Gemignani Conducts 'Camelot' with NY Philharmonic; Broadcast on PBS May 8

Award-winning musical director, Paul Gemignani, will lead the New York Philharmonic's semi-staged performances of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot directed by Lonny Price on May 7 and Thursday, May 8, 2008, at 7:30PM, and Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10 at 2PM (newly added) and 8PM.

The Thursday, May 8 performance will be broadcast "Live from Lincoln Center" nation-wide on PBS.  Casting and additional production credits will be announced at a future date.

Camelot, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, first appeared on Broadway at the Majestic Theater on December 3, 1960. Based on T.H. White's novel, "The Once and Future King," about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the musical features songs such as "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight," "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood," "Camelot," "The Lusty Month of May," "How to Handle a Woman," "If Ever I Would Leave You," and "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" It starred Julie Andrews as Guenevere, Richard Burton as King Arthur, Robert Goulet as Lancelot, and Roddy McDowall as Mordred and ran for 873 performances, winning four Tony Awards.

"The musical – about the idealized kingdom of Camelot, the love triangle among King Arthur, Queen Guenevere, and Sir Lancelot, and the treachery of the king's illegitimate son, Mordred" – was made into a 1967 film that starred Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings, and Lionel Jeffries. It won three Academy Awards.

On Wednesday, May 7, 2008, the New York Philharmonic's Spring Gala will celebrate Camelot, which includes a black-tie, pre-concert reception, the concert, and a post-concert dinner with the artists. For information about purchasing Gala tables and tickets call 212-875-5757.

Tickets ($65 to $225) go on sale for subscribers and donors on Friday, November 30, and to the general public on Friday, December 7, 2007. All tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling 212-875-5656, 9AM to 9PM daily. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office, Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Office opens at 10AM Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Offices closes one half-hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6PM.

Paul Gemignani