Legendary stage veteran Julie Andrews will host "The Gift of Music" with conductor Ian Fraser and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as part of the inaugural season of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, the Orchestra's the new 12,000-seat state-of-the-art facility located in Alpharetta, GA (north of Atlanta) on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
The night offers the gifts of music old and new — a selection of classic
Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein II compositions, several of which were performed, recorded, and made popular by Andrews during her illustrious career. The second half of the evening consists of the musical adaptation of Simeon's Gift, a best-selling children's book authored by Andrews and her daughter
Emma Walton Hamilton and exquisitely illustrated by Gennady Spirin. The show is performed by a cast including tenors
Stephen R. Buntrock and
Kevin Odekirk; sopranos
Christiane Noll and
Anne Runolfsson; and baritone
Jubilant Sykes.
Andrews' talent has enthralled audiences for many years through stage, screen, recordings, and books, in part because of her partnership with composers Rodgers and Hammerstein. Andrews and the ensemble perform some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most recognized repertoire including "Getting to Know You" and "There is Nothing Like a Dame," as well as beloved classics from The Sound of Music and Cinderella. The evening will include nostalgic clips, vintage montages and beautiful illustrations by Spirin.
In recent years Andrews has combined her passion of music with her advocacy of children's literacy and this pursuit resulted in the creation of The
Julie Andrews Collection with her daughter. Simeon's Gift is one of the best-selling treasures in the collection, and this performance marks the East Coast debut of the adaptation consisting of
Ian Fraser's brilliant compositions and
John Bucchino's inspiring lyrics about a minstrel who finds his gift of life through music and kindness of others.
With regard to Simeon's Gift, Ms. Andrews has said, "Many of the books that my daughter Emma and I write together for our '
Julie Andrews Collection' publishing imprint pay tribute to the gifts of nature and the arts – and one in particular, 'Simeon's Gift,' is about music itself... so we were thrilled when we were invited to consider adapting the piece for the stage…. Truly, 'Simeon's Gift' has had a life all its own… and continues to bestow its 'gifts' on us."
On May 10, 2008, Robert Spano and the Orchestra opened Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre with a Grand Opening and Inaugural Concert that introduced the public to America's newest outdoor venue. With this concert, the Atlanta Symphony continues the tradition of introducing members of the ASO to the audience with an evening-long live, on-site broadcast of the concert on large 15'x20' screens, which are permanently affixed on either side of the stage. The live feed will include a pre-concert show, as well as live intermission interviews with musicians from the Orchestra, and others involved behind-the-scenes to make ASO concerts happen at the new venue. The evening will be hosted by Scott Slade, host of Atlanta's Morning News on News/Talk 750 WSB.
Pre-concert "Top of the Lawn" events during this inaugural season will include ASO Insider Ken Meltzer taking his pre-concert conversations to the trees-lined lawn of the Amphitheatre prior to each Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert at the venue. Mr. Meltzer's conversations will take place on the Southeast corner of the lawn at 7:00 p.m. — the August 2 "Top of the Lawn" conversation will feature musicians from the Orchestra, and include a Q&A with the audience.
Ovations, the on-site caterer for Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, will offer English cuisine in celebration of Julie Andrew's appearance for this concert. Concertgoers may pre-order a picnic basket (which serves two people) of a curry chicken, traditional English turnovers, and crisp apple strudel in advance of the concert, and enjoy "favorite things" from the concessions, such as sugar cookies and cake, the night of the concert. Those with box seating and/or admission to the VIP Cadillac Club may choose to enjoy schnitzel and noodles for this performance. To pre-order a picnic basket, or to view the full menu available for each concert, visit the General Info/Food and Beverage section online at vzwamp.com.
Remaining ASO concerts at the new venue include a performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Garrick Ohlsson and Mr. Spano on Friday, August 8, 2008 at 8:00 p.m., and a musical evening featuring Turner Classic movies, hosted by
Robert Osborne and led by Richard Kauffman on Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. On Thursday, August 14, 2008, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor and League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow Mei-Ann Chen will lead the Orchestra in a FREE ASO Connects performance at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park as part of the Starbucks Free Parks Concerts summer series. For more information, visit
atlantasymphony.org.
Photo Credit James Sims
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