Jon-Lee

After seven days of truly inspiring music making by 39 of the best amateur pianists from around the globe, Pamela Mia Paul, chairman of the Jury of the Eighth Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition, for non-professional pianists age 35 and older (taking place October 12–18, 2022, at Van Cliburn Recital Hall and Bass Performance Hall), tonight announced the winners from the Bass Hall stage.

Haydn composed his Lord Nelson Mass during a time of storms and stress, when the world was scary, the future was murky, and music served both to reflect and to relieve the anxieties of the day. In this work, we find some of Haydn's most tempestuous music, and some of his sunniest. The Lord Nelson is considered one of Haydn's greatest achievements, and we are excited to partner with Men in Blaque to present it with full orchestra and some of our favorite soloists: Marlissa Hudson, soprano; Jane Shim, mezzo-soprano; Jon Lee Keenan, tenor; and David Stoneman, bass-baritone. 

Amelia and John join a board comprising Helen Boaden, John Armistead, Kate Fenton, Christine Fitzpatrick, Clive Groom, Jon Lee, Richard Lumby, Alex Smith, David Warner, Mike Wilkinson and Sophie Wright.

The Stay Home Film Festival: A virtual expression of the quarantine experience through movement on film has been announced! The festival will feature 16 short dance or movement-based films, 10 of which are world premieres. The choreographers, dancers, and filmmakers have varying backgrounds that have ensured a dynamic and inspiring program. 

WAR OF THE WORLDS, composed by Annie Gosfield, plays again at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on November 18 at noon and 2pm. Let's see what the critics had to say!

In response to strong ticket sales and critical acclaim, ArtsWest will extend the run of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd through Friday, July 7, 2017. The additional performances are scheduled for 7:30pm each evening, with the exception of the 3pm matinee on Sunday, July 2. Tickets for the added performances can be purchased immediately at arstwest.org.  

The Sondheim classic "Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is one of those shows that everyone wants to put their own stamp on. It's an incredibly rich show and quite difficult to perform requiring a killer cast (pun intended). There have been concerts, productions where the actors play the instruments, and now an Off-Broadway production where they actually serve the audience hot pies. And locally it's been done to excess. Now ArtsWest has thrown their razors into the ring with their own particular take on this anti-hero by offering it up with a diverse cast and in a somewhat timeless era London. And while there are some decent voices up there, overall the cast lacks character intent and the diversity and time shift lend nothing to the story and at times muddy it.

ArtsWest is pleased to announce SWEENEY TODD, Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning musical about a tortured man who carves out a bloody path to vengeance, opening at the ArtWest Playhouse and Gallery on June 1.

Beginning this month, a host of stars from the world of entertainment will light up the stages in twenty four towns and cities around the UK for this year's Qdos Entertainment pantomime season. From Aberdeen to Plymouth, over 60 well-known actors, comedians and entertainers will lead the casts of the nation's favourite pantomimes in theatres across the country including, for the first time in nearly three decades, a return to the capital's London Palladium.

Gary Naylor sees the kind of show that will never will never appear in the nominations for prestigious awards, but was an ideal way to spend a Friday night up West.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: HEAD OF PASSES, starring Phylicia Rashad, opens at The Public tonight, and stars gather to perform the songs of Jill Abramovitz at NYPL this evening!

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Guy James present FOREVER PLAID, directed and staged by Grant Murphy, at St. James Studio, London from 5 - 24 April 2016. Press Performance: Friday, 8 April at 8pm. The full cast for three-week run of Forever Plaid at St. James Theatre Studio will feature Jon Lee alongside Keith Jack, Matthew Quinn and Luke Striffler. Meet the cast below!

American composer Mark Abel brings his signature style to his first foray into opera with this, his third recording for Delos. The two-disc set features the world premieres of a poignant new opera with music and libretto by the composer, coupled with his most recent song cycle in which he sets to music the writings of Los Angeles poet Kate Gale.

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Guy James present FOREVER PLAID, directed and staged by Grant Murphy, at St. James Studio, London from 5 - 24 April 2016. Press Performance: Friday, 8 April at 8pm. The full cast for three-week run of Forever Plaid at St. James Theatre Studio will feature Jon Lee alongside Keith Jack, Matthew Quinn and Luke Striffler.

Last night (23 February 2016) at the Aldwych Theatre the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning Beautiful - The Carole King Musical celebrated its first birthday in the West End.  Celebrations included marking the February birthdays of Carole King, Barry Mann and the late Gerry Goffin, as well as the 45th anniversary of when King's Grammy- award winning album Tapestry was released.  Check out the pics of the bash below!

Today, 24 February 2016, the producers of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning Beautiful - The Carole King Musical announce the show will be extending booking in the West End to 18 February 2017.

The full cast for the London premiere of the smash hit musical ELF has been announced.  The company is led by Ben Forster as Buddy, Kimberley Walsh as Jovie, Joe McGann as Walter Hobbs and Jessica Martin as Emily Hobbs, with Jennie Dale as Deb, Mark McKerracher as Santa and Graham Lappin as Store Manager.  Also in the cast are Katie Bradley, Charlie Bull, Nicola Coates, Alex Fobbester, Anton Fosh, Charlotte Gale, Francis Haugen, Matt Holland, Tash Holway, Paul Hutton, Mark Iles, Ceili O'Connor, Debbie Paul, Joanna Rennie, Barnaby Thompson and Ed White.  Harry Collett, Ilan Galkoff, Noah Key and Ewan Rutherford will alternate the role of Michael.  BroadwayWorld has a first look at the opening night below!

On the 26th March, Drama Desk Winner and Tony Award Nominee Christopher Renshaw (The King and I, Taboo, We Will Rock You) will direct a private industry reading of CARMENCITA JONES at the Roundabout Rehearsal Rooms on 45th Street, New York.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC), in one of the most highly anticipated collaborations of the season, joins forces with the renowned period instrument ensemble Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra and the acclaimed Los Angeles Children's Chorus to present two historically informed performances of Bach's towering masterwork St. Matthew Passion, conducted by LAMC Artistic Director Grant Gershon, on Saturday, January 31, 2 pm, and Sunday, February 1, 2015, 7 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Soloists include Pablo Cora, tenor; Janelle DeStefano, mezzo soprano; Arnold Livingston Geis, tenor; Callista Hoffman-Campbell, mezzo soprano; Elissa Johnston, soprano; Jon Lee Keenan, tenor (Evangelist); Chung Uk Lee, bass (Jesus); Steve Pence, bass/baritone; Vincent Robles, baritone; Zanaida Robles, soprano; Anna Schubert, soprano; Laura Smith, mezzo soprano; and Nike St. Clair, mezzo soprano.

Kerry Ellis, Ben Forster and Louise Dearman appear on the new recording of Alexander S. Bermange's three-person musical The Route To Happiness, which was embraced by critics and audiences alike during its run at London 's Landor Theatre last year. This album of the complete show includes new and reconceived material that BBC comic songwriter Bermange has created for the musical since its premiere production, and is produced by Mike Dixon, one of the UK 's foremost Musical Supervisors.