Palm Beach Dramaworks to Host 'A Musical Soiree' with Evans Haile, 2/23

Noted concert pianist and raconteur Evans Haile, who has been called "the fire and flame of music," brings his unique program of music, stories, and humor to Palm Beach Dramaworks on February 23, in A Musical Soiree. In addition to performing compositions by the likes of Frederic Chopin, Claude Debussy, Franz Liszt, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, and Ernesto Lecuona, Haile will augment the music with fascinating stories and observations. The 7:30 concert at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre will be preceded by a cocktail hour in the lobby. Proceeds from the event will go toward refurbishing the theatre's marquee.

"It's an intimate, fun evening about connections and windows into time, done in a special place that we share together," says Haile. "For me, the point of the evening is the importance of the arts - particularly theatre - in all our lives, often in ways which we do not even expect."

The co-chairs of the soiree are Joyce Reisman and Ann Hagelstein.

Haile has had a rich and eclectic career as an advocate for the arts. He is currently general director of Opera North in New Hampshire, executive director of the York Theatre Company in New York, and artistic director of the Gainesville Orchestra. He ran the historic Cape Playhouse for 15 years (through 2014), and re-opened the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA. Haile has been a regular guest conductor with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Am Rhein, Moscow Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, and many others. He has also worked with Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Tulsa Opera, Washington Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company. He assisted legendary French conductor Manuel Rosenthal on Wagner's Ring cycle for Seattle Opera, joined Sarah Caldwell on three tours of Russia, and was artistic advisor and dramaturge at Florida Grand Opera. He has hosted over two dozen "Toast of the Town" specials for National Public Radio, and has been profiled twice on CBS Sunday Morning.

Tickets for the event are $50 for Theatre Guild members, spouses, and partners; the price is $75 for non-Guild members. The cocktail reception begins at 6:30, followed by the 7:30 concert. For more information contact the box office at (561) 514-4042 ext. 2, or visit www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.