GERSHWIN IN HOLLYWOOD Comes To 1st Stage, Tysons

The classic songs of George Gershwin, called "America's quintessential composer," and his lyricist brother, Ira, will be featured in an upcoming concert set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1st Stage, 1524 Spring Hill Road, in Tysons, VA.

Featuring two prominent local artists, vocalist Lesley Hamilton and jazz pianist Eric Levin, "Gershwin in Hollywood: Love Walked In" showcases almost two dozen of the Gershwins' greatest songs written for and featured in some of Hollywood's most enduring film musicals.

"We're thrilled once again to be hosting an afternoon of music from one of the greatest composers in American history," said a spokesperson for 1st Stage, one of the area's leading regional theaters. "Lesley Hamilton and Eric Levin will be applying their impressive talents to some of the best loved-songs of an American legend."

Lesley Hamilton, a resident of Fairfax, has performed on concert, cabaret and jazz stages throughout the country celebrating the composers and lyricists of the Great American Songbook, including, most recently, "Reaching for the Moon: The Unsung Irving Berlin" (with Eric Levin), "The Richard Rodgers 100th Birthday Celebration" (with the late Celeste Holm), "I Remember It Well: The Songs of Alan Jay Lerner" (with Leslie Caron) and "Andre Previn's Hollywood Years." An original member of San Francisco's famed 42nd Street Moon, she has appeared as a principal in many of that theater company's acclaimed revivals of American musical theater classics.

Trained at Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, she has appeared as a soloist with major symphony orchestras, including those of Cincinnati, San Francisco and Oakland, CA, as well as with several vocal jazz ensembles. She also appears on the original cast recordings of Cole Porter's "Something for the Boys" and "Leave It to Me."

Eric Levin, a resident of Alexandria, has, as pianist, composer and musical director, been exploring and extolling the treasures of the Great American Songbook for decades, specializing in the life and work of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin.

Trained at Philadelphia's famed Settlement Music School and at Temple University, he has been featured as a pianist in small group jazz, as a theatrical rehearsal pianist and accompanist, as a choral director, and as a musical director for regional theatrical productions. As a composer he has written original scores for television commercials and documentaries, which he also wrote and directed. In addition, he is a published author, writing on popular culture and history for national publications.

He has played at leading local hotels and jazz clubs, including the Bombay Club, the Watergate and the Fairmont, where for many years he headlined the popular Sunday jazz brunch.

To buy tickets, click here.

Photo: Lesley Hamilton, Eric Levin