Grant Park Music Festival 2015: Book 5

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2 0 1 5 G R AN T PA R K MU S I C F E S T I VA L
CHICAGO’S SONDHEIM
CELEBRATION
Into the Woods…Sunday in the Park with George…
Sweeney Todd…Prolific Broadway and West End
music director Paul Gemignani has been linked to
the music of Stephen Sondheim since 1971 when
he took Sondheim’s Follies on its first national
tour. Sondheim’s longtime collaborator will guest
conduct the Grant Park Orchestra July 10-11, but it
is Sondheim’s polyphonic melodies and clever lyrics
that will take center stage.
“We knew that we wanted the composer and the
music to be the star of the weekend,” saidGemignani.
“It was hard to choose from the breadth of work, but
audiences can expect to hear showstoppers from Follies, Company, Merrily We
Roll Along, and more, along with the World Premiere of a symphonic suite for
A Little Night Music.”
Broadway veterans Elizabeth Stanley and Gemignani’s
son, Alex, will join the Grant Park Orchestra. “These
two are at the top of their game,” said the senior
Gemignani. “Elizabeth comes to us from On the Town
on Broadway, and Alex has been working steadily on
Broadway including leading roles in Sunday in the Park,
Assassins, and Sweeney Todd.”
The recent success of the film
Into the Woods starring Meryl
Streep demonstrates that the
85-year old composer and
lyricist’s timeless music still
spans generations. The Grant
Park Music Festival last presented the music of Stephen
Sondheim in 2006 when the Department of Cultural
Affairs held a weekend Park-wide celebration of the
composer’s works. This summer, the Festival honors his
contribution to the American musical theater on the
heels of Disney’s December 2014 release of Into the Woods.
“Audiences know and love Sondheim’s music,” said Paul Winberg, President of
the Grant Park Orchestral Association. “It will be a thrill to hear it live, played
with a full orchestra over the Pritzker’s state-of-the-art sound system as part of
his 85th birthday celebration.”
To purchase a one night pass for A Sondheim Celebration,
call 312.742.7647 or visit
Paul Gemignani
Alex Gemignani
Elizabeth Stanley