North Carolina Symphony Presents ROMEO AND JULIET, June 30, Cary, N.C.

The North Carolina Symphony invites Triangle audiences to discover another side of Shakespeare later this month. The orchestra, led by Resident Conductor William Henry Curry, takes a Shakespeare motto to heart - "If music be the food of love, play on" - to present the greatest musical works inspired by The Bard. These famous selections are paired with favorite Shakespeare scenes, as performed professional actors from the Triangle.

"Romeo and Juliet," part of the Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series, takes place at Cary's Booth Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m. Children 12 and under are admitted free for lawn seating.

The program presents "a wide range of styles and tastes and times," says Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn. "The composers are all interpreting Shakespeare in their own way."

Referring to the evening's first set of selections, Llewellyn adds, "Mendelssohn's incidental music from A Midsummer Night's Dream is as sparkling and gossamer as you can possibly imagine and yet Dvo?ák's Othello Overture is about as brooding as you can imagine. There is an incredible amount of repertoire out there, and I think this [program] gives audiences a wonderful taste."

The second half of the concert is devoted entirely to the title love story, offering the audience three legendary musical takes on literature's famous pair of star-crossed lovers. First, the orchestra presents music from the greatest contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare, the Overture from Leonard Bernstein's unforgettable score to West Side Story.

The program flows into a beautiful if appropriately tempestuous selection, The Montagues and the Capulets, from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, before a remarkable finish in Tchaikovsky's sumptuous Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture.

In between all of the musical selections, North Carolina actors Katja Hill, David McClutchey, Jon Mozes and Estes Tarver will take the stage to perform favorite scenes from the three Shakespeare masterworks referenced by the program: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello and Romeo and Juliet.

Hill and McClutchey are regulars at Chapel Hill's PlayMakers Repertory Company, while both Mozes and Tarver have performed in New York and across the United States. The actors are directed by UNC faculty member Kathryn Hunter-Williams.

As part of the evening's festivities, couples and families who display the biggest and boldest culinary skills can win prizes. The Whole Foods Market of Cary Picnic of the Week contest selects the weekend's best picnickers to receive a $100 gift basket from Whole Foods. Two honorable mention $20 gift cards will also be awarded.

Become a fan of the North Carolina Symphony on Facebook to see photos of the winners after each Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series concert.

General admission lawn seating to "Romeo and Juliet" is $33 in advance, $38 at the door. Covered table seating is also available for $38 in advance, $43 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free for lawn seating at all Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series concerts.

For tickets, visit the North Carolina Symphony website at www.ncsymphony.org or call the Symphony Box Office at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

Booth Amphitheatre is located at 8003 Regency Parkway, just past the intersection of US-1 and US-64/Tryon Road, in Cary. Food and beverages, including wine and beer, are allowed on the grounds. Gates open at 5:00 p.m.

The series is presented by Rex Healthcare and co-sponsored by First Citizens Bank and the Town of Cary. Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series partners are ABB, CaptiveAire, Crabtree Valley Mall and The Umstead Hotel and Spa. The media partner is Cary Magazine.

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