Broadway stars Teri Dale Hansen ("The Boys from Syracuse") and Norm Lewis ("The Little Mermaid" and the upcoming "Sondheim on Sondheim") bring beloved music of the Great White Way to Princeton on Saturday, January 30, as part of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra's PSO POPS! sixth annual Broadway Concert. The 8 p.m. show in Princeton University's Richardson Auditorium (Alexander Hall) features swinging and sultry favorites from the Great American Songbook, by such composers as George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter.
Gerald Steichen, a versatile young conductor whose talents span symphonic works, opera, Broadway and chamber music, leads the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
From a medley of hits by
Jerome Kern to bluesy numbers by
Johnny Mercer, the Great American Songbook program captivates lovers of standards like
Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and Gershwin's "'S Wonderful," while fans of musical theater can thrill to selections from "South Pacific" and "The King and I." The PSO keeps the rhythm going during an evening of nostalgia with orchestral versions of Gershwin melodies from "Porgy and Bess" and "Crazy for You."
The concert is presented in association with Nina Wainwright, Samuel E. Hunter, Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. Matthews, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Paneyko and Mr. and Mrs. John Steffens.
Richardson Auditorium is wheelchair accessible. Large-print programs are available.
About
Norm Lewis, Baritone
Norm Lewis will next appear on Broadway in the highly anticipated "Sondheim on Sondheim" and recently starred there as King Triton in Disney's "The Little Mermaid." Other Broadway credits include "Les Miserables" (Javert); "Chicago" (Billy Flynn); "Amour";
Michael John LaChiusa's "The Wild Party"; "Side Show"; "Miss Saigon," and "The Who's Tommy."
A multiple Drama League and Drama Desk nominee, Lewis has been acclaimed off-Broadway in Shakespeare in the Park's "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and Lincoln Center's "
Dessa Rose." Other productions include
Manhattan Theatre Club's "Captains Courageous," Lincoln Center's "A New Brain," and "Golden Boy" at ENCORES!,
City Center. He has also been featured in concert versions of "Dreamgirls," "Chess" and "Hair."
Lewis' regional credits include "Ragtime," "The Fantasticks," "Company" and "Sweeney Todd." He has guest-starred on the Hallmark Channel's "Mystery Woman"; the daytime dramas "All My Children" and "As the World Turns"; "The Cosby Show," and the film "Preaching to the Choir."
Raised in Eatonville, Fla., Lewis is proud to announce the release of his first solo CD, "
Norm Lewis, This Is the Life!"
About
Teri Dale Hansen, Soprano
The versatile
Teri Dale Hansen returns to the Princeton Symphony Orchestra's Broadway Concert, where she appeared in 2008 in a rousing evening of Lerner & Loewe's greatest hits. She began her career in the role of Magnolia in
Harold Prince's Tony-winning production of "Show Boat" in London's West End, later touring with the first national company. She stars as Rose on the Bravo channel as part of its "Bravo on Broadway" series in the highly praised film version of
Kurt Weill's "Street Scene."
After making her Broadway debut in 2002 in "The Boys from Syracuse," she began concertizing with
Marvin Hamlisch worldwide. She has appeared numerous times in
City Center's Encores! series and off-Broadway in "Splendora." Her debut solo CD, "Into Your Arms ... Love Songs of
Richard Rodgers," was released in 2003.
Hansen has toured nationally as Marian Paroo in "The Music Man" and as Guenevere, opposite
Robert Goulet as Arthur, in "Camelot."
Internationally recognized as an interpreter of Weill's music, Hansen was the first American to perform at the
Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau in 1995. She has sung in Weill concerts worldwide, including three 100-year anniversary celebrations.
Hansen has appeared with many theater and opera companies and orchestras, among them the
Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, the National Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra.
About
Gerald Steichen, Conductor
With a career that spans symphony to opera, Broadway to chamber music,
Gerald Steichen has established himself as one of America's most versatile young conductors. He is Music Director of the Ridgefield Symphony (Connecticut) and Principal Pops Conductor of the Utah Symphony. He is also Associate Conductor of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
A frequent guest conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra, Steichen has led the symphonies of Columbus, Oklahoma City, Eastern Connecticut, Purchase (New York) and the New York Pops, among others. His international appearances have included the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo City Symphony and the NDR Philharmonie Hannover.
The Oklahoma native is a gifted pianist who has performed for the New York City Opera productions of "Porgy and Bess" and "Carmina Burana." Steichen portray
Ed Manny, the accompanist, in "Master Class" and was principal conductor of "Cats" for two years, both on Broadway. He toured nationally as the associate conductor with "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Secret Garden" and "Peter Pan," and made his Lincoln Center debut as conductor of the New York City Opera's "La Bohème."
Steichen spent 18 years with the "Meet the Artist" series at Lincoln Center as conductor, clinician and pianist.
Founded in 1980, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra is a cultural centerpiece of the Princeton community and one of the state's finest professional musical organizations. The orchestra has been guided by an extraordinary Board of Trustees and is grateful for the vision of its early Trustees, including Frank E. Taplin, Jr., Edward T. Cone, William F. Scheide, Reid White, Nathaniel Burt and Judy Thomson. Over the course of its history, the PSO's leadership has invested in the artistic excellence of its orchestral, chamber and pops concert offerings. Under the auspices of BRAVO!, the PSO also produces wide-reaching and innovative education programs in partnerships with local schools, arts organizations and other community agencies.
The PSO is proud to have been awarded the New Jersey State Council on the Arts' highest honors: Citation of Excellence and designation as a Major Arts Institution. The only professional orchestra to make its home in Princeton, the PSO performs at beautiful Richardson Auditorium on the campus of Princeton University. Founded in 1980 by Portia Sonnenfeld, the PSO was led for 22 years by Music Director Mark Laycock, who oversaw a period of artistic growth and achievement marked by innovative programming. In June 2009, the PSO board appoin
Ted Rossen Milanov as the PSO's third Music Director. Mr. Milanov is a gifted and accomplished conductor with outstanding musical credentials, energy and creativity.
Tickets, priced at $64, $50, $38 and $20, are available by calling (609) 497-0020. Additional information is found on the PSO website, www.princetonsymphony.org, or e-mail info@princetonsymphony.org. Special group pricing is available through the PSO office. Tickets may also be purchased at the Richardson Auditorium box office (609-258-5000) and at www.princeton.edu/utickets.
Photo credit: Michael L. Quintos
