The Collegiate Chorale Hosts Spring 2010 Benefit 4/19

The Collegiate Chorale presents their annual Spring Benefit on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 7pm, Ted Sperling and Friends, with a performance hosted by Ted Sperling and featuring Christopher Fitzgerald, Santino Fontana, Alexandra Silber and Lauren Worsham. The benefit will be held at The Hudson Theatre, Millennium Broadway Hotel, 145 W. 44th Street. Tickets are $300, $500 and $1000. Tickets may be reserved by phone at 646-435-9052 or online at www.collegiatechorale.org.

The event begins at 7pm with cocktails and a light dinner followed by champagne, dessert and a musical performance of Broadway and classical favorites. In addition to the program hosted by Ted Sperling, with Christopher Fitzgerald, Santino Fontana, Alexandra Silber and Lauren Worsham, students from The Chorale's "Side by Side" Education program will perform one number. The evening will also feature a live auction of a few very special items, led by guest auctioneer Jay Cantor. The evening concludes with coffee and dessert. The event benefits The Collegiate Chorale and its education programs.

Honorary Chairs: Roger Rees and Ted Sperling

Gala Co-Chairs: Page Ashley, Susan Baker and Michael Lynch, Lois Conway, Antonia and George Grumbach, Christie C. Salomon and Richard B. Lombard, Susan Shine, Elizabeth Tunick

The Collegiate Chorale, among New York's foremost vocal ensembles, has added to the richness of the city's cultural fabric for more than 65 years. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale achieved national and international prominence under the leadership of Robert Bass. The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as commissions and premieres of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. In the summer of 2009, The Chorale performed for the fourth season at Switzerland's Verbier Music Festival. In July 2008, The Chorale toured with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. Recently, The Chorale presented the world premiere two-act concert version of Ricky Ian Gordon's opera The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Hall to great critical acclaim.

The mission of The Collegiate Chorale, led by Music Director James Bagwell, is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble. Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's belief that choral music is a compelling collaboration that creates a powerful, shared experience unifying listeners and musicians of all backgrounds, beliefs and ages.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ted Sperling won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations of The Light in the Piazza, for which he was also music director. Broadway credits as music director / conductor / pianist include: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Angels in America, My Favorite Year, Falsettos, Drood, Les Miserables, Roza and Sunday In the Park With George. Mr. Sperling was also an original cast member of the Broadway musical Titanic. Off-Broadway credits as music director include: A Man of No Importance, Wise Guys, A New Brain, Saturn Returns, Floyd Collins, Falsettoland, and Romance in Hard Times. As a stage director, his credits include:Charlotte: Life? Or Theater? and Striking 12, as well as a revival of Lady in the Dark starring Andrea Marcovicci. Mr. Sperling conducted the musical scores for the films The Manchurian Candidate and Everything Is Illuminated, and directed the short musical film Love, Mom, starring Tonya Pinkins.

Christopher Fitzgerald Broadway: Finian's Rainbow, Young Frankenstein (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), Wicked, Amour (Drama Desk Award nomination). Off-Broadway: Gutenberg! The Musical! (Actor's Playhouse); Stairway to Paradise, Babes In Arms and Broadway Bash (City Center's Encores!); Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (Lincoln Center); Fully Committed (Cherry Lane Theatre); Saturday Night (Second Stage, Drama Desk Award nomination); Wise Guys (New York Theater Workshop); Corpus Christi (Manhattan Theatre Club); and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Public Theater). Regional: The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Steppenwolf Theater Company. Joseph Jefferson Award nomination), Springtime for Henry (Huntington Theater. IRNE Award), Ahmanson Theater, Portland Stage Company, American Conservatory Theater and 11 seasons with The Williamstown Theater Festival. TV: "Twins" (series regular, WB) The Electric Company (PBS). Film: Personal Velocity (dir. Rebecca Miller), Dedication (dir. Justin Theroux) and Revolutionary Road (dir. Sam Mendes), Untitled James L. Brooks Project (dir. James L. Brooks).

Santino Fontana performed on Broadway in Sunday in the Park with George, Billy Elliott, Brighton Beach Memoirs and A View From the Bridge. Alexandra Silber debuted in London's West End as Laura Fairlie in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Woman in White. She recently reprised her portrayal of Julie Jordan in Reprise Theatre Company's production of Carousel in Los Angeles. She can soon be seen in Terrence McNally's Master Class at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Lauren Worsham played Olive in the first national tour of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and has performed as a singer and actor throughout New York City since graduating from Yale University.

More Articles by This Author...