Eric Whitacre and Stephen Schwartz Join Forces for DEFYING GRAVITY Concert, 3/30 at Avery Fisher Hall

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents a thrilling afternoon of song with Defying Gravity: The Music of Stephen Schwartz and Eric Whitacre on Sunday, March 30 at 2:00pm at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

This is the first concert collaboration between groundbreaking choral composer and Grammy winner Eric Whitacre and renowned Academy Award and Grammy-winning composer Stephen Schwartz, whose musical Wicked continues to run on Broadway after more than 10 years. Special guest artist, performing alongside the considerable forces of the Distinguished Concerts Singers International-250 voices strong and comprised of choirs from across North America as well as Italy and China-is star performer Ashley Brown, the original Mary Poppins on Broadway. Tali Tadmor is the pianist, as well as Stephen Schwartz himself for select works.

DCINY is proud to continue its popular annual collaboration with Eric Whitacre, known to millions worldwide for his innovative compositions for orchestra, film, and his own Eric Whitacre Singers, along with his astounding Virtual Choir, whose recent 4th incarnation featured 8,400 videos of individual singers performing his work, Fly to Paradise. The March 30 concert marks the first time that Fly to Paradise is performed in the SATB version under Eric's baton. Additional Whitacre favorites on the concert include Animal Crackers, Volumes I and II, which was supported by the DCINY premiere project, Sleep and Lux Aurumque.

Stephen Schwartz is the subject of the newly released book Defying Gravity (Applause) which charts his path from writing the score for Godspell at age 23 through the making of the megahit musical Wicked. He is the recipient of two Academy Awards and a Grammy for the film scores for the Disney animated movies, Pocahontas and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, in collaboration with composer Alan Menken. Works on the program include "Ain't It Good" from his musical Children of Eden; and "For Good" and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked.

Ashley Brown, Broadway's original Mary Poppins (a role for which she received Outer Critics, Drama League and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress) joins DCINY as special guest artist for several works. Ms. Brown also starred on Broadway as Belle in The Beauty and The Beast and has performed with virtually all of the top orchestras in North America including the Boston Pops, the New York Philharmonic, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at Disney Hall.

Tickets $20 - $100 at www.lincolncenter.org or CenterCharge at 212.721.6500

Founded by Iris Derke (General Director) and Jonathan Griffith (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor), DCINY is driven by passion and unwavering commitment to create unforgettable audience and performer experiences. For up-to-date concert details, see: www.DCINY.org.