New Rochelle Opera Celebrates the Work of Leonard Bernstein

On September 17, New Rochelle Opera (NRO) will pay tribute to the music of composer Leonard Bernstein, author of some of the most iconic musical and operatic scores in memory. A celebration of the 60th anniversary of West Side Story, this “Bernstein and Friends” concert will include a guest appearance by baritone Miguel Acevedo and will feature NRO singers Kelli Butler, Edith Dowd, Tom Mulder and Wayne Hu, who will perform selections from West Side Story and Candide. The program, which will be narrated by NRO’s co-founder and artistic director Camille Coppola, will also include works by Bernstein’s contemporaries, including songs from notable 1950s musicals by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin and more. The midday performance will be dedicated to Tony Award-winning singer and actress Barbara Cook, who passed away last month. The actress originated the role of Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide. The performance will take place in the Christopher Murphy Auditorium at Iona College. For more info, visit: nropera.org.

Image above: Leonard Bernstein (photo credit: Paul de Hueck)

A version of this article first appeared in the September 2017 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.