‘Broadway ROCKS!’ at Wolf Trap

Conductor Randall Craig Fleischer deftly bridges classical music and rock fusion in “Broadway ROCKS!”, a program of boundary-breaking hits by such pop-oriented composers as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elton John. The eclectic numbers will be played by National Symphony Orchestra and sung by musical theater veterans Christiane Noll, Capathia Jenkins, Hugh Panaro and Rob Evan. All are expert in multiple genres and share Fleischer’s enthusiasm for mixing and matching styles.

“The whole idea is to bring the pops format into modern times,” he says. “The opening sequence is a mini-concerto I wrote based on Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” It will be performed on a solo electric violin played by NSO’s Glenn Donnellan and is sewn together as if it’s a scene from a dramatic play.

“I’ve been a huge fan of rock ‘n’ roll all my life. It’s where my heart beats. I have a passion for combining the drama of symphonic music with that of pops, rock and world music. I’m drawn to artists like Springsteen, Santana and Hendrix. Any time I hear original movement in music it stems from a rock band and symphony working together.”

A highly regarded guest conductor in this country and abroad, Fleischer approaches the standard repertoire with the same expertise that captured attention during his successful five year tenure with the National Symphony Orchestra.

After completing study at Indiana University and a conducting fellowship at Tanglewood under Leonard Bernstein, he was appointed NSO Assistant Conductor in 1989. The following year, he received high praise for conducting Mstislav Rostropovich in Dvorak’s Cello Concerto during the maestro’s celebrated return to Russia after an exile of 18 years. Fleischer’s promotion to NSO Associate Conductor brought opportunities to explore his interests in depth and incorporate them in the orchestra’s Young People’s Concert series.

Now based in California, Fleischer is the music director of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, he conducts, composes and arranges for pops orchestras, rock stars and Native American fusion bands.

His interest in ethnic music was whetted while he was Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra from 1999-2007. Inspired by a recording of Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai, he established the Burning Sky new age band in Arizona and the Hawk Project jazz/Native fusion band in Woodstock, N.Y. Currently composing a piece based on Choctaw culture, he is proud to be the only conductor of a symphony at the Native American Music Awards.

Fleischer’s empathy for the human voice harks back to his high school choir in Canton, Ohio, and role as chorus master at Indian University Opera Theater. As guest conductor of the City Opera of New York and other companies, he has amassed a large repertoire. Now he and his wife, Heidi Joyce, are working on a musical theater project. Both are diligent promoters of music education through appealing compositions and their “Cool Concerts for Kids” series.

“If I could influence music education in this country, I’d remove any notion of measurable standards,” he says. “The requirement to learn key signatures is off-putting. “The goal should be to give children a love of music so they become life-long fans.”