Bernstein’s best to highlight Commencement Eve concert
 Conductor Leonard Bernstein |
Entitled “Bernstein on Broadway,” the concert includes tunes from “Wonderful Town,” “On the Town,” “Candide” and “West Side Story.” Show time is 8 p.m. in King Concert Hall at Rockefeller Arts Center. Accompanied by the Western New York Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Glen Cortese, eight of SUNY Fredonia’s best student vocalists will be featured.
The student vocalists are Chelsea Grace Claiser, Rick Doetterl, Crystal Gramkee, Kate Mulberry, Mark Andrew Reeve, Amy E. Shake, Boris Van Druff and Jason Weisinger. Read more about them>>
Born on Aug. 25, 1918 in Lawrence, Mass., Bernstein took piano lessons as a child and went on to study music at Harvard University and at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer institute, Tanglewood.
Bernstein was the music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1958 until 1969, leading the orchestra in more concerts than any previous conductor. Subsequently, he was named Laureate Conductor, making frequent guest appearances with the orchestra. More than half of Bernstein’s 400-plus recordings were made with the New York Philharmonic.
As a composer, Bernstein wrote many large-scale, award-winning symphonic works, including “Jeremiah,” “Kaddish,” which he dedicated “To the Beloved Memory of John F. Kennedy,” “Divertimento” and “Halil.”
Bernstein died Oct. 14, 1990 at age 72.
The Commencement Eve Pops Concert will feature 13 Bernstein songs — “One Hundred Easy Ways” and “A Little Bit in Love” from “Wonderful Town”; “New York, New York,” “Carried Away,” “Lonely Town” and “I Can Cook Too” from “On the Town”; “Glitter and Be Gay,” “Candide’s Lament” and “Make Our Garden Grow” from “Candide”; and “Somewhere,” “Maria,” “One Hand, One Heart” and “Tonight” from “West Side Story.”
“Wonderful Town” tells the tale of two sisters from Ohio who head to New York City seeking fame and fortune. In 2003, “Wonderful Town” returned to Broadway in a revival.
“On the Town” follows three American sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City during World War II. During the course of their adventure, each sailor falls for a woman and for the city itself.
“Candide,” an operetta based on a novella of the same title by Voltaire, was initially a box office failure. Bernstein’s music from the show, however, was a hit. Much of the score was recorded and released as an original cast album. This recording was a hit that kept the memory of the show alive.
The music from the show also found life with major orchestras. The New York Philharmonic premiered the “Overture from Candide” in January 1957. Over the next two years, more than 100 orchestras performed the piece. Because of the popularity of the music, “Candide” had a Broadway revival and remains a popular choice for school musicals.
“West Side Story” made its Broadway debut in 1957, spawning a tour and a film version in 1961. The plot is based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” with a setting of 1950s New York City. “West Side Story” was unquestionably a landmark work in the history of American musical theatre and is currently enjoying a major New York revival.
Tickets are available through the SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center, by phone at 716-673-3501 (1-866-441-4928) or online at www.fredonia.edu/tickets. The event sponsor is the Fredonia and Silver Creek Penny Saver and the season sponsor is Lake Shore Savings.
