The Boston Conservatory has three upcoming performances that might be of interest: the 1940s-era Broadway hit, On the Town, from Oct. 16–19… two free performances of Billy Goats Gruff: A Children’s Opera on Saturday, Oct. 18… and The Boston Conservatory Orchestra performs Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse on Oct. 5.
On the Town
Oct. 16–19
Featuring such favorite musical numbers as New York, New York; Lonely Town; I Can Cook, Too; and the famed Coney Island Ballet, it is the high-energy story of three daring sailors’ adventurous 24-leave in 1944 New York City. If you can’t make it to Broadway for this high-energy show’s return, The Boston Conservatory offers a professional-level alternative right here in New England.
On the Town will be at The Boston Conservatory Theater, located at 8 The Fenway, from Oct. 16–19. Tickets are $25–30, with $5 discounts for seniors and $10 discounts for students; they are available through The Boston Conservatory Box Office at (617) 912–9222 and online at www.bostonconservatory.edu/tickets.
Billy Goats Gruff: A Children’s Opera
Saturday, Oct. 18 at noon and 2 p.m. (free)
Intended for children in preschool through fifth grade, the show expands on the familiar Three Billy Goats Gruff fairytale, with an exploration of how to overcome bullying. With music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti and Gioachino Rossini, this opera will be performed in English and runs approximately 40 minutes.
The Boston Conservatory’s Billy Goats Gruff: A Children’s Opera will be performed at Seully Hall, located at 8 The Fenway in Boston, on Saturday, Oct. 18 at noon and 2 p.m. Admission is free. The Conservatory is also performing the opera at the Boston Children’s Museum on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., which is free with museum admission.
The Boston Conservatory Orchestra: Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse
Oct. 5 at 2 p.m.
The Boston Conservatory Orchestra takes the stage for its first concert of the season with a performance titled Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse. The orchestra, a collection of 100 of the top performers at the Conservatory, will present a collection of influential works by three of history’s greatest composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss and Christopher Theofandis.
The Boston Conservatory Orchestra’s Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse is Sunday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University. Tickets are $10-15 and are available via Harvard Box office at 617-496-2222.
The Boston Conservatory presents
Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town
Features favorite musical numbers New York, New York;
Lonely Town; I Can Cook, Too; and the famed Coney Island Ballet
(BOSTON—Sept. 29, 2014) The Boston Conservatory Theater Division presents the 1940s-era Broadway hit, On the Town, from Oct. 16–19 at The Boston Conservatory Theater. Featuring such favorite musical numbers as New York, New York; Lonely Town; I Can Cook, Too; and the famed Coney Island Ballet, it is the high-energy story of three daring sailors’ adventurous 24-leave in 1944 New York City.
On the Town is based on Jerome Robbins’ ballet, Fancy Free. As a result, dance is a substantial element of storytelling, along with acting and song, all of which the talented cast of 25 Conservatory students performs masterfully.
“It is a great credit to The Boston Conservatory that we cast this entire show solely within the ranks of the theater division,” said Michelle Chassé, director and choreographer. “This cast is incredibly dynamic and every one of them truly represents what we aspire toward in our ‘triple-threat’ training program as first-rate actors, dancers and singers.”
Senior Jordan Ford, junior Zachary Jones and sophomore Cameron Herbst portray the lead male roles of Gabey, Chip and Ozzie. Juniors Mimi Scardulla and Kelly Berman and sophomore Annabella Barks portray the lead female roles of Hildy, Claire and Ivy.
“Almost exactly 70 years after its premiere, Leonard Berstein’s music in this show is just as vibrant and filled with fascination for a city that inspires people to live large, find love and make their dreams come true,” said Chassé.
The Boston Conservatory’s On the Town will be at The Boston Conservatory Theater, located at 8 The Fenway, from Oct. 16–19. Tickets are $25–30, with $5 discounts for seniors and $10 discounts for students; they are available through The Boston Conservatory Box Office at (617) 912–9222 and online at www.bostonconservatory.edu/tickets. For more information, call The Boston Conservatory’s event line at (617) 912–9240 or visit www.bostonconservatory.edu.
About The Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory trains exceptional, young performing artists for careers that enrich and transform the human experience. Known for its intimate and supportive multi-disciplinary environment, The Boston Conservatory offers fully accredited graduate and undergraduate programs in music, dance and musical theater, and presents more than 600 performances each year by students, faculty and guest artists. Since its founding in 1867, The Boston Conservatory has shared its talent and creativity with the city of Boston, the region and the nation, and continues to grow today as a vibrant community of artists and educators. For more information, visit www.bostonconservatory.edu.
The Boston Conservatory presents free
performances of Billy Goats Gruff: A Children’s Opera
An exploration of how to overcome bullying
(BOSTON—Sept. 29, 2014) The Boston Conservatory Opera Department is staging two free performances of Billy Goats Gruff: A Children’s Opera on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Conservatory’s Seully Hall. Intended for children in preschool through fifth grade, the show expands on the familiar Three Billy Goats Gruff fairytale, with an exploration of how to overcome bullying. With music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gaetano Donizetti and Gioachino Rossini, this opera will be performed in English and runs approximately 40 minutes.
Three Billy Goats Gruff is originally a Norwegian fairytale, first published in the mid-1800s. In the opera, adapted by John Davies, three billy goats must cross a bridge to get home, but a big bully blocks them. Two of the billy goats decide to go home a different, longer way, and tell their parents. But the littlest girl goat refuses to leave, because the bully took her doll and she wants it back. So she confronts the bully and accidentally pushes him off the bridge into the water. She quickly show her kindness and asks if the bully is okay, and the bully responds by asking if the little goat is okay, too. By the time the two other billy goats return with help, the littlest goat and the ex-bully have become friends.
“The cast is really looking forward to engaging these younger audiences, giving them a taste of how wonderful the performing arts can be,” said Nathan Troup, director. “Children’s Opera gives us the opportunity to reach a whole new audience, and with this opera in particular, we’re also sharing an important lesson along the way.”
The Boston Conservatory’s Billy Goats Gruff: A Children’s Opera will be performed at Seully Hall, located at 8 The Fenway in Boston, on Saturday, Oct. 18 at noon and 2 p.m. Admission is free. The Conservatory is also performing the opera at the Boston Children’s Museum on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., which is free with museum admission. For more information, call The Boston Conservatory’s event line at (617) 912–9240 or visit www.bostonconservatory.edu.
About The Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory trains exceptional, young performing artists for careers that enrich and transform the human experience. Known for its intimate and supportive multi-disciplinary environment, The Boston Conservatory offers fully accredited graduate and undergraduate programs in music, dance and musical theater, and presents more than 600 performances each year by students, faculty and guest artists. Since its founding in 1867, The Boston Conservatory has shared its talent and creativity with the city of Boston, the region and the nation, and continues to grow today as a vibrant community of artists and educators. For more information, visit www.bostonconservatory.edu.
The Boston Conservatory Orchestra presents
Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse
A collection of influential works by
three of the greatest composers in history
(BOSTON—Sept. 29, 2014) The Boston Conservatory Orchestra takes the stage for its first concert of the season on Oct. 5. In a performance titled Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse, the orchestra, a collection of 100 of the top performers at the Conservatory, will present a collection of influential works by three of history’s greatest composers: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss and Christopher Theofandis.
Theofandis’ Rainbow Body is based on Buddhist traditions of the afterlife and the idea that when a truly enlightened being dies, his or her body is absorbed back into the universe as energy and light. The piece is also heavily influenced by Saint Hildegard of Bingen’s music and chants.
Strauss’s Four Last Songs were his final completed works, which were first publicly performed in the year following his death, 1950. The songs, Frühling (Spring), September, Beim Schlafengehen (When Falling Asleep) and Im Abendrot (At Sunset), are for soprano and orchestra, and they will feature guest artist Kerry Deal. “Kerry will do a fabulous job with this song cycle,” said Bruce Hangen, conductor. “It is a true tour de force and a challenge for the orchestra because it is all about sonority.”
Tchaikovksy’s Symphony No. 5 is his penultimate symphony. A note of Tchaikovsky’s describes the introduction as “a complete resignation before fate, which is the same as the inscrutable predestination of fate.” The theme’s first movement has a funereal quality to it, but it ultimately transforms into a much more powerful final movement. “Orchestras love to play this Tchaikovsky piece,” said Hangen. “He wears his heart on his sleeve within it. It is exciting, tender and rambunctious at the same time.”
The Boston Conservatory Orchestra’s Life, Death and the Afterlife—In Reverse is Sunday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University. Tickets are $10-15 and are available via Harvard Box office at 617-496-2222.
About The Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory trains exceptional, young performing artists for careers that enrich and transform the human experience. Known for its intimate and supportive multi-disciplinary environment, The Boston Conservatory offers fully accredited graduate and undergraduate programs in music, dance and musical theater, and presents more than 600 performances each year by students, faculty and guest artists. Since its founding in 1867, The Boston Conservatory has shared its talent and creativity with the city of Boston, the region and the nation, and continues to grow today as a vibrant community of artists and educators. For more information, visit www.bostonconservatory.edu.
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