The Virginia Arts Festival and Virginia Symphony Orchestra will join many of the most prestigious ensembles across the globe to celebrate the 100th birthday of the beloved musician, composer, educator and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein.
“Bernstein at 100” is a worldwide appreciation of one of the most influential American musicians — the first American-born conductor to achieve worldwide fame. More than 2,000 events will be held across six major continents over a two-year period.
Celebrations will take place in Hampton Roads, Va., on April 13th and 14th, with a distinguished group of artists performing selections of Bernstein’s most exhilarating works to illustrate the versatility and creativity of the legendary music icon. Bernstein died in 1990 at the age of 72 but would have been 100 this August 25th.
“His music touches people on so many different levels because of how broad his output was — everything from sacred music to Broadway to orchestral music,” says Robert Cross, executive director of the Virginia Arts Festival. “The breadth and depth of his interests … [his compositions], his ballets, his success on Broadway — very few composers have had success in all three of these fields. Take on top of that, he was a world-class pianist and conductor — probably one of the most important American conductors to this day.”
Cross, an accomplished musician himself, still remembers his interaction with Bernstein in a reading rehearsal in the late 1970s. “You know, when you’re a kid,” he recalls, “it’s a really, really big deal.”
Bernstein’s influence on Cross is not unique. “We have an interesting number of connections to Bernstein in our community, which is kind of remarkable,” he says.
JoAnn Falletta, in her 27th year with the Virginia Symphony, will serve as conductor. As a student at Julliard, Falletta made the transition from classical guitarist to conductor under the tutelage of Bernstein. She is also a member of the Leonard Bernstein at 100 Honorary Committee.
Grammy- and Tony Award-winning music director Robert Fisher, a graduate of Norview High School in Norfolk, will also join the event.
“Robert is considered one of the leading, if not the leading, music directors on Broadway and has worked with The Bernstein Foundation for decades,” says Cross. “He was chosen to kick off the world celebration at the Kennedy Center last fall with Jamie Bernstein, and he is also doing the New York event with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall for their celebration. We’re really lucky that the Festival has a relationship with Rob and he is doing a major concert with us.”
A frequent member of many of the major orchestras in North American and Europe, Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie will lend his genius for the performance of Bernstein’s “Serenade.”
Award-winning clarinetist Jon Manasse will perform “Prelude, Fugue, and Riff” with Todd Rosenlieb Dance, which will include choreography specifically written by Rosenlieb for the events.
Charles Woodward, choral director for the Governor’s School for the Arts and Virginia Chorale, will serve as artistic director. Soloists from Virginia Children’s Chorus will also perform.
To top it all off, Leonard Bernstein’s daughter, Jamie Bernstein, will anchor both events and share her personal insights into her father’s legacy.
With an extraordinary amount of talent and perspective on the life of Leonard Bernstein, the “Bernstein at 100” performances promise to be an authentic and enriching experience with something for everyone.
“[The audience will] get to hear some of their favorite things they’ll recognize,” says Cross. Most will recognize selections from “West Side Story,” “On the Town” and “Chichester Psalms,” he says, “but I also want them to go away with some things they’ve never heard before. I think very few people will know ‘Prelude, Fugue, and Riff’ — it’s just not performed that often, but it’s a great piece. I want people to go away with discoveries.”
April 13th at the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News
April 14th at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk
Tickets: Start at $25 with discounts for students, seniors and the military
More Info: vafest.org