Post by louise on Jul 29, 2011 3:22:22 GMT -5
David will feel right at home tonight - July 29th - when he performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga Springs. He will narrate Britten's 'The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra' at favourite childhood haunt The Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Also on the programme Stravinsky's 'Song of the Nightingale' and Beethoven's wonderful 7th Symphony .
Here's a nice article from The Post-Star
tiny.cc/li6fx
David Hyde Pierce to appear with orchestra
By Doug Gruse-dgruse@poststar.com Friday, July 29, 2011
When actor David Hyde Pierce takes the stage this weekend at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for the “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” concert, he will feel right at home.
A native of Saratoga Springs, Pierce, who is best known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Dr. Niles Crane on the TV sitcom “Frasier,” has fond childhood memories of SPAC.
“We went every summer and watched both the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra,” Pierce said. “It was so exciting to see live music. It’s such a different event. It’s visual, and you feel it in your bones.”
Pierce will narrate the Friday orchestra performance, which will be conducted by Charles Dutoit. The program will include music by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky and Ludwig van Beethoven.
At the age of 8, Pierce, inspired by hearing the orchestra, began taking piano lessons. He later played organ at Bethesda Episcopal Church and went on to study classical piano at Yale University.
Although he switched his focus to double major in English and Theatre Arts, music remained important.
“When I left ‘Frasier,’ I went to Broadway and started doing musicals. I had training as a musician, and I understand and appreciate music. I love both acting and music. It’s absolutely part of my life every day. I play the piano every day, and I go whenever I can to live concerts,” he said.
The actor views his role as narrator with the orchestras as more than just another performance.
“For me, this is an incredible and meaningful thing. I grew up listening to this orchestra in Saratoga Springs. And now to be back there and have the privilege to be on stage with this incredible group of musicians is a big deal for me,” he said.
Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” offers a unique glimpse at the components of a symphony, according to Pierce.
“It stands on its own as a great piece of music, even for people who may be used to going to concerts. You forget sometimes that an orchestra is made up of these individual instruments,” he said.
In addition to the thrill of performing with the orchestra, Pierce is happy to be a part of the long-standing tradition of the arts in Saratoga Springs.
“When I see where life has taken me, the roots for everything I have done have come from growing up in Saratoga,” he said. “The town was small enough that you knew your neighbors, yet there is this unbelievable artistic influence that you would expect to see in a big city. I was lucky enough to have been born and bred there and to have taken advantage of all that Saratoga has to offer. "
Also on the programme Stravinsky's 'Song of the Nightingale' and Beethoven's wonderful 7th Symphony .
Here's a nice article from The Post-Star
tiny.cc/li6fx
David Hyde Pierce to appear with orchestra
By Doug Gruse-dgruse@poststar.com Friday, July 29, 2011
When actor David Hyde Pierce takes the stage this weekend at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for the “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” concert, he will feel right at home.
A native of Saratoga Springs, Pierce, who is best known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Dr. Niles Crane on the TV sitcom “Frasier,” has fond childhood memories of SPAC.
“We went every summer and watched both the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra,” Pierce said. “It was so exciting to see live music. It’s such a different event. It’s visual, and you feel it in your bones.”
Pierce will narrate the Friday orchestra performance, which will be conducted by Charles Dutoit. The program will include music by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky and Ludwig van Beethoven.
At the age of 8, Pierce, inspired by hearing the orchestra, began taking piano lessons. He later played organ at Bethesda Episcopal Church and went on to study classical piano at Yale University.
Although he switched his focus to double major in English and Theatre Arts, music remained important.
“When I left ‘Frasier,’ I went to Broadway and started doing musicals. I had training as a musician, and I understand and appreciate music. I love both acting and music. It’s absolutely part of my life every day. I play the piano every day, and I go whenever I can to live concerts,” he said.
The actor views his role as narrator with the orchestras as more than just another performance.
“For me, this is an incredible and meaningful thing. I grew up listening to this orchestra in Saratoga Springs. And now to be back there and have the privilege to be on stage with this incredible group of musicians is a big deal for me,” he said.
Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” offers a unique glimpse at the components of a symphony, according to Pierce.
“It stands on its own as a great piece of music, even for people who may be used to going to concerts. You forget sometimes that an orchestra is made up of these individual instruments,” he said.
In addition to the thrill of performing with the orchestra, Pierce is happy to be a part of the long-standing tradition of the arts in Saratoga Springs.
“When I see where life has taken me, the roots for everything I have done have come from growing up in Saratoga,” he said. “The town was small enough that you knew your neighbors, yet there is this unbelievable artistic influence that you would expect to see in a big city. I was lucky enough to have been born and bred there and to have taken advantage of all that Saratoga has to offer. "
