FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE UPDATE November 27, 2012 Contact: Katherine E. Johnson (212) 875-5718; [email protected] NATHAN LANE TO HOST SYMPHONIC SONDHEIM WITH NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC In His Philharmonic Debut Evening of Music by Celebrated Broadway Composer-Lyricist Stephen Sondheim Paul Gemignani To Conduct January 29, 2013 Nathan Lane — Tony Award–winning star of theater, film, and television — will host Symphonic Sondheim, the New York Philharmonic’s performance of symphonic suites by Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Academy Award, and Grammy Award–winning composer Stephen Sondheim on January 29, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. Paul Gemignani will conduct the Orchestra in a program that includes a newly commissioned arrangement from Sunday in the Park with George and orchestral selections from The Enclave, Pacific Overtures, Stavisky, Into the Woods, and Sweeney Todd. Mr. Sondheim is renowned as both a lyricist and composer, and the program spotlights his musical achievements by presenting symphonic suites of his music without his lyrics. Mr. Sondheim studied music at Williams College, and after graduating he earned a two-year grant to study with composer and music theorist Milton Babbitt. Mr. Sondheim credits Babbitt with teaching him “long-line” composition, developing musical ideas over an extended period, and cites Rachmaninoff and Ravel as influences. The New York Philharmonic has presented Stephen Sondheim’s works 68 times, including the critically acclaimed, semi-staged production of Company in April 2011 conducted by Paul Gemignani and featuring Stephen Colbert, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Hendricks, and Patti LuPone, among others. Making his Philharmonic debut in this program, Nathan Lane starred in Mr. Sondheim’s musical The Frogs at Lincoln Center in 2004, for which Mr. Lane rewrote the libretto and Paul Gemignani served as musical director. Mr. Lane also appeared in the workshop of Mr. Sondheim’s Wise Guys, later re-titled Road Show, and starred in the film The Birdcage, which features a number of Mr. Sondheim’s works, including an original song written for the film. (more) Symphonic Sondheim / 2 Artists Tony, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Award–winning actor Nathan Lane most recently starred in The Iceman Cometh at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. His recent television appearances have included a recurring role in CBS’s The Good Wife in the fall of 2012. Broadway audiences have long embraced Mr. Lane as one of the shining lights of the theater. He starred in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, David Mamet’s November, Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, and Stephen Sondheim’s adaptation of The Frogs, for which Mr. Lane wrote the book. For his portrayal of Max Bialystock in the Tony Award–winning musical The Producers, he won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, and he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the film adaptation of the show. In 1996 his performance in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum earned him Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards. Mr. Lane’s other Broadway appearances have included The Addams Family, Terrence McNally’s Love! Valor! Compassion! (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Obie Awards), Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and Guys and Dolls (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and Tony Nomination). On film Nathan Lane starred as Albert in Mike Nichols’s The Birdcage, earning him a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Nomination. He won acclaim as the voice of Timon in Disney’s The Lion King and appeared in the films Stuart Little, Trixie, Love’s Labours Lost, Addams Family Values, Frankie and Johnny, and Nicholas Nickelby. Mr. Lane earned an Emmy nomination for his recent guest appearance on Modern Family, and he has been recognized with two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa and Teacher’s Pet. Paul Gemignani has been the musical director for more than 40 Broadway and West End shows, including Follies, Pacific Overtures, Candide, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Dreamgirls, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Crazy for You, Passion, High Society, and Kiss Me Kate. Mr. Gemignani has made recordings with the American Theatre Orchestra in addition to many cast albums; appeared as guest conductor with numerous orchestras; and is a regular guest conductor at the New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the New York City Ballet. His film work has included Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp, Kramer vs. Kramer, Reds, and Eyewitness. Mr. Gemignani received the 2001 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award (1994), and a special Drama Desk Award (1989) for “consistently outstanding musical direction and commitment to the theater.” In 2003 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of musical arts from the Manhattan School of Music; in 2006 he received a Prime Time Emmy Award for Best Musical Direction for a Great Performances presentation of South Pacific; and the Drama League of New York honored him for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre in 2008. Mr. Gemignani served as the musical director of the New York Philharmonic’s concert performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies in September 1985; in May 2008 he was the conductor and music supervisor of the Orchestra’s semi-staged performances of Camelot; and in March 2010 he conducted the Philharmonic’s production of SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert!, which aired on PBS and was released on DVD in November 2010. On January 24, 2011, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. (more) Symphonic Sondheim / 3 * * * Credit Suisse is the Global Sponsor of the New York Philharmonic. * * * This concert is made possible with generous support from Perry and Martin Granoff, Ted and Mary Jo Shen, and Thomas and Alice Tisch. * * * Programs of the New York Philharmonic are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets Tickets for these concerts start at $35. All tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic’s Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. [Ticket prices subject to change.] For press tickets, call Lanore Carr in the New York Philharmonic Communications Department at (212) 875-5714, or e-mail her at [email protected]. (more) Symphonic Sondheim / 4 Symphonic Sondheim New York Philharmonic Avery Fisher Hall Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Nathan Lane, host* Paul Gemignani, conductor Stephen SONDHEIM/arr. Michael Starobin Suite from Sunday in the Park with George Stephen SONDHEIM The Enclave (selections) Stephen SONDHEIM Pacific Overtures Suite (selections) Stephen SONDHEIM Into the Woods (selections) Stephen SONDHEIM Stavisky (selections) Stephen SONDHEIM Sweeney Todd (selections) *denotes New York Philharmonic debut # # # Tumblr — Your Backstage Pass Photography is available by contacting the Communications Department at (212) 875-5700; [email protected]. .