Bernadette Peters Will Host Opening-Night Presentation of Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival

Broadway star Bernadette Peters, who currently appears in the Amazon hit show Mozart in the Jungle, will host the opening-night presentation of the Mostly Mozart Festival, The Singing Heart, on Tuesday, July 25, at 8:00 pm. Ms. Peters, a three-time Tony Award winner, will introduce this program, which celebrates the sense of optimism that emerged during Mozart's time, embodied in the composer's music and that of his contemporaries. The performance also features Renée and Robert Belfer Music Director Louis Langrée leading the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, pianist Kit Armstrong, the Young People's Chorus of New York City , and soloists who join together for Beethoven's rousing Choral Fantasy.

Francisco J. Núñez, the artistic director and founder of YPC, will host the second performance of The Singing Heart on Wednesday, July 26, at 7:30 pm. The program details follow.

THE SINGING HEART
Special opening-night presentation
Tuesday, July 25, 8:00 pm (special start time)
Wednesday, July 26, 7:30 pm
David Geffen Hall

Bernadette Peters, host (July 25)
Francisco J. Núñez, host (July 26)

Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra
Louis Langrée, conductor
Kit Armstrong, piano (Mostly Mozart debut)
Janai Brugger, soprano (Mostly Mozart debut)
Brandie Sutton, soprano (Mostly Mozart debut)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Mostly Mozart debut)
Jack Swanson, tenor (Mostly Mozart debut)
Miles Mykkanen, tenor (Mostly Mozart debut)
Adam Lau, bass (Mostly Mozart debut)
Young People's Chorus of New York City (Mostly Mozart debut)
Francisco J. Núñez, artistic director (Mostly Mozart debut)
Concert Chorale of New York
James Bagwell, choral director

MOZART: Kyrie, K. 90
MOZART: Symphony No. 35 ("Haffner")
Traditional and indigenous Songs
BEETHOVEN: Choral Fantasy

The Young People's Chorus of New York City makes its festival debut in a vibrant program that will juxtapose Mozart's Symphony No. 35 ("Haffner") with traditional songs and spirituals from Mozart's time. The evening will culminate in Beethoven's glorious Choral Fantasy, featuring the phenomenal pianist Kit Armstrong in his first appearance at the festival.

Throughout her illustrious career, Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage and television, in concert, and on recordings. In addition to her work in the theater, Ms. Peters's career boasts an impressive list of television credits, which includes Amazon Prime's highly popular Mozart in the Jungle, which won the 2016 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy. She also co-stars in the new CBS All-Access series, The Good Fight, a spin-off of the network's popular series The Good Wife.

One of Broadway's most critically acclaimed performers, Ms. Peters has won numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, three Grammy nominations, and three Emmy nominations. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Recent stage credits include New York City Center's Encores! production A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair, featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim and orchestrations by Wynton Marsalis, and, on Broadway, A Little Night Music and Follies.

Ms. Peters has recorded six solo albums, including the Grammy-nominated I'll Be Your Baby Tonight; Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall; and Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein, in addition to numerous Grammy-winning Broadway cast recordings. She devotes her time to numerous events that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Her "pet project" Broadway Barks, cofounded with Mary Tyler Moore, is an annual, star-studded dog and cat adoption event that benefits shelter animals throughout the New York City area. Also a New York Times bestselling author, Ms. Peters has penned three children's books: Broadway Barks, Stella is a Star, and Stella and Charlie: Friends Forever. All of her proceeds from the sale of these books benefit Broadway Barks.

Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow, is a composer, conductor, and leading figure in music education, and the artistic director/founder of the Young People's Chorus of New York City. Since the group's founding in 1988, Mr. Núñez has heightened an awareness of the ability of children to rise to unforeseen levels of artistry. He also leads the University Glee Club of New York City, its fifth conductor since the all-men's chorus was established in 1894, and is sought after nationwide as a guest conductor by professional orchestras and choirs and as a master teacher. Through his Núñez Initiative for Social Change, he is working to expand the YPC model to children's choruses beyond New York City and is a frequent keynote speaker on the role of music in achieving equality and diversity among children in today's society. Mr. Núñez composes original works and arrangements in all musical formats and styles for choirs, orchestras, and solo instruments, and has received an ASCAP Victor Herbert Award and the New York Choral Society's Choral Excellence Award. Musical America Worldwide named him among 30 "Influencers" for his contributions to the music industry, and he received an honorary doctor of music degree from Ithaca College.

The Mostly Mozart Festival is a presentation of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) , which serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community engagement, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educational activities annually, LCPA offers 16 series, festivals, and programs, including American Songbook, Avery Fisher Career Grants and Artist program, David Rubenstein Atrium programming, Great Performers, The Performing Arts Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center at the Movies, Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Awards, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lincoln Center Vera List Art Project, Midsummer Night Swing, Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival, the Emmy Award-winning Live From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS, and Lincoln Center Education, which is celebrating 41 years enriching the lives of students, educators, and lifelong learners. As manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and the 11 resident organizations: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, School of American Ballet, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Lincoln Center has become a leading force in using new media and technology to reach and inspire a wider and global audience. Reaching audiences where they are-physically and digitally-has become a cornerstone of making the performing arts more accessible to New Yorkers and beyond. The re-imagination of David Geffen Hall will play an important part in these efforts. For more information, visit LincolnCenter.org.

Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. For information, call the Department of Programs and Services for People with Disabilities at 212.875.5375.

Need more Broadway Theatre News in your life? Sign up for all the news on the Winter season, discounts & more...