A piano player and singer with a five-octave range will bring his talents to South Shore’s The Loft Theatre this week.

Jimmy Hopper, who has been likened to a combination of Freddie Mercury and Andrea Bocelli, plays the venue at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1. He’s been a regular performer in Sin City.

“Becoming one of the most sought after concert and performance-show entertainers started long before Las Vegas,” according to a press release for the show. “Jimmy Hopper began singing at the age of 3 at the top of his lungs from the backyard swing in Virginia with his audience of six siblings. His mother tells the story that the neighbors would come out to listen and remind her that ‘He has the voice of an angel … he’ll grow up to be a singer.’ Prophetic words indeed.

“Fast forward through years of performances and his numerous jingles written for television and radio, Jimmy secured vocal training from Darlene Romano, an opera teacher who taught him ‘proper technique’ but, as Jimmy aptly states, ‘didn’t mess with my style.’ The two years of training increased his range to an astounding five octaves.

“His journey continued, from San Francisco where he was awarded ‘Pop Vocalist of the Year’ by the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, to Las Vegas. Interestingly enough, it was his first year at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas singing rock ballads that he began singing opera. The white, spiked hair is startling in contrast to the strong opera vocals [that] flow from his lips, when in the next breath he takes on symphonic rock that brings the house down.”

Tickets to the shows are $29 plus fees and can be purchased at http://theloftahoe.com, http://eventbrite.com or at The Loft Box Office.

The Loft Theatre in located in the Heavenly Village at 1001 Heavenly Village Way.

More information is available at http://thelofttahoe.com.

— Lake Tahoe Action