George Gershwin News

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, joins Pasadena Conservatory of Music (PCM) in presenting an evening of music and theatre - Three Vignettes - where attendees will be transported to Paris for music, wine and scenes from famous French plays, at A Noise Within today, May 17 at 6:30 pm.

Many only get to experience Feinstein through his recordings, PBS specials and the NPR show Song Travels with Michael Feinstein. However, this Saturday capital-area music and theatre aficionados will have the opportunity see him perform at the Strathmore Annual Spring Gala.

Trafalgar Releasing has announced the North American theatrical release of the highly acclaimed musical, An American in Paris, coming to movie theaters across the USA on Thursday, September 20 and Sunday, September 23.

The York Symphony Orchestra will present American Classics on Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York. The performance will pay tribute to the military with a color guard and armed forces salute in honor of National Armed Forces Day and will feature music by Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and a commemoration of Leonard Bernstein's 100th Birthday. Single tickets starting at $9 for adults and $5 for students are available online at www.YorkSymphony.org or by calling 717-846-1111.

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is thrilled to present a very special event production in association with Hershey Felder Presents, HERSHEY FELDER, BEETHOVEN, book by Hershey Felder, the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and directed by Joel Zwick. Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, "We are thrilled to be bringing Hershey Felder as Beethoven to the Playhouse for this very special two week engagement. Our audiences are going to be enraptured by this wildly acclaimed production." Adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, "We are fortunate to have such a wonderful working relationship with the genius that is Hershey Felder and are delighted to have him performing once again on our stage with the music of Beethoven!" HERSHEY FELDER, BEETHOVEN will open on Wednesday, May 16 and performs through Sunday, May 27, 2018 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

Darci Lynne Farmer has accomplished more in thirteen years than most complete in a lifetime. She overcame powerful shyness by using puppets and ventriloquism to allow an audience to hear her beautiful voice. She stood on a stage in front of millions and watched as judge Mel B hit the golden buzzer during her flawless performance of George Gershwin's "Summertime" with puppet Petunia, sending her to the live show of America's Got Talent.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, the most awarded new musical of 2015 and winner of four Tony Awards, will play Sacramento Community Center Theater for a two-week engagement from May 16 - 27 as part of the Broadway On Tour series.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, the most awarded new musical of 2015 and winner of four Tony Awards®, will play Milwaukee's Marcus Center for a one-week engagement on June 26-July 1. The North American tour launched in October 2016 and the Milwaukee engagement will mark the 58th and final city for the tour.

What a trail of stardust the whole musical leaves! There are the sets and lighting which dazzle in their nimble evocation of the wonders of Paris, with a side-step into a fantasy nightclub that seems to be Radio City Music Hall, complete with spangled leggy chorines and dudes in top hats and tails. There is the dancing of the athletic McGee Maddox and the graceful Allison Walsh. (How many performers out there can claim true balletic chops, skill at acting and singing - and the aforementioned hotness?) And the word 'dazzling' seems to have been coined for Gershwin's music, generously ladled over the entire enterprise, and beautifully performed.

Everyone knows who Gene Kelly is, but after seeing this wonderful tribute to the many sides of him, you can't help but feel love in your heart for what he accomplished, how he felt about life, love and happiness, work, and for the amazing gifts he gave to all of us.

An exclusive single ticket presale to 59E59 Members for the shows THE ORIGINALIST and HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN, both part of 59E59's subscription season, begins today, Tuesday, April 24, at Noon. Single tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, May 30.

THE BLACK BOX presents several live music events this May at the downtown Franklin venue, beginning with a Decades Series cabaret show on Saturday, May 12. The musical tribute to the '70s will feature some of the most memorable songs from that decade. Celebrate unforgettable moments from an era highlighted by tumultuous times, technological advances, and music ranging from progressive rock to disco. Two performances will be presented at 7:00 and 8:45 p.m. Tickets are $24 (adults) and $20 (students/seniors). The Decades Series concert is sponsored by 1776 Financial.

The critically-acclaimed concert pianist Christopher Johnson will make a rare New Jersey appearance when he performs at the Bickford Theatre on Sunday, May 6, with a program which features the New Jersey premiere of his new composition "Rhapsody on America the Beautiful." The program also includes well-known works by Frederic Chopin, Scott Joplin, Edward McDowell, and the solo-piano version of "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin.

In the annals of jazz history, few events have been more influential than the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series, and the album series of the same name. From 1944 to 1957, pioneering impresario, Verve Records founder, Norman Granz organized a series of prestigious all-star concerts that featured a who's-who of the genre's most popular and influential artists. These shows were instrumental in raising jazz's public profile, and were among the first high-profile performances to feature racially mixed bands performing for integrated audiences.

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, joins Pasadena Conservatory of Music (PCM) in presenting an evening of music and theatre - Three Vignettes - where attendees will be transported to Paris for music, wine and scenes from famous French plays, at A Noise Within on Thursday, May 17 at 6:30 pm.

Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra's (PSYO) 2017-18 season finale celebrates young talent by spotlighting this year's Concerto Competition winners, violinists Danielle Liu and Leo Matsuoka. The concert opens with Matsuoka's performance of the first movement of Alexander Glazunov's beautifully searing violin concerto, with its rich melodies and gorgeous orchestration, cast with extreme lyricism. It has become a modern classic, standing among the top concertos in the repertoire. The first movement of Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto then takes full advantage of the violin's expressive range, from the rippling high chords to the growling alto notes, delivered impressively by Liu. The concert closes on a sumptuous note with the ever-popular "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin.

Hershey Felder PRESENTS the Midwest Premiere of Our Great Tchaikovsky, a new play-with-music featuring the compositions of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Directed by Trevor Hay with a book and performance by Hershey Felder. Following critically acclaimed and record breaking productions at San Diego Rep, Hartford Stage, Los Angeles' Wallis Annenberg, Theatreworks Silicon Valley and London's West End, Felder's newest work takes on Russia's most celebrated and perhaps most mysterious composer, Tchaikovsky. A time-bending story of culture and politics that explores the mystery around some of the greatest music ever composed, Our Great Tchaikovsky will begin April 11 and close May 13.

Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald returned for her 7th appearance with the Celebrity Series on Friday night at Symphony Hall. Accompanied by a virtuoso trio of Brian Hertz on piano, Mark Vanderpoel on bass, and Gene Lewin on drums, she held the audience in her sway for close to 100 sublime, uninterrupted minutes.

Manatee Players' area premiere of the musical Nice Work If You Can Get It! for 13 performances, April 26 - May 13, in Stone Hall. History of Nice Work If You Can Get It!

Mint Theater (Jonathan Bank, Producing Artistic Director) will present a rare reading of Ferenc Molnar's Liliom for one night only, on Monday, June 11 at 7pm at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).