Leonard Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools. At Harvard University, he studied with Walter Piston, Edward Burlingame-Hill, and A. Tillman Merritt, among others. Before graduating in 1939, he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to "The Birds," and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock." Then at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, conducting with Fritz Reiner, and orchestration with Randall Thompson.
In 1940, he studied at the ... read more
Arthur Laurents was a renowned American playwright, screenwriter, and director who was born on July 14, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. He was a prominent figure in the entertainment industry for over six decades and was widely regarded as one of the most influential playwrights of his generation.
Laurents began his career in the theater as an assistant to playwrights such as Robert E. Sherwood and Moss Hart. He made his Broadway debut as a playwright in 1945 with the play "Home of the Brave," which dealt with anti-Semitism in the military. The play was a critical and commercial success and ... read more
JEROME ROBBINS (born 11 October 1918 in New York City) was the younger of two children of Harry Rabinowitz, who emigrated to America from Poland in 1904, and his wife Lena Rips. Rabinowitz was at first a shopkeeper with a delicatessen on the Upper East Side of Manhattan; in the 1920’s he moved the family to Jersey City and then to Weehawken, New Jersey, where he and a brother-in-law established the Comfort Corset Company. Young Jerome, who showed an early aptitude for music, dancing, and theatrics, attended schools in Weehawken and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1935. Intending ... read more
Parker Esse
Guys and Dolls
[Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada ( Shaw Festival Theater), 2013]
Choreographer
Carousel
[East Haddam, CT (Goodspeed - Regional), 2012]
Choreographer
Music Man
[Washington, DC (Arena Stage - Regional), 2012]
Choreographer
Buddy- The Buddy Holly Story
[Flat Rock, NC (Flat Rock Playhouse - Regional), 2011]
Choreographer
Oklahoma! (Revival)
[Washington, DC (Arena Stage - Regional) 2011]
Choreographer
Oklahoma!
[Washington, DC (Arena Stage - Regional), 2010]
Choreographer
Winner Helen Hayes Award Best Choreography
The Light In the Piazza
[Washington, DC (Arena Stage - Regional), 2010]
Choreographer
Mystery of Irma Vep
[Washington, DC (Arena Stage - Regional), 2008]
Choreographer
The Brand New Kid
[Washington, DC (The Kennedy Center - Regional), 2006]
Choreographer
Associate/Assistant Choreographer Broadway/Off-Broadway:
Finian's Rainbow [Broadway, 2009]
Associate Choreographer
A Tale of Two Cities [Broadway, 2008]
Associate Choreographer
Rated P for ... read more
Jon Kalbfleisch enjoys a multi-faceted musical life as a conductor, pianist, award-winning music director, freelance musician and organist. Having conducted ballet, opera, symphonic music, choral works, contemporary music and Broadway musicals, he has an interest in a wide range of musical styles. In Oklahoma, after five years as its music director and conductor, he has guided the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra to newfound heights both in terms of artistic success and community outreach. Symphony magazine recently highlighted the LPO’s Art Inspired by Music project; local students inspired by the music of Beethoven created some 4,000 original artworks. Previously, Jon was ... read more
Broadway: Rock of Ages, The Threepenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park, Good Vibrations. Recent: Uncle Vanya (CSC), Rock of Ages, Clay (LCT3), Scarcity (Atlantic), The Piano Teacher (South Coast Rep), Vigils (Goodman), Evil Dead the Musical (NYC and Toronto), Shout! The Mod Musical, Sive, The Field (Irish Rep), Once Around the Sun, Kiki & Herb: Coup de Theatre. The New Group: Mourning Becomes Electra, Rafta Rafta, Two Thousand Years, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Abigail’s Party, Hurlyburly, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Comedians. Faculty: Purchase College. ... read more
JEROME ROBBINS (born 11 October 1918 in New York City) was the younger of two children of Harry Rabinowitz, who emigrated to America from Poland in 1904, and his wife Lena Rips. Rabinowitz was at first a shopkeeper with a delicatessen on the Upper East Side of Manhattan; in the 1920’s he moved the family to Jersey City and then to Weehawken, New Jersey, where he and a brother-in-law established the Comfort Corset Company. Young Jerome, who showed an early aptitude for music, dancing, and theatrics, attended schools in Weehawken and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1935. Intending ... read more
