Dixon Place's Free Concert Series Will Support New Musical Theatre Works

Dixon Place will present Tin Pan Alley 2, a free concert series featuring new musical theatre works on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7:30pm. After three successful concerts in 2019, this time it will be showcasing new works by writers Pablo Concha, Jessie Field, and Joel Paszkowski, and hosted by Durra Leung and Sam Rosenblatt. The event is free. For more information and RSVP, please go to http://dixonplace.org/performances/tin-pan-alley-02-14-20/

The idea of Tin Pan Alley 2 is from the legendary birthplace of numerous American Standards in the early 20th century. The concert series' mission is to provide a platform for emerging musical theatre writers, and free entertainment for the audience.

The February 2020 lineup will be featuring a diverse roster of talents from Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (GMTWP) at New York University, a community of collaborators engaged in the ever-evolving process of creating new musical theatre. All three featured writers (Pablo Concha, Jessie Field, and Joel Paszkowski) will be presenting their works mostly incubated in the GMTWP program. Their collaborators for this concert include Jamie Buxton, Felipe Vásquez, Taz Stahlnecker, Brandy Hoang Collier, Sean Eads, Ernest Debriabin, Lucy O'Brien, Jared Field, and Lisette Glodowski. Guest performers are Sonya Hernández, Deniz Demirkurt, Felipe Vásquez, William Karras, Gabrielle Mirabella, Anastasia Dextrene, Erica Molfetto, Lydia Breckon, Andrew Strano, Erin Mcmillen, and Bryan Freedman.

BIOS

Pablo Concha is a Chilean teacher, musician and composer, with experience in acting. He's graduated from Universidad Mayor (Santiago, Chile) and he is currently pursuing his MFA at NYU Tisch's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Some of the musicals he's co-written include "Change of Season", "El Regalo de Camila"(Camila's gift) and "No es Gratis el Amor" (Love is not free, written with his husband Felipe Vasquez). At the same time, he has composed music to plays like "8 women" and Shakespeare's "King Lear". Pablo also loves writing music for children!

Jessie Field is an NYC playwright and director. Past musical collaborations with her brother, composer Jared Field, include Rachel (2018 JDT Lab Selection, WINNER Outstanding Musical - 2015 Fresh Fruit Festival, 2013 Harold and Mimi Steinberg Prize for Best Original Play), La Maupin (WINNER 2018 International MUT Competition, WINNER Audience Favorite - 2017 Fresh Fruit Festival) and Harold! The Musical (Grant Recipient in the 2009 Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts). Jessie has also written TYA straight play To The West, which was recently a finalist in the Growing Stage's New Play Reading Festival and was presented as the school play at Randolph High School last year. Jessie served as the 2015-'16 Directing Apprentice at Capital Stage in Sacramento, California, and has directed numerous plays in the Boston and New York areas. She currently works for Roundabout Theatre Company as an usher and is earning her MFA as a member of Cycle 29 at NYU Tisch's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. www.jessiefield.com

In August 2018, Joel Paszkowski moved over to New York from his homeland of Australia. Ever since, he has been studying the sacred art of writing for musical theatre, and believes that he will one day be paid for his work in the field. He's been trying to pull off having longer hair, and is still unsure if it's working for him, so show some support. He hopes to impress his girlfriend, Rachel, with his music at the Cabaret and can't wait to go rock climbing with her. Joel's a rockclimber.

Durra Leung is an award-winning composer-lyricist born and raised in China, and now calls NYC home. He is the writer of multiple Chinese pop music radio hits and the 2010 ShineWorld Songwriting Contest Best Composer recipient. Since his US debut as a composer at Feinstein's/54 Below in 2018, Durra has also presented his works at Joe's Pub, The Duplex, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Wild Project, The PIT, West End Lounge, Dixon Place, and etc. One of his recent film-scoring works "Your Smile" (dir. Haochen Yang) has entered multiple international film festivals. As a native Cantonese speaker, Durra is working with the original writers of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (2002 Tony Awards Best Musical) to add Cantonese lyrics for the New York City Center Encores! production in May 2020. He and Sam Rosenblatt host a bi-monthly free concert series "Tin Pan Alley 2" at Dixon Place. Currently an MFA candidate for musical theatre writing at NYU. Follow on Instagram @alldurra

Sam Rosenblatt is a theatre artist, currently pursuing her MFA at NYU Tisch in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program as a lyricist. Sam received her BS in Educational Theatre from NYU Steinhardt in May of 2018. She has worked professionally and educationally as a librettist, director, choreographer, stage manager, and performer. Sam also enjoys making sock puppets. Follow her on Instagram @theatricallysam or visit her website, www.theatricallysam.com, for more information and updates.

Photo credit: Sam Rosenblatt

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