THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA | 2019-2020 53
Matt Catingub, wears
many hats: saxophonist,
woodwind
artist, conductor,
pianist, vocalist, performer,
composer,
and arranger. He is
the artistic director
and co-founder of
the Macon Pops in
Macon, Georgia. Previous
posts include
artistic director and
conductor of the Glendale Pops in Glendale, California;
the Hawaii Pops in Honolulu, Hawaii; and
festival pops conductor of the New Hampshire Music
Festival. Additionally, he has held the principal
pops conductor positions of the Honolulu Symphony,
Hawaii Symphony, and New Mexico Symphony.
The son of the great jazz vocalist and “Polynesia’s
First Lady of Song,” Mavis Rivers, Catingub regularly
performed with his mother. As a young man,
he played a variety of instruments, conducted his
first orchestra at age 15, played his sax at the Monterey
Jazz Festival at age 17, and from there toured
Japan playing with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie and
Ruth Brown. Catingub later joined the Louie Bellson
Big Band and Toshiko Akiyoshi / Lew Tabackin Big
Band as lead alto saxophonist. In 1983, he formed
the Matt Catingub Big Band, with Rivers as vocalist.
Catingub made his solo singing debut at the Frank
Sinatra Celebration at New York City’s legendary
Carnegie Hall and as a result, the Concord
Jazz CD Gershwin 100 was conceived. Catingub
also wrote and performed the music for the
George Clooney film, Goodnight and Good Luck.
Today Catingub is considered to be at the forefront
of a new and innovative movement to reinvent Pops
into a more fun and accessible format, encouraging
dancing (when the venue allows) and loose fun,
within a more informal and contemporary setting.
Christina Souza is
a powerful singer
and talented actress
based in Hawaii.
Well known for her
diverse and eclectic
repertoire, she amazes
audiences with
her dynamic and vibrant
performances
and her smooth, melodic
vocals.
Souza is also an accomplished and successful actress.
She has been cast as a lead in international
Broadway musical tours such as Fame, Dreamgirls,
Selena, Beehive and Joseph, among others. Her
professionalism and expertise on the stage always
comes through and receives consistent praise and
acclaim. She also has a long list of acting credits
to her name, including commercials with Herbal
Essence and guest acting roles on Navy NCIS, CSI
Miami, Boston legal, Medium, Girlfriends, Becker,
Lost, and Hawaii 5’0, to name a few. Souza is also
making waves on the big screen, starring in feature
films such as the End of the Spear, Pretty Dead Girl,
and Godzilla. She has worked with Bette Midler, Barbara
Streisand, Zac Efron and Adam Devine, to
name a few.
Taking time off from her acting commitments, she
immerses herself in local music projects and in her
community. She is currently performing with the
Hawaiian Salsa Collective and is due to release her
own much anticipated solo project at the end of the
year.
Souza is a natural performer who loves to spread
joy with her work, and she is committed to the art
of performance. Her repertoire is rich and extensive,
and her talent and prowess are unparalleled. She is
a true, star, well experienced in stage and screen,
who is respected by her peers and audiences alike.
MATT CATINGUB
Guest Conductor
CHRISTINA SOUZA
Vocalist