Peabo Bryson is one of the premier male vocalists in contemporary music. Thanks to his rich, almost operatic voice, the two-time Grammy Award winner has enjoyed an ongoing career despite changing musical trends. With more than 20 albums to his credit, he is the first artist in music history to have separate recordings topping four different charts. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in December 1993.

Bryson, who is also a songwriter and producer, was born in 1951 in Greenville, South Carolina. He spent much of his childhood on his grandparents’ farm in nearby Mauldin. He caught his first break in a recording session for Atlanta’s Bullet, a subsidiary of Bang Records, where he soon signed a contract as a writer, producer, songwriter, performer, and arranger. In 1976 he released his self-titled debut, which featured nearly all original songs (some co-written with Thom Bell) and a young Lither Vandross among the background vocalists. From that point on, Bryson produced a string of major R&B and crossover hits, including “Feel the Fire,” “I’m So Into You,” “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” and “Can You Stop the Rain.”

A skilled actor, Bryson starred in the touring production of the Tony Award-winning Raisin and played the role of The Wizard on tour with The Wiz. In 1998 he appeared in the Michigan Opera Theater’s 100th anniversary production of Porgy and Bess.

Award-winning trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Ilya Serov has a musical vision and passion for jazz that transcends its traditional origins. His professional journey has led him from performing popular standards of the Great American Songbook to creating and producing a collection of his own original songs. In 2014, he was awarded Best New Artist at the Hollywood International Music Awards. He makes his San Francisco Symphony debut with this performance.

Serov’s recently-released fourth album, Colors, fuses soul-jazz, R&B grooves, and Brazilian jazz instrumentals. He has performed at the Newport Beach Jazz Festival, Catalina JazzTrax Festival, Berk’s Jazz Festival, Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival, and the Daytona Jazz Weekend. On film, he has cowritten a theme for Creed II and has recording credits on Deadpool 2 and Addams Family 2, among others. Serov’s most recent two albums feature him playing a unique instrument, the jazzohorn, which he invented with trumpet maker Andy Taylor, fusing a flugelhorn base and saxophone shape.