NEWS RELEASE
Date: April 30, 2018
For Immediate Release
Photos Available Upon Request
Contact: Lexi Locke
Phone: 417.864.6683
Cell: 417.860.9690
lexi@springfieldmosymphony.org
Springfield Symphony to feature Broadway favorites at last concert of the 17-18 season
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Springfield Symphony is excited to wrap up its 2017-18 season, Revolution, with the songs that revolutionized the modern musical with a night of Broadway favorites at its Broadway Revolution pops concert on Saturday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts (525 S. John Q. Hammons Pkwy).
“I’m really excited about our final pops concert of the year,” exclaimed Kyle Wiley Picket, music director/conductor. “In keeping with our Revolution theme for the season, we’ll be playing music that revolutionized Broadway. We start with West Side Story, which marks the pivot from the first generation of American musical theatre to the second. We will then play music from the popular musicals of the 60s and 70s—Evita, Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The Who’s Tommy. These were musicals that brought a rock vibe to Broadway and were a little grittier and a little less conventional in their story-telling than the first generation of musical theatre had been. Then we’ll move into the epic shows that defined the 80s, including Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera, and we’ll finish with the music of Wicked and, the piece I’m really excited to perform for the first time, a medley from the current smash-hit Hamilton. We’ll be able to see the revolution and evolution of the modern Broadway musical over the course of one night, and it’ll be a perfect final night to our Revolution season.”
Pre-concert music will begin at 7 p.m in the lobby and the Symphony performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale at the Juanita K. Hammons Hall box office, and can be purchased by calling (417) 836-7678 or online at www.missouristatetix.com. Ticket prices range from $17 – $36 and discounts are available for students and seniors.
Join Pickett at a free monthly event, Behind the Baton, at Ocean Zen on Thursday, May 10 (4117 S National Ave) for the opportunity to hear Pickett talk about the music that will be performed at the May 12 concert. The meet & greet begins at 5:00 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Pickett is available for any interviews or questions. Please feel free to email him at kwpickett@gmail.com. The concert is being sponsored by Don Wessel Honda (Pop Series Presenter), Positronic, Central Bank/Central Trust, Carla L. Calvin, KOLR10, 104.1 KSGF, and 417 Magazine.
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and an Equal Opportunity Employer. Additional funding for all Springfield Symphony Orchestra programming is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit www.springfieldmosymphony.org or www.facebook.com/springfieldsymphony.
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