Heidi Blickenstaff, Pamela Myers & Ron Raines Set for Signature Theatre's Sondheim Gala Honoring Jonathan Tunick, 4/7

On April 7, 2014, Broadway stars Heidi Blickenstaff, Pamela Myers, and Ron Raines will perform alongside an 18-piece orchestra as Virginia's Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre honors renowned orchestrator and longtime Stephen Sondheim collaborator, Jonathan Tunick.

Tunick will receive Signature's fifth Stephen Sondheim Award, to be presented on April 7, 2014 at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy. The award, established in 2009 in honor of America's most influential musical theater writer and composer, benefits Signature's artistic, education and community programs. This spring's Gala is sponsored by The Boeing Company.

"It's so fitting that Jonathan Tunick will be honored with the Sondheim Award," said Signature Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. "His collaboration on Sondheim's musicals over the years is legendary and groundbreaking. He is a passionate artist who loves every aspect of the musical theater, and it will be an honor to celebrate his artistry this spring."

After more than 40 years of collaboration with Tunick, Stephen Sondheim is in full favor of a dedicated celebration of the orchestrator, composer, and music director's career. "What makes Jonathan Tunick unique as a theater orchestrator is that he understands the theater as well as he does the orchestra," Sondheim said. "Orchestrators don't get the recognition they deserve. The Signature Theatre Sondheim Award will, I hope, serve as a means of amending this oversight."

Heidi Blickenstaff (Broadway's [title of show] and Signature's First You Dream) worked with Tunick on the 2007 Ford's Theatre production of Meet John Doe, Pamela Myers (Broadway's 2002 revival of Into the Woods), originated the role of Marta ("Another Hundred People") in Company, and Ron Raines (Broadway's Show Boat, Chicago and TV's Guiding Light) performed the role of Ben Stone in the 2012 Broadway revival of Follies directed by Signature's Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. The evening will also feature performances by Jean Cantrell, Austin Colby, Susan Derry, Erin Driscoll, Maria Egler, Bob McDonald, Donna Migliaccio, Angela Miller, Christopher Mueller, Nova Y. Payton, Paul Scanlan, Bobby Smith, and Stephen Gregory Smith.

Signature is thrilled to welcome back The Boeing Company for its second year as the sponsor of the Gala, and to have Senior Vice President of Government Operations Tim Keating and his wife Ann on board as the Gala chairs for the evening. "Boeing is proud to support Signature Theatre," said Keating. "Boeing invests in the arts to help promote diverse voices, introduce new thought-provoking perspectives, and build life-long public engagement in art and cultural activities - effectively strengthening our community at large. Jonathan Tunick's body of work exemplifies these ideals and we're honored to celebrate him at the Sondheim Award gala."

"It is great to open the doors of our Embassy once more to Signature Theatre for this wonderful gala and to celebrate a legend such as Jonathan Tunick together" said the Ambassador of Italy, Claudio Bisogniero. "We are extremely proud of the partnership we have developed with our friends at Signature over the years in the name of culture and the performing arts. It is an amazing organization, which does a tremendous job in creating, supporting and promoting musicals and plays, and outreach to the younger generation."

Nick Blaemire, a Bethesda native who wrote the music and lyrics for Broadway's Glory Days, will be honored with the Stephen Sondheim Young Artist Citation. This special honor was made part of The Stephen Sondheim Award in 2009 at the request of Sondheim to encourage exceptional young talent in the field of musical theater. Blaemire's musical A Little More Alive, directed by Sheryl Kaller (Broadway's Next Fall), is currently being presented at The Kansas City Repertory Theatre. His musical Soon will receive its world premiere production in Signature's ARK Theatre as part of Signature Theatre's upcoming 25th anniversary season.

ABOUT JONATHAN TUNICK

Long regarded as Broadway's preeminent orchestrator, Jonathan Tunick is primarily known for his facility and creativity in orchestration of Broadway musicals, primarily those of Stephen Sondheim.

Jonathan Tunick grew up on Manhattan's Upper West Side and was educated at the High School of Music and Art, Bard College (AB 1958) and Juilliard (MS 1960). He studied clarinet with Joseph Allard, composition with Paul Nordoff, Vittorio Giannini and Leonard Bernstein. He also studied conducting under Jorge Mester and Harold Farberman and is a Fellow of the Conductors Institute. He has been awarded honorary Doctorates by Bard College and Oklahoma City University.

His first major credit as an orchestrator was Promises, Promises (1968), which led to a long series of other Broadway musicals, notably those composed by Stephen Sondheim. These include Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, A Chorus Line, Sweeney Todd, Nine, Into The Woods, Passion, Titanic, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty, The Color Purple, Road Show and A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder. As a composer, arranger and conductor of music for film and television his credits include Find Me Guilty; Fort Apache-The Bronx; Endless Love; Blazing Saddles; Young Frankenstein; A Little Night Music; The Fantasticks; The Bird Cage; Murder, She Wrote and Columbo. He has also served as arranger/conductor of recordings with such artists as Bernadette Peters, Bette Midler, Judy Collins, Cleo Laine, Kiri Te Kanawa, Itzhak Perlman, Plácido Domingo, Neil Diamond, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, Johnny Mathis, Kate Bush, Barbra Streisand and Paul McCartney. He conducted Company at the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration, Washington, D.C.

Previously holding the Emmy, Grammy and Academy Awards, in 1997, for Titanic, he was awarded the first Tony ever given for orchestration, making him one of the very few persons to hold all four major awards. In 2009 he was inducted into Broadway's Theatre Hall of Fame. He is married to Leigh Beery, a singer and actress with a long and distinguished career on the musical stage. They divide their time between their home in the Connecticut Berkshires and their Manhattan apartment.

Photo by Walter McBride