Shea Arender
CEO of the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra
With over 40 million visitors a year, Las Vegas has become an entertainment mecca and Shea Arender is here to be a part of that progress as the CEO and new owner of the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra is making its comeback after a 13-year absence and Arender aims to give tourists and residents the ultimate cultural experience no matter where they are from.
“Symphony will be reinvented with the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra,” said Arender.
Born in Louisiana, Shea Arender started his career by carefully studying Elvis Presley and acting like James Dean. He would purchase VHS tapes featuring Presley and Dean from the dollar store. Inspired by these icons, Arender began his career as an actor and singer.
“When you have little things to do in a small town, you have a lot to dream about,” Arender explained.
He feels that music runs through your veins if you are from the south. Looking back at history, the best musicians of our time came from regions between Memphis and New Orleans: Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Antoine “Fats” Domino, Ernie K-Doe, and many more! Arender carried these influences with him through 34 countries and 30 states.
Arender later became an Executive Producer and worked on Broadway musicals, such as The Wonderful Wizard of Song: The Music of Harold Arlen (composer of The Wizard of Oz). He hopes that the orchestra becomes a symphonic pop institution and one of his first shows incorporating the hits of Elvis Presley with classical overtones to his production (The King Symphonic). Other shows will be traditional classical music, like Beethoven and Mozart, and the exploration of movie theme soundtracks. He is one of those talented individuals who has enormous amount of creativity and a gift to empower others through his artistic work.
“Behind all that glamour as many think there is a lot of hard work, disappointments, let downs, eye-opening experiences, built in desire to reinvent yourself constantly and continually grow,” Arender continued.
Today, thanks to Shea Arender, the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras; its public value is undeniable. From each performance, the Orchestra also gives to selected charities, such as Make a Wish Foundation. Shea Arender was given an International Peace Award by the United Nations for his charitable efforts for kids around the world.
The Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra has the potential to have a profound and long lasting impact on our community.
Arender declared, “These are new beginnings with the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra.”
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Yelena Brezhneva
Author, Mother of Three, Philanthropist, Las Vegas Personality and High Rise-Luxury Home Specialist with Sotheby’s International Realty
Photos by Ella Gagiano – High Class Studios www.ellagagiano.com