

Hugh Panaro is perhaps best known for having played the coveted role of the Phantom in Broadway's “The Phantom of the Opera” over 2,000 times, including the 25th Anniversary production. In fact, Panaro is one of the few actors to be cast by Harold Prince as both The Phantom and Raoul in the show's Broadway production and is currently starring as the titular role in the immersive Off-Broadway production of “Sweeney Todd.” An active concert artist, he has performed with numerous symphony orchestras including Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, Seattle and Utah symphonies, and the London Sinfonietta, among many others. He had the privilege of performing in the world premiere of Penderecki’s “Te Deum” at Carnegie Hall and was a guest soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch.