Velma V. Morrison: A Celebration of Her Life, Presented by The Morrison Center, 9/22

The Morrison Center announces a Celebration of Velma V. Morrison's life on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Boise State University (2201 Cesar Chavez Lane). The event will honor Velma for her support of our community and contribution to the arts. The program will include guest speakers and a free concert by Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell ("Kiss Me Kate", "Man of La Mancha") accompanied by the Boise Philharmonic under the musical direction of Robert Franz. Outside of select seating held for the family and speakers, seating will be open to the public and on a first-come, first-served basis. No ticket is required. Parking is free. The community is encouraged to attend.

"The Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts is the perfect location to celebrate Velma's life," said James Patrick, the Center's Executive Director. "It is the realization of her dream to build a world-class theatre in Idaho. This tribute brings the very best that Broadway has to offer to Idaho and its citizens, while also celebrating some of our very talented local artists. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to her amazing life."

About Brian Stokes Mitchell:

Dubbed "The Last Leading Man" by the New York Times, Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a rich and varied career on Broadway, television and film, along with appearances in the great American concert halls.

His musical versatility has kept him in demand by some of the [Brian Stokes Mitchell] country's finest conductors and orchestras. He has performed selections from "Porgy and Bess" with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony at Carnegie Hall; Performed works by Aaron Copland and various contemporary composers at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic under the batons of Leonard Slatkin and John Mauceri; Broadway tunes at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC under the baton of Marvin Hamlisch (most recently at the National Symphony Orchestra's 75th season Pops concert debut), and Jazz and standards with Maestro John Williams at Disney Hall and with the Boston Pops. He recently debuted Pulitzer prize winning composer David Del Tredici's "Rip Van Winkle" with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. He has been invited to the White House and has performed for Presidents Clinton and Obama.

His Broadway career includes performances in "Man of La Mancha" (Tony nomination and Helen Hayes Award); "Kiss Me Kate" (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards); "Ragtime" (Tony nomination); August Wilson's "King Hedley II" (Tony nomination); "Kiss of the Spider Woman;" "Jelly's Last Jam;" David Merrick's "Oh, Kay!" and "Mail," which earned him a Theatre World award for outstanding Broadway Debut.

He continues to perform as both a soloist and a guest star at concerts all over the United States. In December of 2008 he performed as the musical guest artist at "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square". The concert was aired on PBS during Christmas of 2009.

About Boise Philharmonic:
Established as the Boise Philharmonic in 1960.

As Idaho's largest and oldest performing arts organization, the Boise Philharmonic performs for over 50,000 people annually in concerts at the Morrison Center, the Swayne Auditorium in Nampa, Jewett Auditorium in Caldwell, in schools around the state, and in smaller recital halls and venues. The 70-member professional orchestra can trace its roots to earlier than 1885 with the formation of the Boise City Orchestra. The Boise Philharmonic performs fourteen Masterworks concerts per season, with repertoire comprising Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart as well as commissioning new works by Idaho composers Jim Cockey and David Alan Earnest. The Players in the Boise Philharmonic hail from the best music schools in the country, including the Juilliard School in New York, the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, San Francisco Conservatory, and many others.

The Boise Philharmonic maintains a vast array of educational programs, including classes for young children, a Family Concert series, the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (formerly known as the Treasure Valley Youth Symphony), the annual Children's Concerts with full symphony orchestra performing for 15,000 school children in 9 free performances, Verde Percussion Group - a purely percussion performance, Musicians in the Schools, Ensembles in the Schools, Conductor in the schools and the Jeker Eagle Schools music project.

The mission of the Boise Philharmonic Association is to musically enrich, entertain and educate the people of our region through performance of symphonic music of the highest quality.

VELMA V. MORRISON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Located on the campus of Boise State University, the 2,037-seat Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts is Idaho's premier performing arts center. Nestled on the banks of the Boise River, with a panoramic view of the city, parks and foothills, the Center's 10-story stage house is a recognizable fixture of the Capitol's picturesque skyline. The realization of a life-long dream of Harry W. Morrison, and championed by his widow, Velma, the Center opened its doors on April 7, 1984. Today the Center is recognized as a major destination for arts and culture, annually hosting hundreds of live entertainment and arts education offerings that serve to enrich the lives of patrons of all ages. As a Boise State affiliate, the Center is a non-profit organization supported by ticket sales, facility rentals, donations and the generous support of the Morrison Center Endowment Foundation, Inc. For more information on our programs, or to find out how you can play an active role in our ongoing success as a donor or volunteer, please visit us at: www.MorrisonCenter.com

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