Leonard Bernstein News

On June 28, 150 students from El Sistema programs in New York, New Jersey, and New Orleans will come together to perform a benefit concert at the United Palace. Simply titled The Concert, this event epitomizes the collaborative spirit of El Sistema, an innovative music education program built on the belief that music can act as an agent for social change. El Sistema has become a breathtaking success in Venezuela, where it originated nearly 40 years ago; over the past decade, it has expanded into a full-fledged global movement.

Happy Birthday, Mary Testa! Testa is a two-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town (1998) and 42nd Street (2001). She made her debut as Miss Goldberg in William Finn's one-act musical In Trousers (1979), part one of his 'Marvin Trilogy,' winning audiences over with her rendition of 'Set Those Sails' and 'I Am Wearing a Hat,' as well as 'The Rape of Miss Goldberg by Marvin.' She returned to Broadway in July, 2007 in the musical-theater remake of the 1980 film Xanadu for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination.

The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA)-a dynamic new orchestra created in 2013 by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute featuring some of the best young musicians from across the country-caps its eight-concert, coast-to-coast U.S. tour with a concert at The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on Monday, August 4 at 7:30 p.m.

The record-breaking UK national tour of 'WEST SIDE STORY' is now entering the final three months of its year-long tour. There are just eight stops left until the tour ends at the Theatre Royal Norwich on 13 September 2014.

Broadway and operetta unite in the New York Philharmonic's concert performance of Leonard Bernstein's satirical, effervescent musical CANDIDE, slated for release online on Digital Theatre, today 4 June 2014. The show features music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.

Gar nicht mehr „weit, weit weg" ist die Premiere des preisgekronten Musicals SHREK am 19. Oktober 2014 im Capitol Theater Dusseldorf. Auf der Buhne werden dann die bekannten Musical-Darsteller Andreas Lichtenberger, Bettina Monch, Andreas Wolfram und Carsten Lepper stehen. Sie ubernehmen die Rollen der vier Hauptcharaktere Shrek, Fiona, Esel und Lord Farquaad.

The New York Philharmonic will mark Glenn Dicterow's farewell - following 34 years as Concertmaster, the longest tenure of any concertmaster in Philharmonic history - with the release of New York Philharmonic Presents: The Glenn Dicterow Collection, three albums on the New York Philharmonic label featuring Mr. Dicterow's favorite solo performances from 1982 to 2012. The first album will be available on CD, which comes with a 90-page commemorative booklet that includes program notes with Mr. Dicterow's comments, essays about Mr. Dicterow by Alan Gilbert and Archivist/Historian Barbara Haws, photographs, and a complete list of Mr. Dicterow's solo performances. It will also be available as a download on iTunes and Amazon.com. The second and third albums will be available as downloads only. The CD and booklet are $16.99; the downloads are $9.99 each or $24.99 for all three downloadable albums. The collection, distributed by Naxos, is now available for pre-order; it will be available for purchase and download on nyphil.org/DicterowCollection beginning June 3.

West Side Story returns to its theatrical home at the National Theatre for one week only, today, June 3 through 8. The landmark American musical made its world premiere at the National in 1957 prior to heading to Broadway, as did its revival in 2008, and now the North American tour of this celebrated story concludes in Washington at the place where it all began.

Westport Country Playhouse announces a world premiere musical revue, 'Sing for Your Shakespeare,' as the second production in its 2014 season, running tonight, June 3 - 22. Directed by Mark Lamos, and co-conceived by Lamos, Wayne Barker, and Deborah Grace Winer, the show is based on an original idea and production for 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists, New York, NY. Celebrating its 84th season, Westport Country Playhouse was recently named Theater Company of the Year by The Wall Street Journal.

Broadway and operetta unite in the New York Philharmonic's concert performance of Leonard Bernstein's satirical, effervescent musical CANDIDE, slated for release online on Digital Theatre, Wednesday 4 June 2014. The show features music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, and additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein.

From today, May 28 to June 7, 2014, the New York Philharmonic will present the inaugural NY PHIL BIENNIAL, a kaleidoscopic exploration of today's music by a wide range of composers through

Hal Leonard will release vocal selections for a series of shows from this Broadway season in the coming months, including: Rocky (available now), Beautiful (June 1,2014), A Night with Janis Joplin (June 1, 2014), A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (June 6, 2014), Big Fish (July 1, 2014), and Aladdin (August 1, 2014).

The tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY is coming to Concord, NH. WEST SIDE STORY appears for one night only at the Capitol Center for the Arts tonight, May 27, at 7:30pm. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction is recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

“David Weiss was a man of formidable musical gifts who exuded magisterial charm on stage and off,” said Mr. Reed. “Ever the consummate professional, David reveled in all the details and challenges of great music-making, demonstrating time and again that exceptional performances are borne of an uncompromising commitment to excellence. Also a man of extraordinary warmth, David was unfailingly generous with his time, and took much pride in the development of his students. He will be sorely missed.”

One of the American theater's greatest musicals, West Side Story, opens the 2014 Season at the Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre onFriday, May 30. The production continues for two weekends through Sunday, June 8 with Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances at 7:30 pm.

Hershey Felder returns to ArtsEmerson for his third solo musical theater piece after charming and enlightening local audiences with GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE and MAESTRO: LEONARD BERNSTEIN in recent years. This time he departs from staging the lives of genius composers to delve into the tragic death of a giant of American history by blending Civil War-era songs and first-person stories in an imaginative retelling of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

The New York Philharmonic will mark Glenn Dicterow's farewell - following 34 years as Concertmaster, the longest tenure of any concertmaster in Philharmonic history - with the release of New York Philharmonic Presents: The Glenn Dicterow Collection, three albums on the New York Philharmonic label featuring Mr. Dicterow's favorite solo performances from 1982 to 2012. The first album will be available on CD, which comes with a 90-page commemorative booklet that includes program notes with Mr. Dicterow's comments, essays about Mr. Dicterow by Alan Gilbert and Archivist/Historian Barbara Haws, photographs, and a complete list of Mr. Dicterow's solo performances. It will also be available as a download on iTunes and Amazon.com. The second and third albums will be available as downloads only. The CD and booklet are $16.99; the downloads are $9.99 each or $24.99 for all three downloadable albums. The collection, distributed by Naxos, is now available for pre-order; it will be available for purchase and download on nyphil.org/DicterowCollection beginning June 3.

Halfway through celebrating its 50th year at the David H. Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center, the New York City Ballet showcased three diverse pieces influenced by the Company's greatest artists - Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and of course, George Balanchine.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announces the 2014/15 season programming for its acclaimed MusicNOW contemporary music series—dedicated to showcasing contemporary music through an innovative concert experience. Uniquely curated by CSO Mead Composers-In-Residence Mason Bates and Anna Clyne, the annual, four-concert series in 2014/15 presents a range of work from major musical figures such as Pierre Boulez and established contemporary talents such as John Luther Adams and Michael Gordon. Programs are performed by members of the CSO and guest artists led by MusicNOW principal conductor Cliff Colnot and guest conductors, which this year includes James Feddeck, winner of the 2013 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

NEW DRAMATISTS, Tony Honor recipient and the nation's premiere playwright development workshop, proudly announces that they will honor five-time Tony Award winning director/choreographer Susan Stroman with their 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award at its 65th Annual Spring Luncheon tribute, to be held today, May 22 at the New York Marriott Marquis.