| MasterVoices launches podcast series & John Ellison Conlee joins the Gershwins “Strike Up the Band" (Oct. 29, Carnegie Hall) | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 12:09 pm EDT 10/21/24 | |
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| MASTERVOICES PERFORMS A NEW VERSION OF STRIKE UP THE BAND, GEORGE AND IRA GERSHWIN, GEORGE S. KAUFMAN, AND MORRIE RYSKIND'S POLITICAL MUSICAL SATIRE, ON OCTOBER 29 AT CARNEGIE HALL Featuring Shereen Ahmed, Phillip Attmore, Victoria Clark, John Ellison Conlee, Lissa deGuzman, Claybourne Elder, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bryce Pinkham, and ?David Pittu; Choreography by Alison Solomon, Directed and Conducted by Ted Sperling MasterVoices Launched its First Podcast Initiative Starting with Three Episodes Exploring Facets of Strike Up the Band MasterVoices opens its 2024-25 season on Tuesday, October 29 at Carnegie Hall when MasterVoices Artistic Director Ted Sperling leads the 140–member MasterVoices Chorus , the MasterVoices Orchestra and guest soloists in a concert staging of Strike Up the Band, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The performance features Shereen Ahmed, Phillip Attmore, Victoria Clark, John Ellison Conlee, Lissa deGuzman, Claybourne Elder, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bryce Pinkham, and David Pittu. The choreographer is Alison Solomon. The costume design is by Tracy Christensen and Somie Pak, lighting design by Shelby Loera, and sound design by Marc Salzberg. With its soaring melodies, infectious syncopation, and lyrics that both provoke and delight, Strike Up the Band was the first of three political musicals that the Gershwins, George S. Kaufman, and Morrie Ryskind wrote together. MasterVoices has previously performed the other two, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Of Thee I Sing in 2017, and its sequel, Let ‘Em Eat Cake, in 2019. Says Mr. Sperling, "Working with both the Gershwin and Kaufman estates, author Laurence Maslon and I have created a new edition of Strike Up the Band, which contains the best of the 1927 and 1930 versions of the show; I hope this may prove to be the blueprint for future performances of this work. The MasterVoices concert staging will take full advantage of the wonderful dance music that follows so many of the songs, sometimes lyrical, other times comic, or military. We look forward to bringing these moments to life with dancers as we have done with pleasure so many times in our recent history." Some of the most famous songs from the show, in addition to its irresistible overture and title song, are The Man I Love, and I've Got a Crush on You. This MasterVoices performance will be dedicated to the memory of Gershwin family member Michael Strunsky, who would have turned 90 years old the week of our concert. As steward of the Ira Gershwin Musical Estate, Mike was an essential supporter of so many of MasterVoices' projects, including The Firebrand of Florence, Lady in the Dark, Of Thee I Sing, and Let ‘Em Eat Cake. He will be sorely missed. The MasterVoices Podcast MasterVoices launched its first podcast initiative and just released the first of three episodes exploring different facets of Strike Up the Band. Hosted by writer, linguist, and musical theater aficionado John McWhorter, the three podcasts include interviews with Ted Sperling and Laurence Maslon on the making of the script, cartoonist and former Cartoon Editor for The New Yorker Bob Mankoff on where Kaufman's brand of satire lives in the larger scheme of comedy, and conductor and author John Mauceri on operetta's influence on the Gershwin's score and lyrics. Click here for more details on The MasterVoices Podcast. Strike Up the Band Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 7:00 pm Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage Music and Lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin Book by Laurence Maslon and Ted Sperling Based on the original books by George S. Kaufman (1927) and Morrie Ryskind (1930) Restored by Tommy Krasker Orchestrations by Russell Warner, William D. Brohn, William Daly, Dick Hyman, Sid Ramin, Larry Wilcox , and Donald Johnston MasterVoices Chorus Ted Sperling, Artistic Director and Conductor MasterVoices Orchestra Directed by Ted Sperling Choreography by Alison Solomon Costumes designed by Tracy Christensen and Somie Pak Lighting design by Shelby Loera Sound design by Marc Salzberg CAST OF CHARACTERS Shereen Ahmed JOAN FLETCHER Phillip Attmore TIM HARPER Victoria Clark MRS. DRAPER John Ellison Conlee HORACE J. FLETCHER Lissa deGuzman MISS MEADE Claybourne Elder G. EDGAR SLOANE Christopher Fitzgerald GEORGE SPELVIN Bryce Pinkham JIM TOWNSEND David Pittu COLONEL HOLMES DANCERS: Colin Bradbury, Fiona Huber, Masumi Iwai, Justin Keats, Cory Lingner, Derek Luscutoff Tickets, priced from $30, may be purchased online at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800, or in person at Carnegie Hall's box office at 57th and Seventh Avenue. About Strike Up the Band The original 1927 version of Strike Up the Band, with a book by George S. Kaufman, was a biting anti-war satire. It was the Gershwins' first fully integrated score for a book musical, strongly influenced by Gilbert and Sullivan. It closed in Philadelphia, prompting Kaufman's famous remark, "Satire is what closes on Saturday night." At Kaufman's suggestion, the Gershwins turned to Morrie Ryskind to revise it. Songs were cut. New songs were added, with swing rhythms dominating. The politics were replaced by silliness and a happy ending. It opened on Broadway in 1930 and ran for 191 performances. The basic plot of the show centers on a businessman who offers to sponsor a war with Switzerland if it is named for him. In the 1927 version, the war was about cheese, and in the 1930 version, it was about chocolate. Complications arise involving espionage and star-crossed lovers, but all are resolved by the final number. The show has not been performed in New York since the 1998 Encores! Revival at City Center. Details of MasterVoices' 2024-25 season can be found at mastervoices.org. About MasterVoices MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale) was founded in 1941 by legendary American choral conductor Robert Shaw. Under the artistic direction of Tony Award winner Ted Sperling since 2013, the group is known for its versatility and a repertoire that ranges from choral masterpieces and operas in concert to operettas and musical theater. Season concerts feature a volunteer chorus of 100+ members from all walks of life alongside a diverse roster of world-class soloists from across the musical spectrum, including Julia Bullock, Dove Cameron, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Renée Fleming, John Holiday, Jennifer Holliday, Norm Lewis, Victoria Clark, and Kelli O'Hara. Under Sperling's direction the group has created cross–disciplinary collaborations with such diverse creative minds as legendary lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Vogue Editor-at-Large Hamish Bowles, fashion designer Zac Posen, Silk Road visual artist Kevork Mourad, illustrator Manik Choksi, stage designer Doug Fitch, and choreographers Doug Varone and Andrew Palermo. Roger Rees was the group's Artistic Associate from 2003–2015, and in 2021 the group received a New York Emmy Award nomination and a Drama League Award nomination for its multi-genre digital concert production of Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns. Known for its presentation of lesser-known artistic treasures, the group has received recent accolades for productions of rarely-heard works such as this season's acclaimed revival of Sondheim and Shevelove's The Frogs, last season's New York City premiere of Sheldon Harnick's full English translation of Bizet's Carmen, Lady in the Dark by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland, the Gershwins' Let ‘Em Eat Cake, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents's Anyone Can Whistle, and Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe. They also commission and premiere new works; recent examples include choral works by Ricky Ian Gordon, Marisa Michelson, Tariq Al-Sabir, and Randall Eng. As one of the country's first interracial and interfaith choruses, MasterVoices (as The Collegiate Chorale) performed at the opening of the United Nations and has sung and recorded under the batons of esteemed conductors including Serge Koussevitzky, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein, among others. It has been engaged by top-tier orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic, and has appeared at the Verbier and Salzburg Festivals. For more information, visit mastervoices.org. Connect with MasterVoices on Facebook, Instagram (@mastervoicesny), and YouTube. About Ted Sperling One of today's leading musical artists, Tony Award-winning Maestro Ted Sperling is a classically trained musician whose career has spanned from the concert hall and the opera house to the Broadway stage. Presently Artistic Director of MasterVoices, he has led such symphony orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Boston Pops, San Diego Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, the Iceland Symphony, Czech National Symphony, and BBC Concert Orchestra, as well as New York City Opera and Houston Grand Opera. Formerly Principal Conductor of the Westchester Philharmonic, Mr. Sperling is a multi-faceted artist also known for his work as orchestrator, singer, pianist, violinist, violist, director, and music director. With MasterVoices, Maestro Sperling has led acclaimed productions of rarely-heard gems as both director and conductor. These include Kurt Weill's The Firebrand of Florence, Knickerbocker Holiday, The Road of Promise (based on The Eternal Road and subsequently recorded on Navona Records), and the sold–out three–performance run of Lady in the Dark at New York City Center. Other notable productions with the group include Carnegie Hall performances of Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, George and Ira Gershwins' satirical musicals Of Thee I Sing and Let ‘Em Eat Cake, a reconstruction of Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland, and Song of Norway; the New York City premieres of David Lang's battle hymns at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum; and Ricky Ian Gordon's operas The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Hall and 27 at New York City Center. During the 2020-2021 season, Maestro Sperling spearheaded a filmed production of Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns for MasterVoices, producing and music directing 24 short musical films and directing roughly half of them. This project was nominated for a Drama League Award, and featured over 100 artists collaborating remotely, including Renée Fleming, Take 6, Jennifer Holliday and Julia Bullock. Now that live performances are back, Maestro Sperling is supervising national and international productions of My Fair Lady, The King and I, and Fiddler on the Roof. He has symphonic engagements in the U.S. and Europe and continues to teach at NYU, conducting three different orchestras and training the next generation of Broadway musicians and conductors. Sperling has conducted multiple concerts for PBS's Live From Lincoln Center, the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, and the Lyrics and Lyricists series at the 92nd Street Y. He conducted Audra McDonald in a double bill of La Voix Humaine and the world premiere of Send: Who Are You? I Love You? at the Houston Grand Opera. He won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations of Adam Guettel's The Light in the Piazza, for which he was also Music Director. In addition to his directing work with MasterVoices, Mr. Sperling's work as a stage director includes the world premieres of four critically acclaimed original musicals Off-Broadway—including The Other Josh Cohen and See What I Wanna See—and a noted production of Lady in the Dark at the Prince Theater in Philadelphia, starring Andrea Marcovicci. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University, and received the Faculty Prize at The Juilliard School. He made his Broadway stage debut as Wallace Hartley in Titanic and appeared as Steve Allen in the finale of Season Two of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." Images (from left to right): Shereen Ahmed, Phillip Attmore, Victoria Clark, John Ellison Conlee, Lissa deGuzman, Claybourne Elder, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bryce Pinkham, David Pittu, and Ted Sperling, courtesy of MasterVoices. |
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