Baldwin, Lazar, Noll, Gemignani Celebrate Sondheim at Carnegie Hall with NY Pops 11/19

On November 19, 2010 at 8:00 PM in Carnegie Hall, Music Director and conductor Steven Reineke will lead The New York Pops in a concert of Stephen Sondheim's greatest songs and soliloquies, in commemoration of the composer's 80th birthday. Broadway favorites Kate Baldwin, Aaron Lazar, Christiane Noll and Alexander Gemignani will join the orchestra - and Essential Voices USA - in this vibrant tribute to one of musical theatre's greatest icons.

Described by The New York Times as "the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theatre," Sondheim is celebrated for his incomparable achievements as a composer and lyricist for the stage. His works have garnered more than sixty individual and collaborative Tony Awards, and among a host of other accolades, Stephen Sondheim has been awarded The Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors, a National Medal of Arts, and the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. This concert program will feature selections from his musical hits Company, A Little Night Music, Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George, among others.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kate Baldwin
Kate Baldwin is a veteran of Broadway and national stages alike. She most recently starred in the 2009 revival of Yip Harburg and Burton Lane's classic musical Finian's Rainbow, for which she received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic's Circle Award nominations, for her portrayal of Sharon McLonergan. Ms. Baldwin has appeared in the Broadway casts of The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town. She starred in the national tour of Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Henry V at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Women at San Diego's Old Globe, She Loves Me at the Willliamstown Theatre Festival, and South Pacific at Arena Stage, earning a Helen Hayes Award nomination. Her concert work includes orchestral engagements nationwide, Lincoln Center's prestigious American Songbook series, and several appearances with Stephen Sondheim as a featured performer in his critically acclaimed evening, A Conversation with Stephen Sondheim. On television, her work includes a guest star on NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" and a featured role in the PBS filming of Stephen Sondheim's Passion. Ms. Baldwin's debut album on PS Classics entitled Let's See What Happens features Lane and Harburg songs from both stage and feature films.

Alexander Gemignani
Alexander Gemignani is a critically acclaimed tenor and Broadway actor, who grew up surrounded by the arts as the son of actress CarolAnn Page and Broadway musical director Paul Gemignani. Shortly after graduating with a BFA in Music Theatre from the University of Michigan in 2001, he was cast for his Broadway debut - the role of John Hinckley in Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. In 2005, he sang Beadle Bamford in the John Doyle revival of Sweeney Todd, a performance that earned him a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, and in 2006 he took on the prolific role of Jean Valjean in the revival of Les Misérables. In 2007, Gemignani reprised his role of Bamford for the national tour of Sweeney Todd, and the following year he appeared as Dennis in the 2008 Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George. Off-Broadway credits include Addison Minzer in the Sondheim-Weidman musical Road Show at The Public Theatre. No stranger to the concert stage, Gemignani sang South Pacific at Carnegie Hall in 2005 with Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Alec Baldwin; Passion at the Rose Theater in 2005 with Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald; "Wall to Wall Sondheim" at Symphony Space in 2005 in celebration of the composer's 75th birthday; and the "Something's Coming" (West Side Story) in the New York Philharmonic's gala concert celebrating Sondheim's 80th birthday.

Aaron Lazar
Mr. Lazar has performed on Broadway in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, the Broadway production of Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities, Impressionism, and the 2009 production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. He has performed as guest artist with various symphony orchestras, including The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, Marvin Hamlisch and The National Symphony Orchestra, Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops; Steven Reineke, Erich Kunzel and The Cincinnati Pops. His film and television appearances include The Notorious Bettie Page, Ugly Betty, New Amsterdam, White Collar, and The Today Show. Mr. Lazar has starred on Broadway as Fabrizio Nacarelli in Lincoln Center's Tony Award-winning production of The Light in the Piazza, which was viewed by an audience of over 3 million through PBS' live broadcast. Mr. Lazar has played Lt. Cable in South Pacific at The Hollywood Bowl with Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell and performed with Grammy Award-winner Barry Manilow in Madison Square Garden and Las Vegas' Mandelay Bay arena.

Christiane Noll starred on Broadway in the Kennedy Center Revival of Ragtime, receiving Tony and Drama Desk award nominations and winning a Helen Hayes award for her portrayal of Mother. She made her Broadway debut starring in Jekyll & Hyde, creating the role of Emma. Ms. Noll received an Ovation Award for her comedic turn as Hope Cladwell in the National Tour of Urinetown, and received a Helen Hayes Nomination for her performance in the Kennedy Center Revival of Ragtime. Appraised as "one of the most versatile actresses in the American Musical Theatre," Ms. Noll has a widely varied repertoire in Broadway, opera, operetta and jazz. She has been a frequent guest soloist as part of Bravo Broadway with such orchestras as the National Symphony, the Cincinnati and Philadelphia Pops, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. Ms. Noll has released four solo CD's and supplied the singing-voice of Anna in the Warner Brothers animated feature The King and I. Ms. Noll was critically acclaimed for her operetta performances as Marianne in City Center Encores! The New Moon, Kathie in The Student Prince and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance. Other favorite roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and The Baker's Wife in Into The Woods. Ms. Noll made her opera debut with Plácido Domingo and the Washington National Opera in The Merry Widow as Valencienne at The Kennedy Center, her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson as one of the 3 Broadway Divas with The New York Pops and her Hollywood Bowl debut singing with Julie Andrews.

Steven Reineke's boundless enthusiasm and exceptional artistry have made him one of the nation's most sought-after pops conductors, composers and arrangers. In 2010-2011, Reineke begins his second season as Music Director of The New York Pops. In addition to conducting the orchestra's annual Carnegie Hall concert series, Reineke leads concert tours, recordings and nationwide telecasts, including the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks on NBC Television. Mr. Reineke also serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Long Beach and Modesto Symphony Orchestras and he retains the title of Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, where for fifteen years he served as a composer, arranger and conducting protégé of the late celebrated pops conductor Erich Kunzel. Steven Reineke's notable guest conducting appearances include the National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra and his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2007. Mr. Reineke is also an established symphonic composer, with his works most recently performed by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Essential Voices USA (Judith Clurman, Music Director), formerly The Clurman Singers, is a vibrant organization with a mission to promote the love of music and further the art of ensemble singing. Led by world-renowned conductor and music director Judith Clurman, the New York based group is a flexible roster of 8-80 professional, volunteer, and school-age singers performing a wide range of musical genres. EVUSA's hallmark is musical excellence, innovative programming, and emphasis on education and inclusion. EVUSA begins a three-year New York Pops residency on November 19th, 2010 with the Stephen Sondheim 80th Birthday Concert at Carnegie Hall. They will appear at Symphony Space as part of the October 22nd Celebration Concert for Leonard Bernstein. The group eagerly anticipates the release of its CD recording of a performance of Peace by Howard Shore, based on the words of Eleanor Roosevelt. Recorded at the Washington National Cathedral, the CD features EVUSA's signature blend of high school students, volunteer and professional singers.

The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual subscription series and birthday gala at Carnegie Hall, enjoying one of the venue's highest subscription renewal rates of any series. The New York Pops was founded by former NBC Music Director Skitch Henderson in 1983 with a mission to create greater public awareness and appreciation of America's rich musical heritage. Along with performing at Carnegie Hall, The New York Pops tours throughout the world and gives free concerts in New York City parks. The orchestra's media projects include performing for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks on NBC, nationwide radio broadcasts, and numerous recordings. The New York Pops' extensive education programs allow thousands of public schoolchildren to participate in concert and music-making experiences at Carnegie Hall and in schools throughout New York City's five boroughs.

TICKETS
Single tickets are priced from $33 to $106. Subscriptions to the 2010-2011 Carnegie Hall series are also available, at $145, $165, $210, $350, $460 and $510. Purchases can be made at the Carnegie Hall Box Office (57th Street and 7th Avenue) or by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. Visit www.carnegiehall.org for more information.