Bill Charlap Trio Plays The Songs Of Leonard Bernstein At SOPAC, 3/16

The 100th birthday of the legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein will be celebrated at the South Orange Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m. with the Bill Charlap Trio. Charlap, long an admirer of the remarkable and charismatic Bernstein, received a Grammy Award nomination for his album Somewhere: the Songs of Leonard Bernstein (2000), and is well known for his interpretations of Bernstein's popular songs, mostly written for Broadway musicals like West Side Story, On the Town, and Candide.

Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person. Born to a musical household, Bill Charlap's father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include Peter Pan, and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman, and was a regular on The Perry Como Show.

In 1997 Charlap formed his trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, now recognized as one of the leading Jazz groups in the world. In 2000, he was signed to Blue Note Records and in addition to the Grammy Award nomination for his Bernstein album Somewhere: the Songs of Leonard Bernstein, he received another nomination for The Bill Charlap Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard. He is known for his elegant interpretations of American popular song. This year, his album The Bill Charlap Trio: Uptown, Downtown was honored with another Grammy Award nomination.

Time magazine wrote, "Bill Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved...no matter how imaginative or surprising his take on a song is, he invariably zeroes in on its essence."

In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern, was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Album. In April of the same year, the Bill Charlap Trio released, Notes from New York, their debut recording for the Impulse label. Alan Morrison's five-star review in Down Beat stated that the new recording is "a masterclass in class."

Charlap will be celebrating his 13th year as Artistic Director of New York City's Jazz in July Festival at 92Y. He has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Symphony Center and the Hollywood Bowl. Charlap is married to renowned Jazz pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, and the two artists often collaborate in a duo piano setting. Bill Charlap is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.

Bill Charlap Trio will grace the SOPAC stage on Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m.. Tickets are $35- $45 and are on sale online at http://www.sopacnow.org/bill-charlap-trio/ or by calling the box office at (973) 313-2787.

Since 2006, SOPAC has been serving as a premier performing arts center in the region. SOPAC offers innovative artistic and cultural experiences for diverse audiences in an intimate, inviting environment. The premier arts center hosts a variety of live performances, community events and education programs for all ages. To further expand its offerings, SOPAC has a partnership with the Juilliard School of Music to present Juilliard @ SOPAC-a series featuring upcoming musicians from the acclaimed conservatory. SOPAC is home for Seton Hall University Arts Council's performances, including Classical Concert Series, Jazz 'N the Hall performances and Seton Hall University Theatre productions. SOPAC also presents performances by its professional theater company in-residence, American Theater Group. For more information, visit SOPACnow.org.