Broadway performer Ben Davis is eager for his debut with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra.
Davis, a 1993 Lawrence North High School graduate, last performed in the Indianapolis area in a tour with “The Sound of Music” in 2017.
Davis will appear in the Holiday Pops concerts at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. The concerts feature Amelia Wray, who grew up in Carmel, as a guest vocalist. The Indiana Ballet Conservatory and Second Presbyterian Church Choir will join the performances.
Davis will have several family and friends at the performances.
“My little brother, Jeff, lives in Carmel, right down the street from the Palladium,” Davis said. “My mom, Jeanne, lives in Fishers, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve been to the Palladium but never sang in it.”
Davis has appeared in several TV shows as well, including three episodes of “Law and Order: SVU” in 2019-20.
Davis, who is based in New York City, performed in a Broadway show “New York, New York,” which closed in August. He recently concluded a stint in a George Bernard Shaw play, “Arms and the Man,” at an off-Broadway theater. He has been performing with a lot of symphonies, including in Milan, Italy, in September
“I do another New York show in January, then back to Italy in February,” Davis said. “Hopefully, I’ll do more TV now that the writers and actors strikes are over.”
Davis competed in football, basketball and track and field at Lawrence North. He quit basketball his junior year, and his mother suggested he audition for the school musical, “West Side Story.”
“I did choir my senior year and it all snowballed from there,” said Davis, who was an all-state high jumper.
Davis’ first voice teacher was late-Carmel resident Jo Read Trakimas, and then his Butler University voice teacher was Steven Stolen.
“I had these people come at the right time and make some magic with me,” he said. “Twenty-six years later in this business, it’s amazing to see what’s happened.”
Davis enjoys all facets of performing.
“There’s nothing like standing on a stage with an orchestra behind you,” Davis said. “It’s like a big wave of sound. They kind of lift you up and carry you forward. There’s nothing like walking in a Broadway stage door and having the audience stand and applaud at the end, and there’s nothing like seeing a final product of a TV show or a film. To see it edited is magic in itself. That’s what I wanted was to have my hand in every area of business that I can because of a little help, a lot of work, it’s all starting to come to fruition.”
His break came when he auditioned and earned a role in “Les Misérables” on a national tour in 1997.
Davis will sing a medley of Christmas songs and a duet with Wray.
Wray, a Belmont University freshman and University High School graduate, had a regular role on Disney’s “Sydney to the Max” from 2019 to 2021.
Wray also will sing two solo songs, “Mary, Did you Know?” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” along with the duet song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
“I feel honored to be performing with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra,” Wray said. “I’ve always looked up to them. They’re so incredibly talented, so the fact I get to be singing in front of them is crazy. I’m excited to get in the holiday spirit and see everyone’s faces in the crowd. I’m just excited to be on the stage again. Any chance I get to perform in my hometown of Carmel is always so special.”
Paul Langford, a Chicago-based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor, will serve as the guest conductor.
At the 7 p.m. performance, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard will join the orchestra, playing the French horn on select pieces.
For more, visit thecenterpresents.org.
