MEDIA
CONTACT:
Inna Heasley
215.280.4824
1013
Westview St., 3rd Fl., Philadelphia, PA 19119
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2010
UNPLUG! “IT'S THE
PROMISE OF LIFE ~ IT’S THE JOY IN YOUR HEART”
Lyric Fest calls kids to unplug from all things electronic
PHILADELPHIA,
PA: Lyric Fest presents UNPLUG!,
a theatrical interactive live
sound and song journey through Philadelphia for families and children of
all ages, featuring jazz, opera, Broadway, classical song, dance and more. A
Q-and-A session with performers follows the concert.
Saturday, May 22 at 3
PM
The
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
8855
Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia 19118
Sunday,
May 23 at 3 PM
The First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia
201 S. 21st St (at Walnut St),
Philadelphia 19103
Tickets: Adults $16/ Students $5. Call 215-438-1702 to pre-order and for group rates. Tickets sold at the door. More information at www.LyricFest.org.
Cast: Actors Jake
Miller and
Karim Council. Vocal artists Emily Bullock, Suzanne DuPlantis, Jeffrey
Halili, Randi Marrazzo, John Packard, Elizabeth Racheva. Dancer Crystal Fraser. Special guest: the Graduates of
Keystone State Boychoir, Joseph
Fitzmartin conductor. All accompanied by pianist Laura Ward and inter-generational jazz combo: students from Girard Academic Music Program, Temple
University, Emilio Gravagno, a
retired bassist from The Philadelphia Orchestra, and jazz pianist Joseph Fitzmartin.
When was the last time you listened to the sounds in your neighborhood? Do you ever hear anyone singing happily around you? Have you ever been to a concert where adults and children are singing together?
“UNPLUG! is all that and much more,” comments soprano Randi Marrazzo, a co-founding artistic director of Lyric Fest. “It is a lively fun-filled array of robust music, acclaimed professional vocal artists, adult and kid musicians and actors, who are all passionate about sharing their art with children.”
UNPLUG! tells a story of a boy (Karim Council) who is completely plugged into all things electronic. When his father gets frustrated with the situation, he sends his son out on a Philadelphia City tour. Ironically, it is directed by a bored tour guide (Jake Miller) who would hardly convince anybody that the city is more attractive than an iPod. Fortunately, a muse (Crystal Fraser) comes to the rescue and the unlikely duo springs to life as they discover how much fun they were missing and how cool the city is.
The
audiences will discover the wealth of musical diversity in our City with help from
Samuel
Barber, Giuseppe Verdi, Johannes Brahms, Jerome Kern, Aaron Copland, Jake Heggie, Charles Ives, Johnny
Mercer, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Gilbert & Sullivan, and
scenes from the hilarious mini-opera Music
Shop composed by Pennsylvanian Richard Wargo.
The grand finale is a musical homage to life: Antonio Carlos Jobim’s famous Waters of March, especially arranged for Lyric Fest by composer/arranger Brian Gaber.
Joining Lyric Fest for the first time are the acclaimed Graduates of Keystone State Boychoir, an upbeat group of 35 young men in grades 8 through 12. Associate music director, composer Steven Fisher is convinced that “choral music not only enhances quality of life, but fulfills a crucial need as human beings to feel connected to our fellow humans. Technology is wonderful, but there has to be technology-free space and time, where real live humans are at the center of things, connecting with each other.”
Soprano Elizabeth Racheva is an artistic director of Voces Intimae in Dallas, TX, a recital series similar to Lyric Fest. “It’s hard to explain in a marketing campaign the magic that occurs when 20-odd songs of different styles and composers come together to form a narrative and paint a picture,” Racheva admits. “It’s our job as artists to initiate the novice listeners and keep them coming back through compelling performances. And I think Lyric Fest does this so amazingly well with creative and accessible programming.”
Actor, dancer and educator Jake Miller is a co-founder of Yes! And..., a Philadelphia-based collaborative arts education non-profit organization. “I am passionate about the transformation of young people through play and imagination, and I believe that a hope-filled playfulness and faith help us bring the power of creativity to all of our work,” comments Miller, who returns to Lyric Fest for his fifth family concert.
Lyric Fest welcomes Karim Council, a third-grader at Camden Forward School, Camden, NJ. At 9, Karim has already taken to both the stage and the screen as a young actor. As part of his involvement with area organizations UrbanPromise and Yes! And..., Karim has appeared as a commercial spokesperson for the Children's Defense Fund and also in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer.
“Besides being musicians, we are moms; we care deeply about sharing great music with our own kids, so why not with everyone else’s?” adds mezzo-soprano Suzanne DuPlantis, a co-founding artistic director of Lyric Fest. “Kids nowadays have very little access to classical music, and since many of these songs only get better the better you know them, it is never too early to start making them part of your life. Furthermore, Lyric Fest is so much more than just classical music...”
Indeed, Lyric Fest’s upcoming family concert will integrate all kinds of music into one fun-packed program, joining passionate and talented kids and adults on the stage, to say to all: “There is a big wide world out there, full of fabulous live sounds and unforgettable experiences. You might miss it if your ears are plugged!”
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