Billy Joel tribute to take the stage at Capital One Hall in Tysons this Friday

The man behind “Uptown Girls” will get an early birthday party this week in Tysons, Fairfax County’s aspiring downtown.

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra is set to return to Capital One Hall on Friday (March 8) for “The Music of Billy Joel,” a tribute to the “Piano Man” that will pair the classical group with Broadway star Michael Cavanaugh.

Preceding Billy Joel’s 75th birthday, which will come in May, the concert continues a new series by the FSO and Capital One Center that began last month with a recreation of the 1964 show that introduced the Beatles to the U.S.

“We are so thrilled for another exciting performance with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and cannot wait to welcome the incredible Michael Cavanaugh to the stage at Capital One Hall,” Capital One Center Managing Director Jonathan Griffith said in a press release. “The music of Billy Joel has been the soundtrack for generations of music fans, and we can’t wait for this special performance in Tysons!”

A singer and pianist, Cavanaugh was nominated for a Tony and a Grammy in 2003 for portraying Billy Joel in the musical “Movin’ Out.” He got handpicked for the role by Joel, who saw and joined him on stage during a show that Cavanaugh had in Las Vegas in 2001, according to his website.

After “Movin’ Out” closed in 2005, Cavanaugh began touring across the country to perform renditions of Billy Joel’s songbook. His collaborations with classical orchestras started with the Indianapolis Symphony in 2008.

In a recent interview for WTOP, Cavanaugh described the New York-born singer-songwriter’s music as “eclectic” and “emotional.”

Some of that variety will be on display at the Capital One Hall concert, which will include hits like “Piano Man,” “Just the Way You Are,” “New York State of Mind” and more.

FSO Executive Director Jonathan Kerr said the orchestra “can’t wait” to return to Capital One Hall with another “unique” collaboration “between great artists and the symphonic world.”

“We’re not simply performing music you love; we’re crafting a cultural time machine that transports you back to pivotal moments in music history,” he said in the press release.

The pop-meets-classical series will conclude with a visit to Tysons by the Indigo Girls on May 11 at 8 p.m.

Tickets to the Billy Joel tribute concert start at $35 and are still available through the Capital One Hall and Fairfax Symphony Orchestra websites. The show will start at 8 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m.

This weekend, the Tysons concert venue (7750 Capital One Tower Road) will also host shows by the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and the Fairfax Jubil-Aires, a Clifton-based choir.