In celebration of the centennial of the famed American composer Leonard Bernstein, American Voices presents “Bernstein at 100”, a series of programs featuring Bernstein’s compositions in Broadway, Jazz, and the Concert Stage.
In the “Bernstein on Broadway” program, a trio of New York’s nest Broadway performers will treat audiences to a memorable revue of Bernstein’s hit songs from “West Side Story”, “On The Town”, “Candide”, and “Wonderful Town”. Additionally, the program will highlight the music of Bernstein’s contemporaries such as Stephen Sondheim and early influences such as George Gershwin and Eubie Blake.
Kurt Ollman baritone
Kurt Ollmann came to prominence singing Riff on the Deutsche Grammophon recording of “West Side Story” under Leonard Bernstein. He sang “Pelléas” at La Scala, Milan and also appeared with the opera companies of Vienna, Rome, Santa Fe, Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles and with New York City Opera. He has presented song recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall and in Paris, Barcelona, and New York and various other European and North American cities and festivals. He has sung with the London Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre de Paris, the New York Philharmonic, and with the orchestras of Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco, among many others.
Among his many recordings are Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” with Placido Domingo, a Grammy award-winning version of Bernstein’s “Candide” and Ravel’s “L’Heure Espagnole” under Previn. He has premiered many new American works and was one of the original performers of THE AIDS QUILT SONGBOOK. With American Voices, Kurt Ollmann has toured in Lebanon, Malta, El Savador and Bolivia.
Mackenzie Thomas soprano
Originally from North Carolina, Mackenzie Thomas is currently performing the Soprano role in Cirque Du Soleil’s MYSTÈRE in Las Vegas. She previously performed as the lead acrobatic singer in the final closing cast of Cirque Du Soleil’s ZARKANA. In addition to her work with Cirque, Mackenzie has performed on National TV (NBC) and with the Broadway and North American touring companies of the hit show, MAMMA MIA! Her regional theatre credits include productions at Tuacahn, Indiana Repertory, Syracuse Stage, NC Theatre, York Theatre Company & Chicago Ravinia Festival. Mackenzie’s international work includes concert performances with The Tokyo Philharmonic and Orchestra Japan, Singapore’s Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, South Korea’s Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Evergreen Orchestra in Taiwan. Mackenzie is an alumni of Interlochen Arts Academy and the International Institute of Vocal Arts (Italy) and holds a Bachelor’s of Music degree in vocal performance from Northwestern University.
John Ferguson pianist and music director
John Ferguson is the Founder and Executive Director of American Voices. In 1993, he created American Voices to fulfill the need for quality constructive American cultural programming in the newly-independent nations of Central and Eastern Europe. He has appeared in prestigious venues such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Théatre de la Ville and Radio France in Paris, and Bonn’s Kunst- und Austellungshalle. In 1998, he conceived and implemented a series of centennial celebration concerts around the music of George Gershwin, taking a team of artists to over 40 nations ranging from Syria and Oman to Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.
