Finalists Ann Marie Calhoun, Brian Fitzgerald and Tara Klein vie for featured perfomer spot with Foo Fighters at 50th GRAMMYs GRAMMY.com
The top three finalists have been chosen for the "My GRAMMY Moment 2008" segment on the upcoming 50th GRAMMY Awards, it was announced today by The Recording Academy.
Fifteen talented musicians were chosen on Jan. 30 to play with current five-time GRAMMY-nominated rock band the Foo Fighters as part of their orchestra created specifically for the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Beginning today, three of those top vote-getters — Ann Marie Calhoun, Brian Fitzgerald, and Tara Klein — will have the opportunity to compete for his/her once-in-a-lifetime "GRAMMY Moment" as a featured performer in the orchestra.
"We are thrilled with the enormous amount of talent from the 'My GRAMMY Moment 2008' semi-finalists, and look forward to seeing them work together as an ensemble orchestra," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "Even more exciting for one of the three finalists is having the opportunity-of-a-lifetime to showcase their musical talent to the world on Music's Biggest Night."
Arranging the orchestral piece and taking up the baton as special guest conductor will be Led Zeppelin's legendary multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones. Together, the Foo Fighters, Jones and this talented musical ensemble will provide the world with an entirely new take on the Foo Fighters' hit single "The Pretender."
The top three finalists are:
Ann Marie Calhoun (28, violin), Gordonsville, Va.
Brian Fitzgerald (23, violin), Coatsville, Penn.
Tara Klein (27, cello), Cleveland, Ohio
The other semi-finalists are:
Luis Alberto (23, violin), Hattiesburg, Miss.
Lisa Dondlinger (33, violin), Winnetka, Calif.
Tina Guo (22, cello), Sun Valley, Calif.
Rami Hachache (18, trumpet), Los Angeles
Jeffrey Hughes (25, violin), Denver, Colo.
Jennifer Lynn (25, violin), Bonsall, Calif.
Michelle Morales (27, cello), Chicago
Emily Palen (29, violin), Oakland, Calif.
Andrew Pearson (18, violin), Batavia, Ill.
Cameron Summers (23, trumpet), New York
Abigail Wilenksy (21, violin), Nashville, Tenn.
Christine Wu (31, violin), Santa Monica, Calif.
To view the video submissions of the top three instrumentalists, rules and regulations, and voting information, music fans can log on to YouTube.
Music fans also have the opportunity to vote via text messaging on Feb. 10 (12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 a.m. ET through the first hour of the live broadcast of the GRAMMY Awards at 5:59 p.m. PT/8:59 p.m. ET).
The 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 10 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide and XM Satellite Radio, and covered online at GRAMMY.com. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.
