Symphony of Illusions

Julian Pellicano, conductor
Michael Grandinetti, magician
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Peer Gynt: In the Hall of the Mountain King

John Williams (1932-)
Harry Potter: Hedwig’s Theme
Harry Potter: Nimbus 2000

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Suite No.1, from Peer Gynt: Anitra’s Dance 

John Williams (1932-)
Harry Potter Suite for Orchestra from Sorcerer’s Stone

Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Arr. Rimsky-Korsakov, 1886.
Night on Bald Mountain

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Suite (1919 version) from The Firebird
   Danse infernale du roi Kastcheï

John Williams (1932-)
Star Wars: Yoda’s Theme
Adventures on Earth from E.T.

Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Funeral March of a Marionette

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Symphonie fantastique: March to the Scaffold
Marche au supplice

John Williams (1932-)
The Force Awakens from Star Wars
Rey’s Theme
Scherzo for X-Wings

Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
Suite from Masquerade: Waltz

John Williams (1932-)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry’s Wonderous World

Julian Pellicano, conductor

Known for his versatility across a broad spectrum of genres, dynamic interpretations and meticulous technique, American-Canadian conductor Julian Pellicano is the Principal Conductor of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Associate Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Bringing an incisive musicality and collaborative spirit to every performance, he has built a wide-ranging international career leading the Winnipeg Free Press to proclaim that “his versatility is truly astonishing.”

As a guest he has conducted orchestras in North America and abroad including the Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Orquestra de Valencia, Edmonton Symphony among others. Passionate about the intersection of music and dance, upcoming ballet performances include a debut with the National Ballet of Canada, are turn to Orlando Ballet as well as extensive performing and touring with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

A specialist in performing films live with orchestra, Mr. Pellicano’s catalogue of film projects encompasses over 20 titles including the Star Wars and Harry Potter series, E.T. The Extra-terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Home Alone, Miloš Forman’s award-winning film Amadeus, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis with its original 1927 score, Casablanca, Singin’ in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Fantasia, The Nightmare Before Christmas, plus several of Charlie Chaplin’s silent classics.

Julian Pellicano studied conducting at the Yale School of Music, the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Pellicano’s career grew out of unconventional beginnings, performing as a primarily self-taught percussionist, timpanist, drummer and accordionist. He studied percussion at the Peabody Conservatory, the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, and the Yale School of Music. He also holds a degree in philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University.

Michael Grandinetti, magician

Named by Entertainment Weekly as “a great magician”, Hidden Remote as a “fan favorite…with charisma and an easy rapport with an audience”, and Digital Journal as “the one to watch in magic in a show that is five out of five stars”, Michael Grandinetti is not your ordinary magician.

With performances on national and international television, in stadiums, arenas, casinos, and theaters around the country, with Oscar-winning composers and symphony orchestras, for NFL and NBA halftime shows and major sporting events, for Fortune 500 companies, and even at The White House, Michael has made a name for himself around the world as an extremely talented and innovative magician and illusionist.

Over the past 20 years, Michael has been driven to make magic contemporary and to give it a wide, mainstream appeal. He has had starring roles on NBC’s “The World’s Most Dangerous Magic II”, five seasons of The CW’s “Masters of Illusion” (also syndicated in over 100 countries worldwide), and POP’s “Don’t Blink”, and his magic has been featured on the Emmy-nominated FOX series “Bones”, “The Today Show”, “Access Hollywood”, “Entertainment Tonight”, “SportsCenter” and “The Bold and the Beautiful”. Michael has also been featured in Parade Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, AXS.com, Hidden Remote, Starpulse, The Huffington Post, Young Hollywood, and The Beverly Hills Times Magazine. Michael was also a featured guest on CNBC’s “Make It”, a series about people who have achieved success in challenging industries, as well as on the cover of TV Times magazine, released nationally in newspapers across the U.S.

Possessing a true passion for amazing live audiences, Michael has performed at a wide range of venues nationwide, including Heinz Hall with renowned composer Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, casinos including Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, Skagit Casino Resort, Riverside Casino, Spirit Lake Casino, Casino Rama, and Shooting Star Casino, theaters and arenas including Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (Los Angeles, CA), Durham Performing Arts Center (Durham, NC), A.J. Palumbo Center (Pittsburgh, PA), Paramount Theater (Huntington, NY), Symphony Hall (Phoenix, AZ), and Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC) surrounded by 60,000 people for the Carolina Panthers Halftime Show. Michael has also developed and performed custom magic presentations for major corporations including Google, Southwest Airlines, Ernst & Young, The American Marketing Association, Mazda, Rite-Aid, Harley Davidson, and many more.

In addition, Michael was honored to be the first illusionist ever invited to perform in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington DC. During this remarkable celebration of our country, Michael levitated a girl high above one of the floats as it moved down Constitution Avenue, while a live audience of 250,000 people lined the streets.

The Magic of Michael Grandinetti LIVE features breathtaking wonders from Michael’s extraordinary career, right before your very eyes. Legendary magic plots of levitation, escapes, sawing in half, teleportation, and more are reimagined for today’s audiences, making them more visual, surprising, and even more astounding than ever before. However, audiences don’t just watch the magic, they’re pulled into an interactive experience where everyone in the theater becomes part of the magic!

By blurring the line between illusion and reality in a groundbreaking yet personable way, Michael Grandinetti gives his audiences an engaging, entertaining, and one of a kind experience they’ll never forget.