MY ROMANCE: AN EVENING WITH JIM BRICKMAN

THE PBS SPECIAL AVAILABLE FOR AUGUST PLEDGE DRIVE PROGRAMMING

My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman marks the first time the romantic young piano sensation has had one of his popular concerts captured for television. The concert offers the unexpected gathering of some of the pop music industry's greatest talents who just happen to be some of Brickman's closest friends, including stage and TV star Donny Osmond, the legendary Olivia Newton-John and saxophonist Dave Koz.

"My Romance" evokes the electricity and excitement of live concert performances captured on camera during TV's golden era of "Hollywood Palace" and the CBS musical specials that introduced Barbra Streisand to the world. The concert blends music, song and the distinctive personalities of its stars in a setting viewers will find spellbinding. On a stage that constantly changes color, shape and tone, Salt Lake City's historic Capitol Theatre is transformed into a place of magic and dreams, giving viewers a rare opportunity to experience how Jim Brickman's piano and songwriting brilliance create moods of tenderness, passion and bittersweet romance.

In one night, Jim Brickman proves romantic music will never go out of style. With his dazzling piano artistry and clever songwriting skills, he weaves a tapestry of romantic moments. His concerts have been the setting for audience members to propose marriage, celebrate anniversaries and re-ignite the passion of a long relationship.

And like other masters of romantic music who have preceded him -- from Sinatra to Mancini -- Brickman's hit recordings have struck a special chord, melding the timeless beauty of classical influences with the fresh, lively energy of contemporary pop music.

"Romantic love influences so many of our decisions," said Brickman. "My concerts are a way to celebrate the emotional power of passion, of friendship, of the bond two people share with each other and the promises we make."

Brickman's hugely successful hit song "Valentine," a duet with vocals by country music star Martina McBride, established him as one of the first instrumental artists in decades to make his mark on contemporary radio. That chart hit was followed by "The Gift" with Collin Raye and Susan Ashton, "Your Love" with Michelle Wright and "After All These Years" with his longtime friend Anne Cochran, who accompanies Brickman in concert across the country.

Crossing over from Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz radio charts to country and pop playlists led to the soaring sales of his albums. Last year's Destiny sold over 500,000 copies, and not only marked Jim Brickman's fourth Gold record, but helped establish his world-wide popularity and reputation as a gifted and engaging concert performer.

What makes "My Romance" even more special for Jim Brickman is that the PBS special culminates his own romance with public television since his youth in Cleveland, when he first saw musical legends, from Sarah Vaughn to Leonard Bernstein, on his local affiliate, WVIZ-TV.

Brickman said that watching programs like "Great Performances" helped inspire his own career, which began as a college student writing commercial jingles and has had a meteoric rise as one of the biggest-selling instrumental artists and songwriters of the millennium. Even though he's performed in theaters and concert halls all over the world (including a recent series of concerts in China), he admits he had his first tinge of stage fright this year when two of his concerts were filmed for his first PBS TV special.

"The dynamics of this kind of concert were very different from any I had worked on before," said Brickman, adding that his record label, Windham Hill, will release a live concert album. Home video and DVD versions of the show are also set for release later this year.

The unique gathering of talent was a reunion of old friends for Brickman, who had toured concert stages last year with Olivia Newton-John and has been a frequent guest on Osmond's "Donny and Marie" talk show. Dave Koz is a longtime friend and collaborator.

"It all came together so beautifully," Brickman said. "There was real electricity in the audience. They adored Donny, of course, and Olivia received a standing ovation."

For the concert, Osmond joined Anne Cochran for the romantic duet, "The Gift" and later sang the Brickman hit he says is his wife's favorite song, "Love of My Life." In one of the concert's more light-hearted moments, Brickman and Osmond team to sing "Rainbow Connection," a version of the song puppet superstar Kermit the Frog sang to Miss Piggy in "The Muppet Movie."

Olivia Newton-John sang the song Brickman has become most closely identified with, "Valentine." "It is a very simple performance. Just a piano and a vocalist. Without any other musical accompaniment, it becomes a very intimate thing and the singer's voice really exposes the message in the song," said Brickman.
Another song featured in the concert is the ballad "Change of Heart," which Brickman and Newton-John recently penned together. "It's a very emotional song about the break-up of a romance," Brickman said. "I've never written a song quite like it."

Brickman had collaborated with jazz legend Dave Koz on the jazz instrumental hit, "Partner in Crime," which is also performed during the TV special. "Performing with Dave, who has such energy and style, is like a high, a rush," said Brickman. "When we're both on, we can really communicate, musically, in a vibrant, exciting way."

Brickman even introduced a new vocal accompanist during the special - himself. He sang his new song, "The Love I've Found In You," on the TV special, and plans to release it to radio stations in June.

"The performers who joined me for the special," Brickman said, "are not only friends, but extraordinary musicians. I knew, for my first TV special, that there should be a rare kind of intimacy onstage. I think the audiences could sense that we all wanted to work together and share these particular moments. There's a sense of trust you have when you work with performers like this that comes across the footlights."

Brickman believes the combination of his music and the onstage chemistry between the performers will make "My Romance: an Evening With Jim Brickman" a once-in-a-lifetime concert performance. "It felt so good to have such good friends around me for this event," he said. "There are some moments we captured on film that are very special, very lyrical. For audiences who haven't yet seen me in concert, I think the TV event will serve as a welcome introduction."