Gemignani Steps In for Kunzel for Ravinia Festival's CAMELOT

Conductor Erich Kunzel, affectionately known worldwide as the "Prince of Pops," has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and his medical treatments will prevent him from conducting Ravinia Festival's June 5th opening night concert as scheduled. Stepping in for Kunzel is celebrated Broadway conductor Paul Gemignani, who will lead the concert production of Camelot starring Sylvia McNair, George Hearn and Rod Gilfrey.

Hearn, McNair and Gilfry last sang together in Ravinia Festival's 2007 production of Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella, under Kunzel's baton. The festival's most frequent guest artist, Kunzel has been a fixture at Ravinia for over four decades.

"Kunzel is that rare conductor whose name alone can bring audiences to the park, and many of our long-time supporters feel a special connection to him, so we are all saddened that he must face this dreadful disease, but we want him to know that he has our continued love and support," said Ravinia Festival CEO Welz Kauffman .

Paul Gemignani has been the music director for more than 38 Broadway and West End shows, including Follies, Pacific Overtures, Candide, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Dreamgirls, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, On the Twentieth Century, Sunday in the Park with George, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Crazy for You, Kiss Me Kate, Assassins and many more. Gemignani made his Ravinia Festival debut in 2004 conducting three performances of Sunday in the Park with George starring Michael Cerveris, Audra McDonald, and Patti LuPone, and returned to lead the same cast in Anyone Can Whistle (2005), and Gypsy (2006).

Gemignani has recorded with the American Theatre Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the London Symphony, and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. He has also appeared as guest conductor with many organizations, including: the Boston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the New York City Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, and the New York City Ballet, among others. In addition to Drama Desk and L.A. Drama Critics Awards, Gemignani received a Tony Award in 2003 for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

In 2006, he was presented with a Primetime Emmy award for "best musical direction" in the PBS/Great Performances presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific in concert at Carnegie Hall.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.