Lauren Kennedy, Rebecca Luker, et al. Set for IN DEVELOPMENT Concert, 12/12

The New Voices Collective is gearing up for IN DEVELOPMENT: New Songs from New Shows, New Voices' triumphant return to its original home at Peter Norton Symphony Space, this coming Monday, December 12, at 8:00 p.m. An incredible roster of composers have contributed songs from their new musicals, providing a "sneak peek" at an interesting array of projects, such as Homemade Fusion by Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond and Bunnicula by Sam Davis and Mark Waldrop.

The concert will feature several premieres, including selections from the Todd Boss Project by Steve Marzullo and poet Todd Boss, as well as new works by Will Aronson, James Bourne, Carmel Dean, Jenny Giering, Michael Heitzman & Ilene Reid, Andrew Lippa, Jeremy Lloyd, Michael Mitnick, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, Will Reynolds, and Georgia Stitt.

The evening is also a chance to hear some of New York's finest singers in an intimate 170-seat venue, including Broadway's Rebecca Luker (Phantom, Secret Garden, Showboat, Sound of Music, Music Man, Nine, Mary Poppins), Lauren Kennedy (Spamalot, Les Miserables, Sideshow), Rebecca Faulkenberry (Rock of Ages, Spider-Man), Edward Watts (The Fantasticks), Michael Winther (Mamma Mia, Songs from an Unmade Bed) and Nick Cosgrove (Where's Charley?). The singers will be accompanied by Grant Wenaus on piano, with Stephen Benson on guitar, Ed Matthew on clarinet, and Clay Ruede on cello. The evening will be hosted - as always! - by New Voices' favorite Danny Burstein (currently starring in the smash revival of Follies) and is directed by Annette Jolles.

Tickets, priced at $30 in advance ($27 for Symphony Space members; $25 for Students) and $35 the day of the show, are available by phone at (212) 864-5400; online at www.symphonyspace.org (just type "new voices" into the search engine); or at the box office. Peter Norton Symphony Space is located at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street. Subway: 1/2/3 to 96th Street.

(Program and artists subject to change.)

For more information: http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/7216-in-development-new-songs-from-new-shows

Since its inception in January 2003, the New Voices Collective (founded by Joel Fram, Doug Okerson, and Jen Bender) has been dedicated to nurturing young composers in the creation of new works, as well as encouraging established composers to find their “new voice” by experimenting with different musical genres. The New Voices series was created to give working composers a chance to hear new work premiered by some of Broadway's finest singers, in an intimate, casual setting. A chance for emerging writers to present their work with the highest quality talent, New Voices also provides a safe space for more established composers - Broadway and otherwise - to step 'out of the box' and explore their own unique challenges, writing instrumental music, creating art songs, or writing theatre songs with new collaborators. In five seasons, New Voices has presented 20 concerts, premiering over 250 songs and featuring the work of 100+ artists, and was a proud recipient of a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski