The Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall proudly welcomes trumpet sensation Chris Botti on Friday, April 29 at 8:00pm. This concert at the Performing Arts Center concludes the 2005 Great Performers Series, presented by M&T Bank.

Ticket prices for Chris Botti range from $25.00 - $15.00. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Rockwell Hall Box Office, 1300 Elmwood Ave. or by calling 716-878-3005. Box Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Trumpeter Chris Botti is a gifted instrumentalist, a talented composer, and a charismatic performer who--since the release of his first solo album in 1995--has created a series of recordings that have made him a virtual genre-of-one in the realm of contemporary jazz. Through a singular combination of lush atmospheres and thoughtful improvisations, he has earned both critical acclaim and mainstream appreciation.

On his latest collection, When I Fall In Love, the best-selling trumpet virtuoso expands the range of his earlier work with an album devoted to once and future classic love songs, each one performed with Botti's impeccable taste and signature tonal qualities. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz Album chart and stayed at No. 1 for 16 weeks. The jazz album also made a rare showing crossing over onto the Billboard’s Pop Album chart for the last 22 weeks.

On this new album, Chris Botti, picked as one of People magazine's "2004’s 50 Most Beautiful People," breathes new soul and magic into classic pop penned by Irving Berlin ("What'll I Do?"), Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart ("My Romance"), Ira and George Gershwin ("Someone To Watch Over Me"), Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer ("One For My Baby And One More For The Road") and others.

When I Fall In Love also includes the contemporary standard, Sade's "No Ordinary Love," and the centerpiece track, "Time to Say Goodbye (Con te Partiro)," a classically-inspired song that entered the public consciousness in 1997 with Andrea Bocelli's hit version.

While providing fresh interpretations of some of the world's greatest love songs, Botti creates new pop standards of his own with songs like "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets," written by Dominic Miller and Sting (who sings on the track).

Over the past three years Botti has spent in excess of 250 days a year on the road. Early 2005 saw Botti on the road again, this time sharing a bill with Josh Groban on 35 sold–out shows in arenas across the United States, ranking it as the second highest grossing tour of the first quarter of 2005 (behind Cher’s Farewell Tour).

In 2004, Botti opened a series of shows on the North American leg of Sting's "Sacred Love" tour, then headlined his own stateside gigs in support of When I Fall In Love before once again opening for Sting on a European tour running from October 29 through December 9, 2004. Botti's association with Sting dates back to 1999, when the trumpeter joined the pop legend's band as featured soloist on the "Brand New Day" tour, which lasted two-and-a-half years.

Veteran of both the contemporary jazz world and mainstream pop studio scene, Botti has worked with Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, and renowned film composer John Barry, among others. Film critic Rex Reed has called him "the sexiest trumpeter since Chet Baker."

Botti joined Paul Simon's band in 1990, where he remained for the next five years, and, in 1995, he recorded his solo debut, First Wish. After scoring the 1996 film Caught, he returned in 1997 with his second LP, Midnight Without You, which was followed by Slowing Down the World two years later. His 2002 watershed album, Night Sessions, peaked at No. 2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart while his seasonal collection, December, released the same year, hit No. 7 on the same chart. Released in September 2003, A Thousand Kisses Deep, entered at No. 20 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and hit the No. 3 position on the Contemporary Jazz chart, and is currently a staple, staying on the chart for over 74 weeks.

The 2005 Great Performers Series is sponsored by M&T Bank and WBFO.