Sondheim & Bernstein on Broadway: Jeff Tyzik with two more of Broadway’s best: Lisa Vroman & J. Mark McVey

For Immediate Release:  April 15, 2013
Media Contacts:   Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, sally@sallycohenpr.com, @PR4Arts
RPO Info:  rpo.org, facebook.com/SuperRPO, twitter.com/SuperRPO, rpo-land.blogspot.com

Rochester, NY – The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) with Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik present Sondheim and Bernstein on Broadway on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.  Tickets start at $22 ($10 student tickets) and are available in person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street) or at area Wegmans; by phone at (585) 454-2100; or online at rpo.org.

The program opens with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, followed by selections from Stephen Sondheim’s Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along and Sweeney Todd.  The second half begins with Bernstein’s West Side Story:  Concert Suite No. 1 (“Maria, “One Hand, One Heart,” “Somewhere”) followed by a Sondheim’s Suite of Waltzes from A Little Night Music and “Send in the Clowns,” ending with the effervescent “America” from West Side Story. 

Guest vocalists Lisa Vroman and J. Mark McVey are established, acclaimed Broadway performers, and both are making their RPO debuts.

“I’ve worked with Lisa and Mark before, and they are both just phenomenal vocalists and performers,” adds Maestro Tyzik.

Soprano Lisa Vroman – who has local family and friends – has starred on Broadway, in San Francisco and in Los Angeles as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera, and was Daaé in the London Royal Gala Hey, Mr. Producer! opposite Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball. For PBS, she played Johanna in Sweeney Todd in Concert (with Patti Lupone and George Hearn), and was Marion Paroo in The Music Man (with Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy). Vroman has many opera engagements and is a regular guest artist with symphonies including San Francisco, Cleveland, Hong Kong, Philadelphia, Seattle, Atlanta, Detroit, as well as Boston Pops (Keith Lockhart), Philly Pops (Peter Nero) and New York Pops (Carnegie Hall). This season included symphony concerts in Taipei, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Paris. For more information, visit lisavroman.com.

Tenor J. Mark McVey made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables after winning the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor in Washington, D.C. The first American to perform Valjean in London’s West End, he also reprised the role with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to sold-out crowds at the Hollywood Bowl, and in the 25th Anniversary Tour of Les Misérables, winning the Ovation and Broadway.com awards. McVey made his Carnegie Hall debut with Marvin Hamlisch and continues to perform with orchestras around the world. His television credits include America’s Got Talent, Days of Our Lives, and several PBS features. Other Broadway and New York credits include Captain Walker in The Who’s Tommy, Tommy Tunes’ The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, Chess, and Hal Prince’s revival of Showboat. For more information, visit jmarkmcvey.com

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its founding in 1922. The RPO presents up to 150 concerts a year, serving nearly 200,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Notable former music directors include Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman; Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 19-year tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) – the first position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches 12,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.

Media please note:  High-resolution images are available upon request and at docs.google.com/folder.  Interviews, as well as photo and footage opportunities, can be arranged.