Bo Ayars has literally “arranged and conducted” himself around the world, appearing in concert halls with noted symphony orchestras and entertainers in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Australia, the Los Angeles Music Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C., the Metropolitan Opera House and Carnegie Hall in New York City. Bo has also been Music Director and arranger for a variety of television productions featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Special, “Sunday at the Opera House” in Sydney, Australia, “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, “Good Morning, America”, Larry King, and the original Ed Sullivan show.

Mr. Ayars is also a man who regularly wears many musical hats. At various times he has been Music Director, Conductor, Arranger, Pianist and Music Producer for numerous superstars including Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Bill Cosby and Bob Hope. Bo is quite proud of his 13 years as Music Director for legendary showman, Liberace, contributing his conducting and arranging talents to both Lee’s worldwide live performances and several TV specials. In his role as music director for the political satire group, the Capitol Steps, he was invited to performed at the White House and was honored to have accompanied such political figures as President and Mrs. Bill Clinton, Vice President and Mrs. Al Gore, former presidents George Bush, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Secretary of Defense and now Vice President Richard Cheney, Senators Patrick Leahey, Ted Kennedy and Paul Simon, and former Secretary of State George Shultz.

Bo is a native of Glendale, California and began his career as a serious student of music. His formal classical training began at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he majored in Music Theory and Composition. While there, he expanded his interests to include arranging for jazz and pop music. In his junior year, he attended the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and, on graduating from Oberlin, was awarded a teaching assistantship in Salzburg with the noted composer, Caesar Breskin.

Returning to the US, Bo found himself in demand in Las Vegas as conductorpianist-arranger for Debbie Reynolds, Jim Nabors, Robert Goulet, Diahann Carroll, Lola Falana, John Raitt, Sandy Duncan, Red Skelton, Bill Cosby, George Gobel, Raquel Welch, Bobby Vinton, Shani Wallis, and others.

In 1985, Bo was chosen Music Director of Radio City Music Hall's famous Christmas production, “The Magnificent Christmas Spectacular” for several years, as well as conducting Walt Disney Production's three-city tour of the “Disney Symphonic Fantasy Tour” and a 28-city tour of “Symphonic Spectacular”.

Bo has appeared around the country as guest pops conductor with the San Antonio, San Diego, Buffalo, Erie, Wichita, Kansas City, Youngstown, Hartford, Ann Arbor, New Haven, Tallahassee, and Phoenix Symphony Orchestras. Other musical clients include noted cabaret pianist, Bobby Short, Butch Thompson, pianist on the popular radio and television production, “A Prairie Home Companion”, noted jazz vocalist Banu Gibson, and several TV jingles for General Motors and Hilton Hotels.

He has recently received permission to transcribe the solo piano works of Liberace and is offering them, as well as several of his symphonic orchestra and concert band arrangements for sale on his website, ax2music.com. Bo and his wife Barbara live in Portland, Oregon.

Barbara Ayars has been performing before audiences most of her life, either as a soloist or background vocalist. While earning her degree in music at Arizona State University, she was a frequent lead in Broadway musical productions and operas. After graduating, she continued developing her singing career by touring the United States and Canada with a number of bands.

She then moved to Las Vegas and became sought after as both a lead singer and vocalist for several revues, including the award-winning “A Bare Touch of Vegas”. She provided background vocals for Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme at Caesar’s Palace, Diahann Carroll at the Dunes, and Donna Fargo at the Sahara, and was a featured soloist with pianist Esquivel. Barbara toured with both Bobby Vinton and Mary MacGregor, and appeared on “The Tonight Show”, “The Merv Griffin Show”, and “The Dinah Shore Show”.

Barbara has been heard on commercial jingles for Minnesota Tourism, Dairy Queen, and General Mills, among others. She has recorded with Bill Cosby, and appeared on the soundtrack for “He Lived the Good Life”, a Christian musical.

She is also a gifted lyricist and is presently working on a children’s musical, “Felicia, the Fainting Goat.” Barbara resides in Portland, Oregon.

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