Keitaro Harada doesn't quite recall that moment when he was a first grader in Tokyo and shared a stage with Michael Jackson.
But the memory has apparently lingered in his subconscious, contributing to his deep admiration for the King of Pop's music.
"I have always, always loved Michael Jackson. I love his music. This to me is a very, very exciting concert for me to do," said Harada, the rising young conductor who will lead the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in Friday's inaugural TSO Rocks the Fox concert.
"I'm going to be having a blast. I wish the audience could see my face during the concert because I am going to be singing the entire concert," said Harada, 27, who has guest-conducted the TSO several times over the past few years. He is an assistant conductor with Arizona Opera and music director and conductor of the Phoenix Youth Symphony.
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Hopefully Harada's singing won't interfere with that of Canadian vocalist Gavin Hope, who is making his TSO debut fronting the orchestra for the Jackson tribute concert.
"I feel really lucky to be able to do this with an orchestra and to be able to do Michael's music. I was a huge fan as a kid," said Hope, 39, who grew up in the 1980s when Jackson's record-smashing hit "Thriller" came out.
"My mom used to listen to a lot of music so the first time I heard his music was 'Off the Wall,' and I was just hooked ever since. Everything to do with Michael Jackson I got," he said during a phone interview last week from Toronto. "I even had the red jacket with the zippers. It was cool then, in some circles anyway."
"For Michael - The Music of Michael Jackson" is not an impersonation show. Hope looks nothing like Jackson and can't hit those really high falsetto notes from Jackson's early Jackson Five catalog. Hope describes his voice as a bari-tenor, a range that goes from low to high 2/3 and said he sings mostly in the same key but a notch lower than Jackson.
"This is a tribute to the music of Michael Jackson and the icon that he was. … The music speaks for itself," said Hope, whose résumé includes roles in "Lion King," "Rent" and "Smokey Joe's Cafe."
"What I am envisioning for this series is that no one is allowed to sit," said Harada. "I want everyone on their feet dancing their butts off. That's what it should be. It's Michael Jackson's music! I'm hoping it is just going to explode. I'm going to be dancing on the podium, I'm not going to lie."
"For Michael - The Music of Michael Jackson," the first of two Rock the Fox concerts planned this season, is part of the national Jeans 'N Classics shows. The London, Ontario-based production company pairs renowned vocalists with orchestras in a series of classic rock/symphony shows intended to generate younger audiences.
"I'm hoping there's going to be a good buzz about it and we can bring people who may have never heard a symphony orchestra," Harada said. "This is an opportunity to hear great music performed live. I'm hoping we can get new audiences."
"It's a trip. It's one of the greatest thrills that I have as an entertainer. It is literally like having your own movie soundtrack," added Hope. "That big sound behind you and it's all encompassing - it gives me energy and more juice. I just love it. ... It's such a huge sound, and it's exciting."
If the series proves a hit with audiences, TSO officials said it could grow next season.
If you Go
• What: TSO Rocks the Fox: "For Michael - The Music of Michael Jackson," featuring the Tucson Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Keitaro Harada and vocalist Gavin Hope.
• When: 8 p.m. Friday.
• Where: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.
• Tickets: $33 to $48 at tickets.tucsonsymphony.org
