Nicole Parker comes by her love of the music of the 1980s honestly; born in 1978, the multifaceted performer lived her formative years in the decade that brought us the Moonwalk, the compact disc, and Reaganomics.

“I was a kid of the ’80s, but I also had an older sister, so whatever she was listening to as a teenager, I was definitely into,” Parker says when the Straight reaches her by phone in Washington state, where she’s preparing to sing as part of an ’80s-themed program with the Seattle Symphony. “She had her OMD and Tears for Fears posters up on the wall, and Wham! and George Michael. We tried to dance like Michael Jackson, and I tried to sing like Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.”

That makes Parker a natural choice for the show in which she currently appears, which comes to town this week in a version that also features singer Aaron Finley and members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, all under the baton of conductor Stuart Chafetz.

Songs such as “Careless Whisper”, “The Final Countdown”, “Addicted to Love”, and “In the Air Tonight” might seem out of place in a symphony hall, but Parker points out that the arrangements (most of them by composer Sam Shoup) require the skill and precision of an orchestra.

“A lot of the music certainly appeals to the pop sensibility, but at the same time I’d say what’s cool about a lot of these arrangements is that I don’t think they could be played by people without classical training,” she says. “There’s a version of ‘Smooth Criminal’ that features a violin solo that to me is as complicated-sounding as any classical piece, and it’s a pretty extraordinary moment and a feature for the first violin, so I’m really excited for everyone to see that. It’s one of those great moments when you fuse a pop tune with classical sensibilities, and I think it’s a nice example of that fusion.”

Parker ought to be up to the challenge of bridging those musical worlds. Her CV includes the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute as well as a stint playing Elphaba in both the Broadway and touring productions of Wicked. She is likely best-known, though, as a cast member of MADtv, where for six seasons she did impressions of everyone from Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin to Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears.

She has plenty of experience with costume changes, then, which serves her well in the current show. Everyone on-stage is decked out in ’80s attire, and audience members are encouraged to come dressed in their own era-appropriate outfits, whether they be head-to-toe acid-wash-denim ensembles or Ghostbusters jumpsuits.

“We really stepped up our game this year,” Parker says. “We’re really coming in hard with the ’80s outfits, so the more people dress up, the less ridiculous we’ll look.”

The VSO presents 80s Celebration at the Orpheum on Friday and Saturday (October 12 and 13).