Resonance Works Celebrates Leonard Bernstein With ON THE TOWN

RESONANCE WORKS opens its sixth season celebrating the centennial of Leonard Bernstein with On the Town in concert on Friday, October 19, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 21, at 3 p.m. Performances will be held at the New Hazlett Theater, renewing the company's engagement with the North Side community. Members of The Brass Roots join forces with the Resonance Chamber Orchestra. Resonance Works Founder and Artistic Director Maria Sensi Sellner conducts.

Set during WWII, On the Town follows the amorous adventures of Three Sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City. Determined to make every minute count, the three friends set off to explore the Big Apple and to find romance - encountering colorful characters and hilarious misadventures along the way. The revolutionary score boldly draws from diverse musical inspirations - jazz, spirituals, operetta, symphonic classicism, beautiful ballads, and catchy tunes - including the iconic songs "New York, New York," "Lonely Town," and "Some Other Time," plus a plethora of purely orchestral music.

Stage director Valerie Rachelle, Artistic Director of the Oregon Cabaret Theater, makes her Pittsburgh debut with this production. "I'm so excited to be working not only on this piece but with Maria and this company. This production will make use of projections and movement to bring the score and script to life. It will be a beautiful celebration of the sights and sounds of Bernstein's New York."

This concert version includes the entirety of Bernstein's original score (plus numbers that were cut before the New York premiere) with narration by original collaborators Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Demareus Cooper makes her Resonance Works debut as narrator. The cast includes a number of returning favorites, including Carnegie Mellon alums Patrick McNally (Elixir of Love) and Gillian Hassert (Side by Side by Sondheim), Christopher Scott (Side by Side by Sondheim), Benjamin Robinson (Falstaff, Rusalka), Rebecca Shorstein (Elixir of Love, Cinderella, Rusalka), Jonathan Stuckey (Macbeth, Amahl and the Night Visitors), and WQED-FM's Anna Singer (Cinderella, Bon Appétit!), along with newcomer Lauren Corcoran Emrich.

"The Brass Roots are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Maria Sensi Sellner and Resonance Works again and to celebrate the life and work of such a grand, American musical genius. The impact that Lenny had on orchestral programming, composition, and music education is truly remarkable and we are happy to play a role in honoring his legacy." says David Gardner, co-founder of The Brass Roots. "If you haven't attended a Resonance Works show, you can expect an innovative and fresh take on Bernstein's music, which has become a hallmark of Maria's work."

Resonance Works has long taken great inspiration from Bernstein's "total embrace" of music with his work as a composer of many genres, conductor, educator, and humanitarian. With On the Town, Bernstein became the first symphonic composer to write a musical. Just 11 months before it premiered on Broadway, Bernstein conducted the world premiere of his first Symphony, "Jeremiah" with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. This October, Pittsburgh audiences have the opportunity to experience both of these landmark works, as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents the "Jeremiah" Symphony on October 5 & 7 in their "Bernstein in Pittsburgh" concerts.

Resonance Works offers reserved seating at the New Hazlett Theater, with tickets starting at just $25. Discounts are available for students and seniors. Subscriptions and memberships for the full season are still available. To purchase tickets, please visit www.resworks.org/tickets or call (412) 501-3330.

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