Tony Sheldon & More Set for SONGS OF SAM WILLMOTT Concert Tonight

Winner of the 2012 Fred Ebb Award, musical theatre composer/lyricist Sam Willmott will showcase his work with The Songs of Sam Willmott at the York Theatre tonight, April 8th at 6:30 PM.

Presented by the Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the York Theatre Company, the free concert event will feature Tony nominee Tony Sheldon (Priscilla: Queen of the Desert) with Etai BenShlomo (Wicked), Griffin Birney (Fun Home), Alyse Alan Louis (Mamma Mia!), Grace McLean (The Last Goodbye), Matthew Schechter (Mary Poppins), and Sam Teldaldi (Fantasy Football: The Musical). The band includes Gregg Monteith and Peter Sachon. Sam Pinkleton directs with musical direction by Matt Aument. Rachel Sussman produces.

Sam Willmott is a musical theatre composer/lyricist whose work has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Walnut Street Theatre, 54 Below, Joe's Pub at The Public Theatre, The York Theatre and other venues across the country. His work includes Standardized Testing - The Musical!!!! (2009 Kennedy Center ACTF Musical Theatre Award for music and lyrics, Penn State NU Musicals Series, published through Playscripts, Inc., Emerson College's 2012-2013 fall mainstage musical), the mini-musical Scarlet Takes a Tumble (2011 Humana Festival Heideman Award Finalist), and Yo, Vikings! with lyricist Marcus Stevens (commissioned by Upper Darby Summer Stage, 2011 Richard Rodgers Award Finalist, 2012 Weston New Musical Award nominee). Sam is an alumnus of the 2013 Johnny Mercer Colony at Goodspeed, a 2009 Music Theatre Fellowship at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, the 2011 Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, and a member of the Dramatists Guild, Local 802 AFM, and the BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop.

The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success. The award is meant to encourage and support aspiring songwriters to create new works for the musical theatre. The prize includes a $50,000 award. In addition to the monetary prize, the Fred Ebb Foundation will produce a one-night-only showcase of the winner's work. The Fred Ebb Foundation is funded by royalties from Mr. Ebb's vast catalogue of work. Each year, the Foundation also makes a donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Past winners include John Bucchino (2005), Steve Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman (2006), Peter Mills (2007), Adam Gwon (2008), Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich (2009), and Douglas C. Cohen (2010) and Jeff Blumenkrantz (2011). This year's selection panel was comprised of: Foundation Trustee Mitchell S. Bernard; Actress Mary Testa; lyricist, writer and composer Sheldon Harnick; music director David Loud; playwright and producer Tim Pinckney; and theatre producer Arthur Whitelaw.

Tickets to The Songs of Sam Willmott are free and can be reserved by calling (212) 935-5820. The York Theatre Company is located at the Theatre of Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street).

Photo Credit: Walter McBride