U-M Musical Theatre Students to Perform with the New York Philharmonic

The University Musical Society (UMS) announces that University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance students Jamie Colburn and Jessica Gomes-Ng will perform with the New York Philharmonic on Saturday, November 18 at Hill Auditorium.

They will perform the roles of Tony and Maria in selections from West Side Story as part of the Philharmonic's Young People's Concert. The casting extends the New York Philharmonic's orchestral residency with UMS, which focuses on the legacy of former Philharmonic music director and composer Leonard Bernstein, to the U-M Department of Musical Theatre, which is one of the top programs in the country and currently the most represented on Broadway.

Inspired by Bernstein's own Young People's Concerts that were televised from 1958 through 1972, the November 18 Young People's Concert will explore the composer's indelible contributions to American concert life, Broadway musicals, and opera. In addition to selections from West Side Story, the program will feature excerpts from Candide, On the Town, Symphony No. 1 ("Jeremiah"), and Symphony No. 2 ("The Age of Anxiety"). In addition to Colburn and Gomes-Ng, the program features Jamie Bernstein, the composer's daughter, as speaker and pianist Makoto Ozone. Detroit Symphony Orchestra music director Leonard Slatkin conducts, and Theodore Wiprud hosts the performance.

Jamie Colburn is a junior working toward his BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of Michigan and will graduate in 2019. Jamie is also the founder and artistic director of Exit Left Theatre Company, located in Colburn's hometown of Holland, Michigan. Jamie's performance credits include Connecticut Repertory Theatre's production of 1776 (Col. Thomas McKean), Encore Musical Theatre Company's Sweeney Todd (Adolfo Pirelli), and Festival 56's The Drowsy Chaperone (Robert Martin). At the University of Michigan, Jamie has performed in productions of The Winter's Tale (Polixenese) and A Man of No Importance (Rasher Flynn).

Jessica Gomes-Ng is a senior Musical Theatre major from Auckland, New Zealand and will graduate from the University of Michigan in May 2018. Recent credits at the University include One Hit Wonder, The Little Mermaid, Hotel California, The Tempest, and Big Fish.

The full New York Philharmonic residency takes place from November 16-19 and is part of Bernstein's Philharmonic: A Centennial Festival, which celebrates the former Philharmonic music director and laureate conductor on the centennial of his birth. The residency will feature three mainstage performances as well as over two dozen additional free events for the University and the regional community.

For tickets and more information about the Young People's Concert and New York Philharmonic residency, visit ums.org/nyphil or call 734.764.2538.

A recipient of the 2014 National Medal of Arts, UMS (also known as the University Musical Society) contributes to a vibrant cultural community by connecting audiences with performing artists from around the world in uncommon and engaging experiences. One of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, UMS is an independent non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Michigan, presenting over 70 music, theater, and dance performances by professional touring artists each season, along with over 100 free educational activities. UMS is committed to bold artistic leadership, engaged learning through the arts, and access and inclusiveness. Since 1990, the organization has co-commissioned and supported the production of nearly 80 new or reimagined works. Matthew VanBesien, formerly president of the New York Philharmonic, became the organization's seventh president in July 2017.

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