Little Orchestra Society's Lolli-Pops Concert WHO'S GOT THE BEAT? Plays Hunter College, 2/9 & 10

Bang the Lion has lost his beat. How will he find it? The Lolli-Pops™ gang, guest conductor James Judd, and audiences will help him, as The Little Orchestra Society (LOS) presents, WHO'S GOT THE BEAT?, on Saturday, February 9, at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and Sunday, February 10, at 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th St. between Park and Lexington Aves.). Children will join Bang, Buzz the Bee, Toot the Bird and Bow the Panda as they explore New York, finding that the beat is everywhere – in the pulse of the city and in the pulse of our bodies. With music by Bernstein, Bizet, Dvo?ák, and many other composers, kids discover the rhythms and beats that make music move and will use rhythm sticks to help Bang regain his inner beat. The program is directed and choreographed by Annette Jolles. The orchestra has the beat, can you find it?

WHO'S GOT THE BEAT? (recommended for ages 3-5)
JAMES JUDD, GUEST CONDUCTOR 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2013, 10:00 A.M. AND 11:30 A.M.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013, 1:00 P.M. AND 2:30 P.M.

BEETHOVEN – Allegretto scherzando from Symphony No. 8
BERLIOZ – Excerpt from Symphonie Fantastique
BERNSTEIN – New York, New York (A Helluva Town)
BIZET – "Habanera" from Carmen
COHAN – Give My Regards to Broadway
COPLAND – "Hoe-Down" from Rodeo
DVORÁK – Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 8 (Presto)
GLIÈRE – Russian Sailor's Dance from The Red Poppy
KANDER & EBB (arr. J. Meci) – New York, New York
MONTI – Csárdás
NORWORTH/TILZER – Take Me Out to the Ballgame
ROSSINI – Overture to The Barber of Seville
TRADITIONAL – When the Saints Go Marching In

Performances are at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues). Single tickets: $15 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $45 (front balcony/front orchestra); 3-concert series from $45 (rear balcony/rear orchestra) or $99 (front balcony/front orchestra); available by calling 212/971-9500 or at littleorchestra.org, or call The Kaye Playhouse box office at 212/772-4448.

Join the Conductor's Circle to receive exclusive privileges. Benefits include: best seating in the concert hall, concierge ticketing, invitations backstage to meet the guest conductors and artists, and two complimentary tickets to an LOS performance. Conductor's Circle membership helps to keep music in the lives of thousands of New York City public school students through LOS's music education and public service programs. Please call the development office at 212/971-9500 for more information.

The Little Orchestra Society's new website serves as the gateway to its live magical and musical experiences. Parents and kids can find activities, games, chats and other materials surrounding Little Orchestra Society concerts at any time through the LOS Kids section of www.littleorchestra.org.

In the Lolli-Pops™ series (recommended for ages 3-5) the programs introduce young children to the basic elements of music, and incorporate dance, music and visual art with the help of characters who each represent one of the four families of the orchestra. At every Lolli-Pops™ concert children actively participate in the program and also receive musical instruments or educational materials to take home. Preparatory and follow-up activities are sent via email to all concert attendees. The Lolli-Pops™ series was originally created by the Orchestra's late Music Director, Dino Anagnost. The series is directed and choreographed by Annette Jolles.

About James Judd, Guest Conductor
An artist of outstanding versatility, British conductor James Judd is sought after for his passionate musicianship and his charismatic presence both on and off the podium. Known for his extraordinarily communicative style and bold, imaginative programming, in his distinguished career he has appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo and the orchestras of Dallas, St. Louis, Baltimore and Montreal, among others.

Performance highlights from this past season include engagements with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia Rome, the Vienna Symphony and a tour with the Asian Youth Orchestra, of which he is Principal Conductor.

An accomplished opera conductor, Judd has appeared with the English National Opera, Wexford Festival, Glyndebourne Opera Festival and Florida Grand Opera, where he was Artistic Director from 1993-1996. Selected works from previous seasons include staged and concert performances of Tannhäuser, Fidelio, La Traviata, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Bohème, and The Turn of the Screw. His recordings include the complete operas of Meyerbeer and Donizetti.

Considered one of the pre-eminent interpreters of British orchestral music, Judd's recording of Elgar's Symphony No. 1 with the Hallé Orchestra is still a highly regarded reference standard among conductors today. An extensive discography on the Naxos label, including an unprecedented number in partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, include critically acclaimed recordings of Gershwin, Vaughan Williams and Copland. His recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 was awarded the Gold Medal by France's Diapason as well as the Toblacher Komponierhäuschen for the best Mahler recording of the year. His most recent release, a collaboration with the brilliant British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, will be available in February on the Decca label.

During his eight years as Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd brought the ensemble to a new level of visibility and international renown. In addition to recording, Judd led the NZSO on its first tour of the major concert halls of Europe, including the Concertgebouw and the Royal Albert Hall, where it performed at the BBC Proms.

Previous directorships include principal guest conductor of the Orchestre National de Lille, principal guest conductor of the Adelaide Symphony, and a groundbreaking 14 years as music director of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. During Judd's tenure, contemporary programming initiatives, critically acclaimed performances and the development of a hugely successful summer festival marked a period of striking artistic growth for the ensemble, culminating in international recognition for their recordings of Walton, Bernstein and Mahler.

In 2008, James Judd founded the Miami Music Project in South Florida. Inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema, the MMP provides education, instruction and performance opportunities for hundreds of children from diverse and underserved communities throughout Miami.

Highlights of the 2012/2013 season include performances with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Metropolitan Orchestra of Tokyo, Wiener Konzertverein, the Slovenian National Philharmonic, and Britten's War Requiem at the Bucharest Festival.

About Annette Jolles, Director/Choreographer
Annette Jolles has created a diverse body of work as a director, writer and producer for stage and television. She has developed and directed numerous new works including the Off-Broadway premieres of That Time of the Year and Little By Little (The York Theatre Company), Wallenberg (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Passion of the Hausfrau (Portland Stage Company), The Jerusalem Syndrome (NYMF), Suddenly Hope (Denver Civic Theater, Garfield Theater, & Rich Forum Theater), Manhattan Madcaps of 1924 (Symphony Space "Summer Stock on Broadway" Series) and Big Red Sun (Theatreworks Palo Alto's New Works Festival). As a founding partner of KTW Productions, she produced, co-wrote and direcTed Keeping the Word and The Handshake, which toured nationwide.

Since 1992, she has been Director/Choreographer for The Little Orchestra Society's Lolli-Pops™ concerts for young children at Florence Gould Hall and The Kaye Playhouse. She has also directed productions of Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Berezowsky's Babar the Elephant, and a new adaptation of Peter and the Wolf, all with LOS at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

Theatrical concert credits include the 92nd Street Y's Lyrics and Lyricists series, Grind (The York's Musicals in Mufti), and New Voices Concerts at London's Southbank Centre and Symphony Space, where she also staged Broadway and Beyond with host Rob Fisher, and their monumental Wall to Wall Sondheim tribute.

For the past three years, she produced and directed Restoring Honor at the Lincoln Memorial, Restoring Courage in Jerusalem's Davidson Center, and Restoring Love at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, as well as their supporting events at the Kennedy Center, the Caesarea Amphitheatre and Jerusalem's Old Train Station. As a producing partner in Bard Theatricals, she was represented on Broadway with Looped, starring Valerie Harper, and Scottsboro Boys, for which she received a 2011 Tony nomination for Best Musical.

For twenty years, Ms. Jolles has produced, directed and associate directed for Bard Entertainment, a television Production Company specializing in live multi-camera events and entertainment specials. Her extensive work in television has earned her three Emmy Awards as producer of the 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero and producer/writer for Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! (PBS), and six additional Emmy nominations. Highlights of broadcasts include Holiday in Bryant Park and Broadway Under the Stars (CBS), Celebrate Israel Parade (WWOR/My9), Egypt Week Live (Discovery), Homecoming (ESPN), The Dr. Joy Browne Show (Discovery Health), Company and Camelot (PBS, Live from Lincoln Center), Romance/Romance, Nunsense 1, 2 & 3, Stop the World… (PBS, A&E, TNN), This American Life Live 1 & 2 (movie theater simulcasts), the New York Giants and New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parades, and eight years of the world feed of the Times Square New Year's Eve festivities. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Yale University, where she currently teaches musical theater performance and direction.

The Little Orchestra Society/Orpheon, Inc. (LOS), now in its 65th season, performed its inaugural concert at The Town Hall on October 20, 1947, and has since been devoted to presenting music and educational programming that inspires audiences of all ages to encourage a lifetime of participation in the arts. The LOS honors both the past, by presenting ensemble pieces created by the great early composers, while also "orchestrating the innovation" in classical music through world premieres of new works -- more than 65 throughout its history. The Orchestra performs dynamic repertoire using multiple art forms to create meaningful experiences for today's audiences.

The LOS's mission to present music in engaging, educational contexts was refined under the direction of the late Maestro Dino Anagnost, who led the orchestra from 1979 to 2011. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has given many important premieres and launched the careers of major musical talents in its concert programming for adult audiences. In addition to its concert performances, its music education and community engagement programs educate and entertain New York Metropolitan Area children and their families, as well as senior citizens, through the Musical Connections, Live In Concert! and Project 65Plus programs.

Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program, a year-long music education program, teaches students the basic elements of music by engaging them in the process of composing their own works. Live In Concert! seeks to instill a lasting love of music in children and their families and to create new audiences for classical music. New York City public school students and children from publicly-funded daycare centers and social service agencies attend The Little Orchestra Society's dress rehearsals and concerts without charge. Project 65Plus recognizes the importance of life-long learning and provides senior New Yorkers with free admission to the Orchestra's concerts. The LOS also works to serve grandparents who are caregivers. More than 12,000 people participate in LOS music education and public service programs each year.

The Little Orchestra Society's concert series includes the Peabody Award-winning Happy Concerts for Young People for children ages 6-12, the Lolli-Pops™ for children ages 3-5, and the concerts for adults, which have included Vivaldi's Venice, Cathedral Concerts – Great Music Under a Byzantine Dome® and Sound Discoveries®. For more information, please visit littleorchestra.org or call 212-971-9500.