Film & TV NewsTanglewood Bernstein Celebration, With Jessica Vosk and Tony Yazbeck, Will Be Broadcast on PBSSix-time Tony winner Audra McDonald will host the tribute to the late composer.
By
Andrew Gans
July 24, 2018
The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood, the climax of the venue's season-long Leonard Bernstein tribute, will be recorded live August 25 for broadcast on PBS’ GreatPerformances series December 28 at 9 PM ET.
The concert, which will also be distributed to major broadcasters throughout Europe and Asia, spotlights Bernstein’s talents as a composer, his gifts as a great interpreter and champion of other composers, his role as an inspiration to a new generation of musicians, and his presence as a driving musical force at Tanglewood, 1940–1990.
For the upcoming concert, the Boston Symphony Orchestra will be joined by members of the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival—all ensembles that were important to Bernstein and his career.
The orchestra will be conducted by BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons, Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart, Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams, San Francisco Symphony Music Director and one of Bernstein’s close associates and friends Michael Tilson Thomas, and National Symphony Orchestra Conductor Laureate Christoph Eschenbach, who won the Leonard Bernstein Award from the Pacific Music Festival.
Host and six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald will be joined onstage by guest artists Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Kian Soltani, Nadine Sierra, Susan Graham, Isabel Leonard, Thomas Hampson, Jessica Vosk (Wicked), and Tony Yazbeck (On the Town), with James Darrah serving as director and Joshua Bergasse serving as choreographer. This multi-media event will also include video montages about Bernstein’s life and messages from people around the world who have been inspired by his legacy as a musician and as a dominant cultural figure of his time.
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From On the Town to West Side Story: Celebrate the Work of Leonard Bernstein