The band will pay tribute to the great American composer Leonard Bernstein 100 years after his birth.
The Philly POPS will join in a nationwide tribute to composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein to mark 100 years after his birth by presenting Lenny’s Revolution, Feb. 2–4, at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce streets.
Bernstein, who studied at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, performed classical and popular music, most notably West Side Story, Candide and On the Town.
Newly appointed Philly POPS Principal Guest Conductor David Charles Abell, Bernstein’s protégé and a Philadelphia native, will lead the show. Abell has a long history with Bernstein, from the time he was 12 years old in a boys choir to working together after college to when he made his professional conducting debut conducting Bernstein’s Mass in Berlin.
The 65-piece Philly POPS orchestra will be joined on stage by Broadway stars Lisa Vroman, Alli Mauzey and Ryan Silverman.
Adding to the sound of Bernstein’s music will be the 150-voice Philly POPS Festival Chorus, which regularly performs with the POPS orchestra, under the direction of Jeff Kern.
On opening night, Miss Philadelphia Nia Andrews will perform a dance routine to accompany Somewhere from West Side Story.
Lenny’s Revolution is a prelude to the National Museum of American Jewish History’s exhibition Leonard Bernstein: The Power of Music, opening on March 16.
Before the Feb. 4 show, Ivy Weingram, curator of the exhibition, will speak about Bernstein’s career and legacy on the Kimmel Center’s Plaza Stage.
Tickets to the show range from $35 to $145. All guests are welcome to arrive 90 minutes prior to each concert for free pre-concert entertainment.
For more information, visit http://phillypops.org/lenny ••
