Great Performances to Feature Ellis Island: The Dream of America by Peter Boyer

PBS’s Great Performances will be recording Ellis Island: The Dream of America by Peter Boyer (MM, DMA in Composition from Hartt) for an upcoming broadcast.  This performance by the Pacific Symphony’s American Composers Festival has been in the planning phase for two years.  This is definitely and exciting and well-deserved performance for Peter.

Here is a story in the Orange County Register.  http://www.ocregister.com/articles/boyer-748076-island-ellis.html

This wonderful work is for orchestra, narrators and projected images.  The case for this performance includes:

• Tony Award-winning Barry Bostwick (“Spin City,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the original Broadway “Grease”)
• Emmy- and Golden-winning Camryn Manhein (”The Practice,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Elvis”)
• Michael Nouri (“Flashdance,” “The Proposal,” “Finding Forrester,” “Damages”)
• Lesley Fera (“Pretty Little Liars,” “24,” “CSI Miami”)
• Samantha Sloyan (“Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Hush”)
• Lucas Near-Verbrugghe (“Our Idiot Brother,” “Lazy Eye”)
• Kira Sternbach (“Neighbors,” “My Normal”)

In Peter’s words:

Each of these actors will read the words from one of the real American immigrant stories which I adapted from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, and set in my orchestral work. All the actors will participate in the reading of "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus ("Give me your tired, your poor..."), the sonnet associated with the Statue of Liberty, which serves as the work's Epilogue.

Barry Bostwick must be considered the “Ellis Island veteran” of the cast, having performed on my original Grammy-nominated recording, AND having performed the work live with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Brown University Symphony, and the Pacific Symphony, all back in 2003-05. It will be terrific to welcome him back to this work.

I’m deeply honored that such a fine group of actors will lend their talents on stage with Pacific Symphony and conductor Carl St. Clair to my “Ellis Island” — and that the cameras will be capturing it all for PBS! I can hardly wait to work with them and director Matthew Diamond next week.

Hope to see many of you there!

https://www.pacificsymphony.org/tickets/concert/Ellis_Island

Each of these actors will read the words from one of the real American immigrant stories which I adapted from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, and set in my orchestral work. All the actors will participate in the reading of "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus ("Give me your tired, your poor..."), the sonnet associated with the Statue of Liberty, which serves as the work's Epilogue.

Barry Bostwick must be considered the “Ellis Island veteran” of the cast, having performed on my original Grammy-nominated recording, AND having performed the work live with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Brown University Symphony, and the Pacific Symphony, all back in 2003-05. It will be terrific to welcome him back to this work.

I’m deeply honored that such a fine group of actors will lend their talents on stage with Pacific Symphony and conductor Carl St. Clair to my “Ellis Island” — and that the cameras will be capturing it all for PBS! I can hardly wait to work with them and director Matthew Diamond next week.

Hope to see many of you there!

https://www.pacificsymphony.org/tickets/concert/Ellis_Island

https://www.pacificsymphony.org/tickets/concert/Ellis_Island

We are also looking forward to it, Peter!