SEPTEMBER 6 & 7, 8:30 PM

September 6 Media Sponsor: K-BIG 104.3

September 7 Sponsored by Pasadena Showcase for the Arts

Media Sponsor: 94.7 THE WAVE

Visit the Bard in the Cahuenga Pass, on Friday and Saturday, September 6 & 7 at 8:30 p.m., when Seattle's renowned Pacific Northwest Ballet dances an adaptation of George Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream on the historic stage of the Hollywood Bowl in its debut at the venue. In addition to music by Mendelssohn, principal conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra perform other compositions throughout the concert inspired by Shakespeare's works.

In 1962, Russian choreographer George Balanchine created his full-length story ballet, A Midsummer Night's Dream for his company, the New York City Ballet, during a prolific period during which he created most of his popular ballets. The piece, based upon the Shakespeare play, is set to the timeless overture and incidental music that Felix Mendelssohn composed by commission of Friedrich Wilhelm IV in 1842 for a production of the play that took place in 1843.

The PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET has become the fifth largest and one of the most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States. Founded in 1972 and under the artistic guidance of Kent Stowell and Francia Russell since 1977, the company is comprised of 50 professional dancers from around the world who present more than 100 performances each season in Seattle and on tour. The active repertory of the Pacific Northwest Ballet includes original Stowell compositions, George Balanchine masterpieces staged by Russell, contemporary works commissioned specifically for the company, and classics from the ballet and modern dance repertory. Its own professional ballet school, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, is heralded as one of the best training institutions in the country. These performances mark the company's Bowl debut.

JOHN MAUCERI's accomplishments extend nationally and internationally, not only to the world's greatest opera companies and symphony orchestras, but also to the musical stages of Broadway and Hollywood, before large television and radio audiences, and in recording studios and major publications. Mauceri has received substantial recognition for his work as one of the principal forces behind the movement to preserve two of America's great art forms, the American musical and music for the American cinema. He is equally at home conducting artists ranging from Plácido Domingo (during a live broadcast of the Grammy Awards) to Madonna (with whom he recorded the soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita), from Garth Brooks (an inaugural inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame) to the Smashing Pumpkins (for the 1996 MTV Music Awards). Carol Burnett, Chicago, John Denver, Rodney Gilfry, Jonathan Pryce, Jane Eaglen, Jennifer Larmore, Patrick Stewart, Tito Puente, Charlotte Church, and Trisha Yearwood are among the multitude of artists who have performed with Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Mauceri's first recordings with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra reached the "Top Ten" in Billboard's crossover chart, and one received Germany's highest award, the Deutsche Schallplatten Prize. To date, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra has made four successful tours to Japan and one to Brazil. Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra have presented an astonishing number of premieres, and under Mauceri's tenure, opera and ballet returned to the Bowl's stage. In addition to his Hollywood Bowl position, Mauceri has served as music director for the Pittsburgh Opera since June 2000. The only American ever to have held the post of music director of an opera house in Great Britain and Italy, he served as music director of the Scottish Opera, and recently completed his three-year tenure as music director (direttore stabile) of the Teatro Reggio in Torino.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Friday, September 6, 8:30 PM

Saturday, September 7, 8:30 PM

Much Ado About Something - Shakespeare at the Bowl

Hollywood Bowl (2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood)

HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA

JOHN MAUCERI, conductor

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET, KENT STOWELL & FRANCIA RUSSELL, artistic directors

September 6 Media Sponsor: K-BIG 104.3

September 7 Pasadena Showcase for the Arts

Media Sponsor: 94.7 THE WAVE

Tickets ($3 - 90) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at hollywoodbowl.com. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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