Featuring young dancers from both the school of American Ballet Theatre and Dancing Classrooms, alongside the musicians of LOS, and led by popular LOS guest conductor David Alan Miller
February 24, 2016, New York, NY – The Little Orchestra Society® (LOS New York) presents Tchaikovsky: Bigger Than Ballet, featuring acclaimed Guest Conductor David Alan Miller, the Grammy Award-winning Music Director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and presented as part of the new LOS KIDS series. Scheduled for March 5 and 6, this enchanting program focuses on the life and music of legendary Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with excerpts from some of his most famous works including Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and 1812 Overture. The music is magically woven together with choreography and hilarious characters to create an entertaining story about this versatile composer that will captivate children and adults alike. This program also features dancers from both the school of American Ballet Theatre and Dancing Classrooms, as well as 11 year-old urban street dancer Kai Rivera.
Frustrated that audiences assume that he only composes ballets, Tchaikovsky, with the help of the zany Professor Treblemaker and the Orchestra, proves once and for all that he’s “bigger than ballet.” Using elements of dance, story and live music, children are introduced to a wide range of musical masterpieces by Tchaikovsky, in an exciting and educational way. Excerpts of his work will be performed alongside dances ranging from ballroom to ballet to hip-hop!
LOS KIDS is The Little Orchestra Society’s brand new concert series for children ages 3-7. It’s everything New Yorkers loved about Lolli-Pops™ presented in an up-close and fun format, and featuring characters that today’s kids (and grown-ups) are sure to enjoy, with new lower ticket prices. Treat your family to an introduction to great music and renowned composers!
Tchaikovsky: Bigger Than Ballet
David Alan Miller, Guest Conductor
Craig Shemin, Writer
Steven Cardona, Director/Choreographer
Students from:
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School/American Ballet Theatre
Dancing Classrooms
Kai Rivera, Urban Street Dancer
Saturday, March 5, 2015, 10:00 AM & 11:30 AM
Sunday, March 6, 2015, 11:30 AM & 1:00 PM
Tickets: $15, $25 and $45
Call The Little Orchestra Society to learn about Conductor’s Circle memberships, a great way to support the work of LOS while getting the best seats and other special membership benefits.
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
East 68th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues)
About The Little Orchestra Society® (LOS New York)
The Little Orchestra Society/Orpheon, Inc., now in its 68th season, performed its inaugural concert at The Town Hall on October 20, 1947, and has since been devoted to performing innovative concerts of classical music for both adults and children. The Orchestra performs dynamic repertoire using multiple art forms with a variety of artists to create meaningful musical experiences for today’s audiences. Last season, more than 32,000 individuals enjoyed the Orchestra’s programming.
The Orchestra’s productions include the new series, LOS KIDS, and have previously included the Lolli-Pops™ series for children ages 3 to 5, the Peabody Award-winning Happy Concerts for Young People for children ages 6 to 12, the adult concert series Vivaldi’s Venice and Sound Discoveries, as well as Music Under the Big Top in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center.
The Orchestra has given many important premieres—more than 65 throughout its history—and launched the careers of major musical talents in its concert programming for adult and family audiences. Past guest artists include iconic rock star Patti Smith as the narrator in Tubby The Tuba, academy-award nominated actress Sigourney Weaver as the narrator in Music Takes Flight, internationally acclaimed actor James Earl Jones and world renowned violinist Mark O’Connor in Honest Abe: Four Scores and More, violinist Lara St. John and multiple-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin in the critically-acclaimed Vivaldi’s Venice series, the popular children’s book author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) narrating the New York Premiere of The Composer is Dead, and Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Meade in the exquisite Candlelight Cathedral Concerts, as well as many more.
The Little Orchestra Society is also committed to music education and public service. Last year alone, its public service programs, Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program®, after-school programs, Live in Concert!, Project 65Plus, and other community engagement activities in libraries, senior centers and other community spaces brought music education and live concert experiences to nearly 11,000 New York City public school children, families and seniors. These participants attend LOS New York concerts free of charge. As part of Musical Connections, public school children participate in an in-school music composition program that provides music education for the youngest elementary school students. These important public service and music education programs, as well as community engagement opportunities, are at the core of the Orchestra’s mission and vision. For more information, please visit www.littleorchestra.org or call 212-971-9500.
About James Judd, Music Director
Music Director of The Little Orchestra Society New York, the Israel Symphony Orchestra, and from 2017/18 season the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, British born conductor James Judd is sought after for both his passionate musicianship and his charismatic presence on and off the podium. Known for his extraordinarily communicative style and bold, imaginative programming, repeat engagements in concert halls from Prague to Tokyo, from Istanbul to Adelaide, attest to his rapport with audiences and musicians alike.
During his eight years as Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Judd brought the ensemble to a new level of visibility and international renown with acclaimed recordings for the Naxos label, tours of Europe and Australia and the orchestra’s first appearance at the BBC Proms. Other music directorships have included Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre National de Lille in France and a ground breaking 14 years as Music Director of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to his international conducting career, James Judd has led the orchestras of the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Guildhall School, Trinity College of London, Aspen Music Festival and the National Youth Orchestras of Australia and New Zealand. Since 2007 he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra, an ensemble of the most gifted musicians from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea.
An outstanding exponent of the works of Gustav Mahler, Judd’s performances of this monumental composer have been praised the world over. His recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 was awarded the Gold Medal by France’s Diapason as well as the Toblacher Komponierhäuschen for the best Mahler recording of the year. Judd’s many orchestral recordings are also featured on the Decca, EMI and Philips labels.
Recent concert highlights have included performances of Britten’s ‘War Requiem’ in Bucharest and Bernstein’s ‘Mass’ at the Radio France Festival, staged performances of ‘Carmina Burana’ at the spectacular desert ruins of Masada, a concert with the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Palace in Monaco and a tour of Asia celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Asian Youth Orchestra. In addition to his commitments with his own orchestras, the new season features concerts with the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Symphony, University of Southern Californian Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles, the Slovenian National Orchestra and the horn quartet of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Noord Nederlands Orchestra and Vadim Repin, and three concerts in Berlin as part of the celebrations in the famous Konzerthaus of Yehudi Menuhin’s centenary.
About David Alan Miller, Guest Conductor
Grammy Award-winning conductor David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Through exploration of unusual repertoire, educational programming, community outreach and recording initiatives, he has reaffirmed the Albany Symphony’s reputation as the nation’s leading champion of American symphonic music and one of its most innovative orchestras. He and the orchestra have twice appeared at “Spring For Music,” an annual festival of America’s most creative orchestras at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Other accolades include Columbia University’s 2003 Ditson Conductor’s Award, the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to American music, the 2001 ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming and, in 1999, ASCAP’s first-ever Leonard Bernstein Award for Outstanding Educational Programming.
Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, Mr. Miller has worked with most of America’s major orchestras, including the orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco, as well as the New World Symphony, the Boston Pops and the New York City Ballet. In addition, he has appeared frequently throughout Europe, Australia and the Far East as guest conductor. He made his first guest appearance with the BBC Scottish Symphony in March, 2014.
Mr. Miller received his Grammy Award in January, 2014 for his Naxos recording of John Corigliano’s “Conjurer,” with the Albany Symphony and Dame Evelyn Glennie. His extensive discography also includes recordings of the works of Todd Levin with the London Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, as well as music by Michael Daugherty, Kamran Ince, and Michael Torke for London/Decca, and of Luis Tinoco for Naxos. His recordings with the Albany Symphony include discs devoted to the music of John Harbison, Roy Harris, Morton Gould, Don Gillis, Peter Mennin, and Vincent Persichetti on the Albany Records label.
A native of Los Angeles, David Alan Miller holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from The Juilliard School. Prior to his appointment in Albany, Mr. Miller was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. From 1982 to 1988, he was Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, earning considerable acclaim for his work with that ensemble. Mr. Miller lives with his wife and three children in Slingerlands, New York.
About Craig Shemin, Writer
Craig Shemin is delighted to be working once again with The Little Orchestra Society, having previously adapted their productions of “Hansel and Gretel” and “Babes in Toyland.” He began his career with the Jim Henson Company and spent 14 years writing for the Muppets. His television credits include “Dora and Friends,” “Lou and Lou: Safety Patrol,” “Tasty Time with ZeFronk,” and “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss” (WGA Award Nominee). His plays “The Green Room” and “Panophobia” have had several New York City readings. A reading of Shemin’s screenplay, “Dick Cavett Ruined My Life,” was presented by the WGA-East, featuring Dick Cavett as himself. In 2012, he wrote “Jim Henson’s Musical World,” a New York Pops concert presented at Carnegie Hall and recently wrote The Muppets Character Encyclopedia for DK Books. He serves as president of the Jim Henson Legacy, a nonprofit organization celebrating the life and work of Jim Henson.
About Steven Cardona, Director
Steven Cardona is from Orlando, Florida and received a BFA in Musical Theater with an emphasis in Direction and Choreography. Immediately after college, he moved to New York where he began to work as an Assistant and Associate Choreographer for Wendy Seyb. Additionally, Mr. Cardona served as the Assistant Director to Wendy Seyb, Mark Adam Rampmeyer and Kent Nicholson. He now works as a Director/Choreographer, developing new musicals. He is currently creating several theatrical projects including book musicals and original dance narratives.
Credits include: International; The Wiz (Scotland), Click Clack Moo (Canada/national tour). Regional; “The Untitled John Mayer Project” (The Merc) Altar Boyz (Theater Barn), Strike Up The Band (Boston Conservatory), Ragtime (Dr. Phillips), Guys and Dolls (Act III Pro.) Money$hot: a new musical (Rush Theatrical productions) Asst. Choreographer: Murder For Two (Second Stage/ New World Stages/ National Tour).
