The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will close out its 2008-2009 Connections series on Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at The Belding Theater in The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford with a program dedicated to the American legend Leonard Bernstein.
With musical selections performed by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, including West Side Story, Candide, and Peter Pan, and lively, interactive discussions led by Music Director Edward Cumming and radio personality and Hartford Courant columnist Colin McEnroe, Connecticut audiences will discover new ways to experience the music of Leonard Bernstein.
One of the most influential figures in the history of American classical music, Leonard Bernstein championed the works of American composers and inspired generations of American musicians. A multi-Emmy-winning and Academy Award nominated conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist, he is perhaps best known for his long conducting relationship with the New York Philharmonic and also for his compositions, which include the musical theater works West Side Story and Candide. The Hartford Symphony’s All-Bernstein program will feature performances of these popular works, as well as solo performances by Hartford Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Leonid Sigal on Serenade, and guest soprano Christy Lombardozzi on “Dream with Me” from Peter Pan. As an added treat, students from The Hartt School Theater Program will take the stage to act out scenes from Bernstein’s poignant drama, West Side Story.
Hartford Symphony Orchestra Music Director Edward Cumming says, "Performing Bernstein's Serenade with Concertmaster Leonid Sigal will be a rare treat for our audiences -- and I'm certain our moderator, Colin McEnroe, will make the necessary connection to the work's relationship with Plato's 'Symposium' -- but it will also be a thrill to be reunited with the talented students from the Hartt School in our presentation of music from West Side Story."
Using a new concert format designed to put the audience in control, this season’s Connections Series explores the curiosities that many have about the masters of American music and classical music in general. The musicians of the Hartford Symphony will perform the music of a traditional orchestra concert, but instead of sitting quietly in a dark theater, guest speaker Colin McEnroe will lead members of the audience in engaging, uncensored dialogues about what they have heard. The Classical Connections Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation.
A well-known Connecticut personality, Colin McEnroe is a radio talk-show host, columnist, author, social commentator, and playwright. Colin has appeared in the Hartford Courant for over 20 years as a reporter and columnist. In addition, his columns have appeared in hundreds of newspapers across America and abroad, including Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Family Fun, and Metropolitan Home.
Soprano Christy Lombardozzi recently completed her studies with the Yale Opera Program where she performed in Die Fledermaus, La Boheme, Orphee aux Enfers, and Comedy on a Bridge. Recent performance highlights include the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2008 “Holiday POPS! Spectacular,” as well as Orphee aux Enfers with Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano; Dido and Aeneas with the Connecticut Chamber Orchestra; and The Magic Flute with the Hot Springs Music Festival. Equally at home on the concert stage, Ms. Lombardozzi's oratorio credits include Haydn’s Creation, Handel’s Messiah, and Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai. Ms. Lombardozzi holds degrees from Yale University, University of Tennessee, and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. -- www.hartfordsymphony.org
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
