Paul Gemignani

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Paul Gemignani BIO

Pick a Stephen Sondheim Broadway premiere in the last three decades – say, Sweeney Todd or Sunday in the Park with George or Into the Woods. Who was at the podium on opening night? If you guessed Paul Gemignani, you got it right. In fact, Maestro Gemignani has been a distinguished and constant presence in musical theater for the last forty years. In 2001 he was honored with a Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award®.

Significantly, for an artist so closely associated with Sondheim, Gemignani made his Broadway debut as a conductor in Sondheim’s Follies (1971), taking over the role of music director from Harold Hastings. He once again took over the reins for Sondheim’s Tony®-winning A Little Night Music (1973) and conducted on the original cast recording.

Gemignani contributed incidental music and songs to a 1974 revival of the Congreve classic Love for Love, starring Glenn Close. In 1976 he was the music director for another Sondheim musical, Pacific Overtures, which earned many a Tony® nod. Later that year he was music director for the short-lived Music Is.

The Comden-Green musical On the Twentieth Century (1978), featuring Gemignani at the podium, starred Imogen Coca, John Cullum, and Madeline Kahn; it won an impressive five Tony Awards®. But the next musical that Gemignani conducted, Sondheim’s tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd (1979), topped that feat, scooping up eight Tonys®, including Best Musical.

Gemignani’s later Broadway credits include Candide (1974); Evita (1979); Merrily We Roll Along (1981); A Doll’s Life (1982); Zorba (1983); Sunday in the Park with George (1984), which won a Pulitzer Prize; Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (1989); Crazy for You (1992); Passion (1994); Big: The Musical (1996); High Society (1998); Kiss Me, Kate (1999); Into the Woods (2002); Assassins (2004); The Frogs (2004); 110 in the Shade (2007); and Pal Joey (2008).

In addition to his work on Broadway, Gemignani has conducted on several film soundtracks, including Reds, A Little Night Music, Kramer vs. Kramer, Eyewitness, and Sweeney Todd. Among the major orchestras that he has guest-conducted are the Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera, and New York City Ballet. The exceptional 1991 Sony studio recording of Kismet features the sumptuous sound of the London Symphony Orchestra, with Paul Gemignani wielding the baton.

His honors include a 1989 Drama Desk Special Award and an Emmy Award for “best musical direction” for the PBS/Great Performances presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific at Carnegie Hall in 2006.

Paul Gemignani Photos

Paul Gemignani Productions

 
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Paul Gemignani Videos

Paul Gemignani News


Video: Celebrate 40 Years of THE RINK

On February 9, 1984, The Rink opened at the Martin Beck Theatre (now the Al Hirschfeld Theatre), where it ran for 29 previews and 204 regular performances.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG: A [Backwards] History of Old Friends

Go inside the complete history of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along, playing at Broadway's Hudson Theatre now!

Christine Ebersole, Norm Lewis, Andrew Rannells & More to Headline York Theatre Company Gala

Get all the details on the star-studded lineup for York Theatre Company's 31st Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala, including Christine Ebersole, Norm Lewis, Andrew Rannells, and more. Find out when and where the event will take place.

Jason Alexander on Stage: A Look Back at the Actor's Theatrical Roles

Tony Award winner Jason Alexander is making his Broadway directorial debut with The Cottage, which is now playing on Broadway. While Alexander may be best known for his roles on screen, including Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, and more, he also has a longstanding history with the stage!

York Theatre Company Will Honor Patti LuPone and Jamie DeRoy at Gala Evening This November

The York Theatre Company will honor musical theater legend Patti LuPone with the 2023 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater and producer Jamie deRoy with The York Theatre Company Founders' Award at the 31st Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala.

Video: Watch Lost Footage of Broadway Greats in ON THE STEPS OF THE SHUBERT

Broadway veteran Kurt Peterson appears in On the Steps of the Shubert, a video commemorating the 50th Anniversary of 'Sondheim: A Musical Tribute'. Narrated by Kurt from the steps inside Broadway's Shubert Theatre in the rear orchestra where he sat beside Stephen Sondheim that evening, the video just debuted online in celebration of the event's 50th anniversary and you can watch it in full.

50th Anniversary of SONDHEIM: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE Will Be Celebrated in Commemorative Video

Broadway veteran Kurt Peterson will appear in On the Steps of the Shubert, a video commemorating the 50th Anniversary of “Sondheim: A Musical Tribute”, the first celebration of Stephen Sondheim's work, originally presented at the Shubert Theatre, Sunday, March 11, 1973. 

Shoshana Bean, Lilli Cooper, Jared Grimes & Christine Pedi Join Lineup for 30th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala

Shoshana Bean, Lilli Cooper, Jared Grimes and Christine Pedi have joined the roster of performers for a concert celebration at the 30th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala, which will honor musical theater legend Leslie Uggams with the 2022 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater, which will be presented by Dionne Warwick. 

Broadway Inspirational Voices, Dionne Warwick & More to Join 2022 Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala

The York Theatre Company has announced the roster of performers for a concert celebration at the 30th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala, which will take place on Monday evening, November 14, 2022 at The Edison Rooftop.

Review: YOU'RE GONNA LOVE TOMORROW! at Theater2020

You're gonna truly love tomorrow, and it starts with what you're doing tonight!

Interview: Gerald Sternbach's Making Music in JASON GRAAE'S GRAAETEST HITS & More

Jason Graae brings his Graaetest (not a typo!) Hits – The Sequel to the El Portal October 21, 2022, accompanied by musical director Gerald Sternbach. I got a chance to catch up with Jerry after years of path-crossing at benefits and concerts.

54 Below Presents 54 SINGS DUDE: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents 54 Sings DUDE: A 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 16. Dubbed “the most incomprehensible show ever presented on a Broadway stage” this Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot musical was the spiritual follow up to their cultural megahit, HAIR.

Leslie Uggams and Ted Chapin to be Honored at the 30th Annual Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala

The York Theatre Company will honor Tony Award-winning musical theater icon Leslie Uggams (Hallelujah, Baby!, Anything Goes, Thoroughly Modern Millie) with the 2022 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater and Ted Chapin with The York Theatre Company Founders’ Award at the 30th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala.

Theater Latté Da To Host Panel Discussion With Original Broadway Company Members Of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

Theater Latté Da (Peter Rothstein, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) today announces a special online panel discussion–Our Time: In Conversation with Original Broadway Company Members of Merrily We Roll Along–with original Broadway cast and artistic team members of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's 1981 musical MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. 

28 Theater Books for Your Spring 2022 Reading List

Spring has sprung and the great weather calls for a great book to enjoy outdoors! You're in luck, because this year, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 28 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's spring reading list.

25 Theater Books for Your Winter 2022 Reading List

Winter is here and what better time of year to stay in and snuggle up with a great book? You're in luck, because this year, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 25 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's winter reading list.

BWW Feature: Stephen's Sondheim (or How a Stranger Informed Five Decades of One Life)

Everyone has a story or stories about the ways in which their life was changed by the presence in this world of Stephen Sondheim. This is mine.

Karen Mason Releases New Music Video for 'We Never Ran Out of Love (We Just Ran Out of Time)'

KAREN MASON has announced that the new music video for the song “We Never Ran Out of Love (We Just Ran Out of Time)” is available today, Monday, December 13. The video is edited by Michael Lee Stever. It was the recipient of the 2020 “Jamie deRoy Songwriting Award” from The ASCAP Foundation, given to its songwriter Paul Rolnick.

VIDEO: Leading Ladies of Broadway Tribute Stephen Sondheim

Today we are flashing back to one of our favorite Sondheim tributes- his 80th Birthday concert, performed with the New York Philharmonic in 2010. Watch performances from David Hyde Piece, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters, and Elaine Stritch.

Karen Mason Album LET THE MUSIC PLAY Now Available on CD and All Digital Platforms

Karen Mason has released a CD filled with songs well-known and compositions by local writers and it's available now.

Paul Gemignani FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Paul Gemignani has been nominated for the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre by the Drama League Awards, the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre by the Tony Awards, and Special Awards by the Drama Desk Awards.

Paul Gemignani has won the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre from the Drama League Awards, the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre from the Tony Awards, and Special Awards from the Drama Desk Awards.

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