Waterbury Symphony Hosts Leroy Anderson Centennial Celebration

WATERBURY, CT: The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra closes its 70th Season on May 10, 2008 with a celebration of the legendary composer, Leroy Anderson. The concert will feature several of his most famous pieces, including his Piano Concerto, which will be performed by world-renowned pianist Simon Tedeschi. The concert begins at 8:15 PM at the Palace Theater in downtown Waterbury.

Leroy Anderson is probably most known for his piece, Sleigh Ride, which was conceived by Mr. Anderson during a warm summer’s day while he lived in Woodbury. He has also written hundreds of pieces within the symphonic pops repertoire, many while he worked with Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops Orchestra. He even wrote a Broadway musical entitled Goldilocks, which did not obtain much commercial success despite winning two Tony Awards. The WSO will perform two pieces from this concert. Lars Vercelli, a grandson of Leroy Anderson, will be a guest vocalist for these pieces. He will sing Shall I Take My Heart and Go as a soloist, and will be joined by Laura Apruzzese in the duet Save a Kiss. Lars and Laura are students at New York University where there are majoring in Vocal Performance in Music Theater.

Mr. Anderson is known across the globe for his legendary works, but few realize the impact that Leroy Anderson had in the Greater Waterbury community. "We are pleased to be hosting the Leroy Anderson Centennial Celebration," states Music Director and Conductor, Leif Bjaland. "He spent considerable amount of time here in the area, and was at one time the manager of the Waterbury Symphony. His legacy lives on today in the Greater Waterbury Youth Symphony, an organization that he helped to found." As a tribute to the group and in recognition of this, the event on May 10th will include members of the Greater Waterbury Youth Symphony performing side-by-side with the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra as they play a couple of pieces.

Also joining the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra on the stage will be the Woodbury Ballet. This pre-professional group will be dancing to Serenata, Blue Tango, and Jazz Pizzicato. Artistic Director Randyl Errica designed the choreography especially for this performance. This is an excellent opportunity to see live dancers on the stage dancing to these well-known pieces.

The concert will include a performance of Leroy Anderson’s Piano Concerto performed by Australian Pianist, Simon Tedeschi. Mr. Tedeschi is known throughout the world for his energetic performances, and he has released a recording of this piece with the Melbourne (Australia) Symphony Orchestra.

Of course, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra will also perform his well-known piece, Bugler's Holiday with a twist that will leave an impression on the audience in attendance. The orchestra will be joined on stage and throughout the hall with several trumpet players from the area, as they all take part in performing this piece.

Tickets for this great concert are on sale now, and cost $75, $50, $35, $20 and $10 for students. You can purchase tickets by calling the Palace Theater’s Box Office at 203-755-4700 or online by visiting www.waterburysymphony.org. The symphony has also collaborated with the Palace Theater to offer a complete dinner and show package for everyone. The package includes dinner at the Palace Theater’s Poli Club and a ticket to the show for only $75 a person. If you would like to purchase this package, you can call the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Office at 203-574-4283.