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Photo Coverage: Best of BMI Concert at NYMF

Songwriters who honed their craft at the famed BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop joined together in song for a one-night-only concert on September 14 at 59E59 Theaters. The evening is a cooperative production of BMI, the Prospect Theatre Company and Musical Mondays Theatre Lab. Now entering its fifth decade, the BMI Workshop -- deemed "the Harvard of musical theatre" by The New York Times -- is the launching pad for musicals such as A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors, Nine, Avenue Q and most recently Musical of Musicals! — The Musical.

The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, recently honored with the 2005 Drama League Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, was founded in 1961 by the late Lehman Engel, dean of American musical theatre, to create a setting where new writers could learn their craft. Since its inception, the Workshop has been operated by BMI free of any cost to participants; admission is based on merit.

Now marking its 65th year in business, BMI is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and publishers in all genres of music. With a repertoire of more than 6.5 million musical works from around the world, the non-profit-making corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.

Gerard Alessandrini

"Room for Improvement" from Little Ham - Music by Judd Woldin, Lyrics by Richard Engquist and Judd Woldin

Judd Woldin

Gerard Alessandrini and Richard Engquist

Gerard Alessandrini and Beth Falcone

"Bite Their Butts" from Wanda's World - Music and Lyrics by Beth Falcone

"Right Away" from War Brides - Music by Christopher Berg, Lyrics by Frank Evans, Book by Ron Sproat Performed by Kristen Maloney and Frank Evans (filling in for an absent Jeff Scott Carey), Accompanied by Mark Janas