Pit Stop's Snapshots Plays Leonard Nimoy Thalia 2/13

The Pit Stop Players, a twelve-member instrumental ensemble composed of veteran Broadway pit musicians, will present its second annual "Snapshots" concert on Monday, February 13, at 7:00 pm, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street.

The group members will perform chamber works by Gunther Schuller, Peter Schickele, David Chesky, John Psathas, and Joshua Rosenblum, the group's founder and music director. The program will also feature selections from Stravinsky's "L'histoire du soldat" and Rosenblum's arrangement of Freddie Mercury's "Killer Queen" for clarinet, violin, cello and piano.

"Usually we like to play pieces that feature the full group as an ensemble, but in this series I want to give The Players a chance to split up into smaller units and perform duets, trios, and quartets," said Rosenblum. "Plus, this way they get to pick the pieces they want to play. It's sort of like letting the inmates run the asylum. On our next concert, we'll get back to me telling them what to do."

The Pit Stop Players, who collectively have played in pit orchestras for over 100 Broadway productions, include Ed Matthew, woodwinds; Steve Kenyon, woodwinds; Chris Jaudes, trumpet; Wayne Goodman, trombone; Dan Culpepper, horn; Robin Zeh, violin; Paul Woodiel, violin; Anik Oulianine, cello; Jeff Carney, bass; Greg Landes, percussion; Garah Landes, piano; and Joshua Rosenblum, piano.

Rosenblum, who founded the Pit Stop Players in 2009 as a means of giving Broadway musicians a chance to climb out of the pit and take center stage, says that nearly any genre is fair game for their programs, including traditional and contemporary classical, jazz, rock, fusion, and film music. However, the primary emphasis is on new compositions and arrangements, written and orchestrated specifically for the group.

Rosenblum, who was trained as a classical pianist, has led the orchestras for thirteen Broadway and Off Broadway shows, including Wonderful Town, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Music Man, Miss Saigon and Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He is also the composer/creator of BUSH IS BAD, the hit Off Broadway satirical revue, and the composer/co-lyricist of Fermat's Last Tango and Einstein's Dreams. His instrumental music has been recorded on two CDs: Impetuosities and Sundry Notes, both on the Albany Records label. Rosenblum has written pieces on commission for Phil Smith, principal trumpeter of the New York Philharmonic; Ethel, America's premiere post-classical string quartet; and the Chase Brock Experience dance troupe, among many others. He teaches Composing for Musical Theater at Yale University, his alma mater, and was recently awarded a grant from the Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C., as part of the American Musical Voices Project: The Next Generation.

WHERE: Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY
TICKETS: $25 ($15 for Students and Members) at (212) 864-5400 or http://symphonyspace.org
INFO: http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/7291-pit-stop-players