New Philharmonic, conducted by Maestro Kirk Muspratt, concludes its 2021-2022 season with “West Side Story in Concert,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9 and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 10. Four guest artists – Brooklyn Snow (soprano), Matthew Greenblatt (tenor), Kate Tombaugh (mezzo-soprano) and Evan Bravos (baritone) – and a chorus of eight singers join the musicians of New Philharmonic for this unforgettable program featuring the best loved songs and music from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s Tony and Academy Award-winning musical. Michael Weber, Artistic Director of Porchlight Music Theatre, will lead a free post-performance discussion following each performance. Bjarne R. Ullsvik is lead sponsor for these performances of “West Side Story in Concert.”
The musical “West Side Story” was conceived by Jerome Robbins and features music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by Shakespeare's play “Romeo and Juliet,” the musical is set in the mid-1950s in a multiracial, blue-collar neighborhood in New York City. At its heart is the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang's leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks. Unfortunately, they cannot avoid the forces that surround them and their love is doomed to a tragic end.
“There’s nothing that can lift our spirits more than experiencing our favorite songs from one of our favorite romantic musicals performed by extraordinary artists,” says Maestro Muspratt. “Our performance of ‘West Side Story in Concert’ has all of that, and whether you are a fan of the musical or one of the films, I know you’ll find this concert to be something you’ll talk about long after the last note has wafted to the heavens.”
The original 1957 Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Robbins, was also Sondheim's Broadway debut. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won two. To date, more than 45,000 stage productions have been presented all over the world. A 1961 musical film adaptation, co-directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning 10. More recently, the 2021 film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, was nominated for seven Academy Awards.
American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein (1919-1990) wrote in many genres, including symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theater music, choral works, opera, chamber music and works for the piano. Throughout his life he was an advocate of American composers and “West Side Story” is perhaps his best-known composition work. World peace was a particular concern of Bernstein. His "Journey for Peace" tour to Athens and Hiroshima with the European Community Orchestra in 1985 commemorated the 40th anniversary of the atom bomb. Bernstein supported Amnesty International from its inception.
American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) is recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th Century musical theater. At the age of 26 he wrote the lyrics for “West Side Story”, his first major success. For the film adaptation he created new and powerful lyrics for the “America” sequence, which is the only major alteration from the Broadway production. His multiple honors and awards include an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer) including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. In February 2007, he received the 49th Grammy Awards’ Trustees Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the industry in a non-performing category.
New Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra based in DuPage County, Ill., has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for more than four decades. The orchestra consists of more than 60 professional musicians and typically performs more than a dozen concerts a year. Maestro Muspratt was named 2018 Conductor of the Year (Professional Orchestra) by Illinois Council of Orchestras. He gives innovative treatment to both classical compositions and modern works in efforts to make music accessible to audiences of all ages. New Philharmonic was recently honored with the Illinois Council of Orchestras’ 2020 Award in the category Programming of the Year.
Maestro Muspratt conducting New Philharmonic. Photo courtesy of the McAninch Arts Center
Tickets
Michael Weber, Artistic Director of Porchlight Music Theatre, will lead a post-performance discussion following each performance.
Brookdale – Glen Ellyn is the sponsor of the post-performance “Cookies with Kirk” reception with the artists in the lobby.
For tickets or more information, visit www.AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000. The Box Office is open Tuesday through Sunday, 12 noon to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to performance.
About the MAC
The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (the 780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; the 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and the versatile
black box Studio Theatre), the outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.
The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. Visit www.AtTheMAC.org or www.facebook.com/AtTheMAC for more information.
Support for New Philharmonic is provided in part by theJCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation; STG Divorce Law; Bjarne R. Ullsvik; Brookdale-Glen Ellyn; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; WDCB 90.9 FM and the College of DuPage Foundation.
Support for the McAninch Arts Center is provided in part by the G. Carl Ball Family Foundation; DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville; Arts Midwest; The National Endowment for the Arts; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; WDCB 90.9 FM and the College of DuPage Foundation.
Established as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization in 1967, the College of DuPage Foundation raises monetary and in-kind gifts to increase access to education and to enhance cultural opportunities for the surrounding community. For more information about the College of DuPage Foundation, visit www,foundation.cod.edu or call 630.942.2462.
Biographies
Brooklyn Snow, soprano – Maria
A native of Beaverton, Ore., Snow is a rising international artist with extensive performance experience in both Europe and the U.S. Honors and awards include finalist in Eugene Opera’s Diva Cage Match Competition. Performing credits include featured soprano for Eugene Opera’s virtual New Year’s Eve Gala Concert performing the roles of Olympia, Giuliette and Antonia in “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at Union Avenue Opera. This past spring, Snow sang her first Adina in “L’elisir d’amore” with Opera Bend, and this past June reprised the role with The Southern Illinois Music Festival. In the summer of 2019, Snow performed as Cunegonde alongside renowned soprano Christine Brewer in an inspired staging of “Candide” to open Union Avenue Opera’s 25th season, receiving excellent reviews and an Outstanding Achievement in Opera award nomination from St. Louis Theater Circle for her performance. Snow earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, and her Bachelor of Music at the University of Oregon in 2013.
Matthew Greenblatt, tenor – Tony
A native of Port Washington, N.Y., Greenblatt recently served as Chrisman Studio Artist with Opera Santa Barbara. He sang the role of Gastone in “La Traviata,” and study-covering the three lead tenor roles in “La Traviata”, “Little Women” and “La fille du régiment.” In the summer of 2021, he covered the role of Nemorino in “L’elisir d’amore” with The Southern Illinois Music Festival and performed as the tenor soloist in an outdoor concert series with New Philharmonic. Other performance credits include St. Brioche in New Philharmonic’s production of “Merry Widow” and a role debut as the Chevalier de la Force in “Dialogues of the Carmelites” with Saltworks Opera. Prior to that, he performed with Palm Beach Opera for two years as an Apprentice Artist, covering the roles of Candide in “Candide” and Spoletta in “Tosca.” Honors include finalist in the New York International Vocal Competition, and Semi-finalist in the Opera Index Competition. Greenblatt earned his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan, and his Master of Music from Mannes, where he studied with Arthur Levy.
Kate Tombaugh, mezzo-soprano – Anita
Tombaugh has been praised as “utterly convincing dramatically, and musically superlative” (Seen and Heard International). Last season, she won first place in the Mildred C. Miller International Competition, hosted by Pittsburgh Festival Opera, featuring an all-mezzo edition. This past February, she debuted as the featured soloist in John Corigliano’s “Fern Hill” with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Other recent engagements include debuting as The Dough in Rachel J. Peters’ “Companionship” with Fort Worth Opera and premiering works written for her voice by Drew Dolan and Ellen Harrison. Additional performance credits include the lead heroines Isabella and Angelina in Rossini’s “L’italiana in Algeri” and “La Cenerentola,” respectively, with Winter Opera St. Louis and Hansel in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” with Stockton Opera. Additionally, she has been a featured soloist with New Philharmonic, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Seattle, BEST Ensemble of Cincinnati, Bach Collegium of Fort Wayne and the Evansville Philharmonic ensembles. Tombaugh trained as a young artist in the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist program, as a Gerdine Artist with Opera Theatre of St.
Louis, and as a Resident Artist with Utah Opera. Additionally, she was a Stern Fellow with the LA-based Songfest and performed in the Opera Studio at AIMS in Graz, Austria. Tombaugh holds a Master of Music, Opera/Voice from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and dual undergraduate degrees in English literature and vocal performance from Illinois Wesleyan University. She is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit arts organization Poco a Poco, hosting an intensive, week-long summer music training program for high school-aged vocalists and free concerts in her hometown of Streator, Ill.
Evan Bravos, baritone – Riff
Bravos has been called “a young talent to watch” by the Chicago Tribune. Engagements for the 2021 – 2022 season include Le Dancaïre in “Carmen” (Chicago Opera Theater), Handel’s “Messiah” (Santa Fe Symphony) and Hannah in Laura Kaminsky’s “As One” (Opera Santa Barbara). During the 2020 – 2021 season, he performed in two world premieres: creating the role of Clay in Matthew Reccio/ Royce Vavrek’s “The Puppy Episode” with Chicago Opera Theater; and as Claudius for Joseph Summer’s “Hamlet” in a co-production between Boston’s The Shakespeare Concerts and the Ruse Bulgarian State Opera. Bravos made his professional debut at The Ravinia Festival in the summer of 2019 as Maximilian in Bernstein’s “Candide.” Additional operatic and concert credits include appearances with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Central City Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Diego Opera, Aspen Music Festival and Music Academy of the West. Bravos’ honors and awards include finalist in the National Opera Association – Dominic Argento competition, winner of the Pasadena Opera Guild competition, Apprentice Artist Award at Central City and the recipient of an Encouragement Award in the 2014 Metropolitan National Council auditions. A native of St. Charles, Ill., Bravos studied at Lawrence University Conservatory (Bachelor of Music) and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music (Master of Music). He resides now in Chicago.