Eddie Mabry, Choreographer –
Eddie Mabry Dancers

Eddie Mabry has been teaching, performing and choreographing professionally for fifteen years. He recently choreographed his 56th musical with Footloose for CPCC Summer Theater. A few of Eddie’s other productions included Peter Pan, Crazy for You, 42nd Street, West Side Story and Guys and Dolls. He received Creative Loafing’s Best Chroeographer Award for his work in CPCC’s The Will Rogers Follies, The Who’s Tommy, and Singin’ In The Rain.

Eddie has also performed in numerous musicals and is the owner/director of Eddie Mabry Dance Studio. Eddie is on the teaching staff at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina and the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte.

Eddie has been involved in the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra’s productions for the past five seasons. His dancers will perform with the CPO twice this season. The first appearance will be on Saturday, September 6th when we open our new season with an encore appearance by Daniel Rodriguez. They will dance to West Side Story and Pops Hoe-Down. His dancers will also appear on our annual holiday concert on Sunday, November 30th with the Philharmonic’s version of the New York “Rockettes,” dancing to “Holly Jolly Christmas Medley” and “Santa Baby.” Eddie’s dancers are energetic and light up the stage with their dazzling and exciting choreography.

Melissa Hale-Coyle, Choreographer -
Charlotte City Ballet

Charlotte City Ballet Company was founded in 1985 by Claudia Foltz and Beverly Barwick and includes both classical and contemporary works in its repertoire. Its mission is to provide quality training and performance opportunities for aspiring dancers at the pre-professional level and to enrich the Charlotte community through its public performances and outreach programs. The Community School of the Arts is the official school of the Charlotte City Ballet Company. Their 2002-2003 season will include appearances with The Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra, Carolina Voices, and a fall and spring performance of short works. They will be performing in the Festival of North Carolina Dance in Winston Salem (in Feb.) and performing as an honor company at the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association Festival in Roanoke, Virginia in April.

Melissa Hale Coyle began her training in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Roman Jasinski and Moscelyne Larkin. She also was awarded scholarships to American Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet Schools. Ms. Hale’s professional credits include being a member of American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre and Texas Ballet Concerto. In addition to serving as artistic director for CCBC, Ms. Hale is the Dance Chair and on the faculty at Community School of the Arts, on the faculty at UNCC, teaches company classes at North Carolina Dance Theatre and is the choreographer for the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra. The past two summers, she was on the faculty at the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In the spring of 2001, Ms. Hale was named North Carolina’s Dance Teacher of the Year from the North Carolina’s School of the Arts.

Philharmonic Singers

Back by popular demand, the Holiday Singers, directed by Charlotte’s own Michael Stephens, add their joyful sounds to the Philharmonic Christmas concert. Mr. Stephens is an outstanding performer and pianist in his own right, who has recorded numerous CD’s. He brings to the stage 35 years of musical experience, including working with and accompanying such artists as Sandi Patti, George Beverly Shea, Mel Tillis and Johnny and June Cash. In addition to directing the Holiday Singers, Stephens is in his 10th year as staff pianist with Hickory Grove Baptist Church. The talented Holiday Singers ensemble consists of professional and volunteer singers from Charlotte and surrounding areas who perform both for live performances and television. Some of the singers perform as membes of the musical staff of Narroway Productions in Fort Mill, South Carolina and for live pageantry concerts year round.