International Performing Arts for Youth presents the 32nd International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People, "Showcase 2010," January 20-23

Philadelphia, PA - The International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People (Showcase 2010), presented by International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY), is returning to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 20-23. This annual conference, held in a different city each year since 1979, will occur in and around Pittsburgh's Cultural District, and will be hosted by Pittsburgh International Children's Theater, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Showcase 2010 features 21 professional performing arts companies from around the world that create dance, music, and theater specifically for young people. The companies are selected by an international committee comprised of experts in the field of performing arts for youth, including accomplished artists and artistic or programming directors, arts education directors, children's festival directors, and artist managers. This year's companies come from Australia, Canada, Iceland, The Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, The United Kingdom, and The United States.

Showcase attracts more than 400 artists, agents and presenters from across the world to view, discuss, and book the work for North American tours. Showcase features an exhibit area that provides display information and video material on touring productions. As an educational service to the field, the conference offers professional development learning communities which engage current issues and trends. Of particular significance this year, IPAY will present a keynote address by Liz Lerman of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and a guest lecture by renowned children's book author Mo Willems.

Showcasing artists are 500 Clown (USA), Arena Theatre Company (Australia), Bambalina (Spain), The Billy Jonas Band (USA), Dallas Brass (USA), DynamO Théâtre (Canada), Kaha:wi Dance Theatre (Canada), Katarsis Educación y Teatro S.L. (Spain), Le Théâtre Motus (Canada), Mark Nizer (USA), Polyglot Theatre (Australia), The Possible Theatre/Moguleikhusid (Iceland), Project (USA), Runt Productions (USA), Tall Stories (UK), Terrapin Puppet Theatre (Australia), Theatreworks, USA (USA), Visible Fictions (Scotland), Windmill Performing Arts (Australia), and Youth dance company De Stilte (The Netherlands).

Registration for Showcase 2010 is available at www.ipayweb.org. Register to exhibit before November 1 or register to attend Showcase before December 1 and save $50. Contact Daniel Student, Administrative Director, at 267-690-1325 or daniel@ipayweb.org for any questions regarding the conference.

ABOUT IPAY
Since 2001, International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) has created professional and educational opportunities supporting meaningful performing arts experiences for young audiences in North America. IPAY is proud to be the only service organization devoted exclusively to the entire performing arts for youth industry, including all forms of theatre, dance, and music. It exists to serve its membership consisting of presenters, artists, and agents/managers from throughout the world by providing meaningful engagement with, and support of, the presentation and creation of new and established work for young audiences in North America. Learn more about IPAY and whether membership is right for you at www.ipayweb.org.

ABOUT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S THEATER
Pittsburgh International Children's Theater, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, opens the door for children to experience professional performing arts programming for children which inspires, challenges, educates, and stimulates respect for and an understanding of all cultures in an entertaining and enlightening way. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh's 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh.

ABOUT LIZ LERMAN
Liz Lerman is a choreographer, performer, writer, educator, and speaker. Described by the Washington Post as "the source of an epochal revolution in the scope and purposes of dance art," her dance/theater works have been seen throughout the United States and abroad. She founded Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in 1976, and has cultivated the company's unique multi-generational ensemble, with dancers whose ages span five decades, into a leading force in contemporary dance. Liz has been the recipient of numerous honors, including the American Choreographer Award, the American Jewish Congress "Golda" Award, and Washingtonian magazine's 1988 Washingtonian of the Year.

ABOUT MO WILLEMS
Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator for PBS' Sesame Street, where he garnered 6 Emmy Awards for his writing. His debut children's book effort, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! became a New York Times Bestseller and was awarded the first of Mo's three Caldecott Honors in 2004. In addition to picture books, Mo created the Elephant and Piggie books, a series of "Easy Readers", which were awarded the Theodor Suess Geisel Medal in 2008 and 2009, and an illustrated memoir of his year-long trip around the world in 1990-91 entitled You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When it Monsoons. Mo is currently writing the script and lyrics for Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, commissioned by the Kennedy Center for its 2010 season.

ABOUT THE SHOWCASING ARTISTS
Since 2000, 500 Clown has used action-based performance and circus arts to tell long-form dramatic stories. In 500 Clown Frankenstein, three clowns embark on a madcap journey to construct Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. Bound in elaborate period costumes, the trio struggles through acrobatic feats in an extended battle with an unruly table. The result is the creation of unexpected horror, "scattershot, ribald, and exhilarating" -The New York Times

Established in 1966, Arena Theatre Company is one of Australia's longest-running producers of theatre for young audiences. Created for 5-12 year olds and their families, Mr Freezy is an inventive and hilarious blend of puppetry and live performance set in an ice-cream van.

Over its 27 years of history, Bambalina has always been outstanding for the interdisciplinary vocation of its shows and for its use of a theatre language in tune with the most contemporary playwrights. Trees give us shade, fruit, flowers, medicine, oxygen... and paper. They were asking themselves where the soul of a tree converted into paper could be hiding. One thing occurred to them: make the folds sing. And that is what gave rise to Kraft.

The Billy Jonas Band's music is percussion-based, making use of found and traditional instruments, helping audiences discover the music within common items and within themselves. Jonas has received multiple awards including a First Place/Gold from AFIM (American Federation of Independent Musicians), numerous Parent's Choice Golds and two New York Times "Best" listings.

Since its founding in 1983, the Dallas Brass has become one of America's foremost musical ensembles. Their show, American Musical Journey, takes the audience on a musical travelogue from George Washington's era through the present with marches, Broadway musicals, music from Hollywood, Dixieland, and much more. The Dallas Brass has performed at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and more.

DynamO Théâtre focuses on producing and performing original plays that draw on acrobatic movement, physical acting, clowning and poetic imagery as a dramatic language. Thrice upon a time... is a modern-day tale that draws on domestic and foreign legends. It features three young people forced to confront their fears to overcome an evil witch, as movement and live music grippingly and evocatively depict the courage of children in our often forbidding world.

Canada's premiere Aboriginal dance company, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre creates, produces and presents original works, festivals and educational programming inspired by Aboriginal culture. Entertaining and insightful, the Iroquois Creation Story comes to life in A Story Before Time. Audiences are delighted by the perfect fusion of contemporary and traditional dance and music.

A new and dynamic company, Katarsis, Educación y Teatro S.L. was founded in 2006 by Canada's Actor and Director Kevin Stewart and Spanish Artist and Educator Carolina Ramos. They will perform Bedtime (Pa Cama), in which two friends discover a world of adventures before bedtime that distracts them from falling asleep.

Le Théâtre Motus combines the talents of a new generation of artists with artists who have already made their mark in Quebec's theatre community to explore colored shadow theatre, acting techniques and puppeteering. In Baobab, a huge and ancient baobab stands in the middle of a Western African forest. One day, this ancient baobab brings forth an egg. From this egg is born a little boy. But who is he?

Performance Magazine called Mark Nizer's show "nothing less than brilliant." His invention of the Laser Diablo merges juggling, light and technology. Imagine four lasers being juggled at thousands of rpms, with the spinning laser beams dancing just above the audience's heads.

Polyglot Theater is Australia's leading creator of experiential, interactive and installation theatre for children aged up to 12 years. We Built This City is a conceptual installation which celebrates absolute simplicity and the power of children's imaginations. It is a public construction site, using nothing but thousands and thousands of cardboard boxes and the energy and ingenuity of kids and families. We Built This City is not a play - it IS play.

The Possible Theater/Moguleikhusid is a professional theatre in Reykjavik that concentrates on plays for children and young people. The Prophecy tells the story of Odinn, a prominent god in Nordic mythology, and his ongoing quest for knowledge. Featuring one actor and a cellist, this play is performed in the style of Storytelling Theater, where the actor both narrates and transforms into several characters.

Project is a dynamic chamber music ensemble comprised of three virtuosic composer/performers from Brooklyn, NY. Blending their classical training with an eclectic taste in musical styles, Project has burst right out of the internet generation with Greg Pattillo's 40 million views on youtube.com and a special appearance on the Nickolodeon show, iCarly.

Runt Productions was founded in 1998 to produce compelling stories that both entertain and educate. Bo Eason's life story, Runt of the Litter premiered in Houston in 2000; and enjoyed 2 off-Broadway runs in 2001 and 2007. The NY Times called it, "One of the most powerful plays about sports in the last decade."

London-based Tall Stories presents old, new and timeless stories in a physical, visual style and link original music with movement and lots of laughs. In Room on a Broom, an adventure about friendship and cooperation, a helpful dog, bird and frog find a witch's lost things, and they all hop on board her broomstick for a ride. "Tall Stories sets the benchmark for children's theatre" (The Sunday Times)

Terrapin Puppet Theatre is the Australian innovator of puppetry-based visual theatre embracing new technologies, creating contemporary storytelling, and touring and collaborating nationally and internationally. Boats is a story of two mariners fleeing their past and embracing adventure. The sound effects are created live, a boat is cut from bread, a bird tied from a rope, a circus hides in a jacket. And finally a storm is made with a teacup.

Theatreworks, USA was founded in 1961and has since received honors such as the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Awards. Click Clack Moo is a new musical based on the Caldecott Honor book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, directed by Tony Award winner John Rando.

For over 17 years, Visible Fictions has created vibrant, high quality and accessible theatre for both young people and adults alike. In Shopping for Shoes, a visually witty, fast paced performance, ever-changing kinetic set, and funny, award-winning script tell a heart warming tale of new found love, dog poo and of course - shoes.

Since its inception in 2002, Windmill Performing Arts has performed across Australia and the world winning a swag of state and national awards. Featuring rhyme, funky tunes, quirky puppetry and intriguing design, Plop! is specifically crafted to provide preschool audiences with intimate and non-threatening first theatrical experiences. Plop! explores the fear of unknown things that sometimes aren't so scary after all.

Youth dance company De Stilte is the only professional dance company in the Southern region of The Netherlands that focuses entirely on developing and producing performances for children. In Madcap, three dancers enter the stage for a splendid event: children at play. They vie to conquer their place in a game, to share their imagination and to confirm their friendship.

Phila Singers in Concert at Verizon Hall is Centrepiece of National Conference

THE PHILADELPHIA SINGERS PRESENTS CENTERPIECE CONCERT OF 32^ND ANNUAL CHORUS AMERICA CONFERENCE

500 arts leaders from across the United States and Canada expected to attend Conference and The Philadelphia Singers Centerpiece Concert in The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Philadelphia Singers will host the 32^nd Annual National Chorus America Conference in Philadelphia from June 10^th through the 13^th at the Hyatt at Penn’s Landing and has the distinct honor of presenting the Centerpiece Concert in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce Streets, on Thursday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. The concert will include Donald Martino’s a cappella Seven Pious Pieces and Charles Martin Loeffler’s gorgeous By the Rivers of Babylon performed by The Philadelphia Singers fully professional chorus. The finale will feature Anton Bruckner’s exquisite and seldom performed masterpiece, Mass in E Minor, featuring the glorious 150-voice Philadelphia Singers Chorale. The concert is open to the general public. Tickets are $36, $51 and $61 and may be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.philadelphiasingers.org.

Music Director David Hayes said, “The Centerpiece Conference will put the artistic focus almost exclusively on the chorus, showcasing The Philadelphia Singers’ artistry and virtuosity.” Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor combines moments of quiet a cappella tranquility with passages of soaring beauty. The Philadelphia Singers Chorale will be joined by woodwinds and brass from the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. A unique combination of flutes, harp, cello and organ will accompany the women of The Philadelphia Singers on Loeffler’s By The Rivers of Babylon and will feature organist Michael Stairs on The Kimmel Center’s magnificent Fred J. Cooper memorial organ. An expanded chorus of fifty-voices from the fully-professional ensemble will perform Martino’s a cappella Seven Pious Pieces.

Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor for chorus, wind and brass instruments is considered his first great work, premiering in 1866 when he was 42 years old. It is a beautiful combination of intricate Italian Renaissance polyphony and the dark sonorities and lush harmonies of the Romantic period. His use of a wind band makes it unique among the composer's works and among 19th-century liturgical works in general. Bruckner's choral writing is among the most glorious and powerful in all Romantic music: the polyphony for eight-part chorus in the Kyrie and the Sanctus is matched by few of his contemporaries. Bruckner's harmonic language is enormously expressive throughout, and much of the music is obviously inspired by the music of Wagner, whose Tristan und Isolde Bruckner had just heard.

American Donald Martino, who died in 2005, won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1974 and was the former chair of the New England Conservatory’s composition department. His Seven Pious Pieces is an a cappella work for mixed chorus set to texts by 17^th century poet Robert Herrick. The Philadelphia Singers previously performed the piece in 1994 at its Philadelphia Premiere. Although Martino was known as an academic and a serialist composer, in an interview with the Boston Globe in 1980, he said, ''My music is not austere and academic. It is a fantasy that anyone writes academic music. I write music for people to listen to, to react to; I want them to say, 'Hey, this is nice!' " It is in this spirit that he set out to write Seven Pious Pieces, which he composed with an intent to demonstrate that a twelve-pitch piece could be made to sound tonal.

Charles Martin Loeffler was born in Germany, but lived most of his life in America, becoming a U.S. Citizen in 1887. By the Rivers of Babylon is set to text from Psalm 137. It is typical of his choral writing, which he often set to texts that reflect the sadness and transience of life, the loss of something once known and loved. To express this quality, he used a unique instrumentation of two flutes, harp, cello and organ. The melodic line is reminiscent of the reciting tones of Gregorian chant and the unusual orchestration provides an intriguing contrast to the women’s chorus.

The 32^nd Annual Chorus America Conference and Centerpiece Concert will shine a national spotlight on The Philadelphia Singers, and welcome the service organization back to its birthplace. Michael Korn, who founded The Philadelphia Singers in 1972, established Chorus America in 1977 as the Association of Professional Vocal Ensembles. The association has since expanded and in 1993 officially changed its name to Chorus America to reflect its role as a service organization that embraces the broad spectrum of choruses. For more information on Chorus America Conference and the Conference visit www.chorusamerica.org.

The Philadelphia Singers, a professional choral ensemble, engages and inspires a broad range of audiences in the Philadelphia region with compelling concert experiences. The Singers has a special commitment to preserve and strengthen America’s rich choral heritage through performances, commissions, and music education. It seeks to enrich the broader community through embodying the highest standards of classical musicianship and providing a platform for its musicians to serve the community in a wide variety of formats.

Founded in 1972 by Michael Korn, The Philadelphia Singers has been under the dynamic leadership of Music Director and Conductor David Hayes since 1992. For 36 years, The Philadelphia Singers has contributed to the city’s vibrant cultural community through presenting choral music of the highest caliber, meaningful education and community programs, and significant collaborations with local, national and internationally recognized performing arts organizations. In 2001, The Philadelphia Singers Chorale was named Resident Chorus of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the first time in the orchestra’s history that a chorus has received this distinction. The Philadelphia Singers Chorale appears on all of the orchestra’s choral subscriptions concerts including performances at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts annual performances of Handel’s Messiah and the “Glorious Sounds of Christmas” as well as appearances at the Saratoga Performance Arts Center. Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch, Conductor Laureate of The Philadelphia Orchestra, hails The Singers as “one of the musical treasures of Philadelphia.”

Showcase 2009

International Performing Arts for Youth presents the
31st International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People, "Showcase 2009," January 21-24, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People (Showcase 2009), presented by International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY), is returning to PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, January 21-24. This annual event, held in a different city each year since 1979, attracts more than 400 artists, agents and presenters from across North America and the world. Showcase 2009 features 15 professional performing arts companies from around the world that create dance, music and theater specifically for young people. The companies are selected by an international committee comprised of experts in the field of performing arts for youth, including accomplished artists and artistic or programming directors, arts education directors, children's festival directors, and artist managers. This year's companies come from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Republic of the Congo, Scotland, The Netherlands, and The United States. Showcasing artists include Cas Public (Canada), Compagnie Punta Negra (Republic of the Congo), Corbian Visual Arts & Dance (USA), CORONA LA BALANCE - Danish National Ensemble for Children's Theatre (Denmark), Dream Jam Band (USA), Introdans Ensemble for Youth (The Netherlands), Jessica Wilson Productions (Australia), Nephesh Theatre (Israel), Nightswimming (Canada), Off Broadway Booking (USA), Puppet State Theatre Company (Scotland), Rennie Harris Puremovement (USA), Slingsby Theatre Company (Australia), Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (Australia), and Terrence Simien & The Zydeco Experience (USA.)

"The Arrival is such a special show... so warm and heartfelt... and it is a great privilege to get to present it at the IPAY Showcase," says Cathcart Weatherly, General Manager of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, one of Australia's leading producers of theatre for children and families. "Coming from Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated city on the planet, this is a great opportunity for [us] to show off our premier work at the Showcase and look to building a tour of North America"

Showcase features an exhibit area that provides display information and video material on touring productions. As an educational service to the field, the conference offers professional development learning communities which engage current issues and trends. Of particular significance this year, IPAY will present a plenary session led by Teresa Eyring, Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group.

"In hosting Showcase in 2005, 2007, and now 2009, I have had a unique perspective in watching the conference grow in size and scope," says Colleen Porter, Director of Arts Education at PlayhouseSquare. "With artists from more countries around the world applying and performing each year, the shows presented continue to reach new heights in artistic excellence. Furthermore, the professional development has grown from a one day event to a plethora of sessions and topics that run the length of Showcase. Our attendees' response to the performances is reflected in their dialogue during the learning communities, allowing for a truly integrated and thought-provoking conference experience."

Since 2001, International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) has created professional and educational opportunities supporting meaningful performing arts experiences for young audiences in North America. IPAY is proud to be the only service organization devoted exclusively to the entire performing arts for youth industry, including all forms of theatre, dance, and music. It exists to serve its membership consisting of presenters, artists, and agents/managers from throughout the world by providing meaningful engagement with, and support of, the presentation and creation of new and established work for young audiences in North America.

"We are both proud and excited to host our colleagues throughout North America and indeed from around the world, in this world-class facility at PlayhouseSquare", says IPAY Board President, Boomer Stacey. "This global community meeting place provides a spark to stimulate international dialogue and collaboration, a hub for artists, presenters, educators and promoters to connect and work together, as well as creating a portal to look at what and how we produce or program for young audiences here in North America - and it all stems from the work that is happening on-stage. "

Registration for Showcase 2009 or membership to IPAY is available at www.ipayweb.org. Register to exhibit before October 1 or register to attend Showcase before November 1 and save $50. Contact Daniel Student, Administrative Director, at 267-690-1325 or daniel@ipayweb.org for any questions regarding the conference.

Ondine and Curtis Institute of Music to record world premiere recording of Hindemith left-hand piano work

Featuring pianist Leon Fleisher and Christoph Eschenbach conducting the Curtis Symphony Orchestra; to be released in spring 2009

(Helsinki, Finland, & New York, NY) – Ondine proudly announces the world première recording of a work by Paul Hindemith, scheduled for release in spring 2009. The Klaviermusik mit Orchester op. 29 for piano left hand and orchestra, which Hindemith wrote in 1923 for Paul Wittgenstein, was only discovered in 2002 and had an acclaimed 2004 world première in Berlin with Leon Fleisher as soloist. Fleisher will also perform on April 27th during a concert by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach at Philadelphia's Verizon Hall, where the piece will be recorded together with Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World").

The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and Ondine will collaborate in the production and distribution of the recording: Curtis will record, edit, and produce, while Ondine will manufacture and distribute the final product to an international market. Executive producer of the recording will be Kevin Kleinmann, formerly vice president of PolyGram/Universal Classics.

Reijo Kiilunen, founder and managing director of Ondine, said, "We're happy that our fruitful relationship with Christoph Eschenbach is expanding to include his work with Curtis. This project not only gives us the opportunity to add the never before recorded Hindemith work to the Ondine catalogue, but it will be the first time a commercial recording featuring the Curtis Symphony Orchestra has been released in over a decade."

Curtis President Roberto Díaz said, "We are delighted to have the opportunity to share the extraordinary artistry of Curtis students with a worldwide audience. Over the past few years, Christoph Eschenbach has led the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in many outstanding performances, and this project will capture their unique relationship on record."

The Ondine catalogue already includes many recordings by Christoph Eschenbach. "I'm very pleased to be a part of another recording project with Ondine," he said. "It's a joy to conduct the remarkable young musicians in the Curtis orchestra, and I'm particularly looking forward to leading the first-ever commercial recording of the Hindemith work with the wonderful soloist who premiered it, Leon Fleisher."

For over twenty years, Ondine has remained true to its founding principle: uncompromising devotion to excellence in recorded music. The label's mission is to support creative efforts in the field of contemporary music and to showcase performances by top artists which bring a new dimension to established works of the classical repertoire. An exceptional case in the world of independent labels, Ondine has increasingly expanded its recorded repertoire from chamber to orchestral music and opera. Strong partnerships have linked Ondine to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, and Tapiola Sinfonietta, in addition to the Orchestre de Paris and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Ondine recordings feature conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Leif Segerstam, Sakari Oramo, John Storgårds, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Mikko Franck, and Oliver Knussen.

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra, called "an orchestra that any city would be lucky to have as its professional ensemble" (The Philadelphia Inquirer), was last featured on a commercial recording in 1995, when EMI Classics released a disc of works by Vaughan Williams conducted by André Previn. The orchestra performs a three-concert season in Philadelphia's Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, as well as programs elsewhere in the region and occasionally at Carnegie Hall. Recent visiting conductors include Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert, Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. This real-world training has enabled Curtis alumni to assume prominent positions in major orchestras across the United States, Canada, and abroad. Seventeen percent of the principal chairs in America's top twenty-five orchestras are held by Curtis-trained musicians.

The Curtis Institute of Music trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level. One of the world's leading music schools, Curtis provides full-tuition scholarships to all of its 162 students, ensuring that admissions are based solely on artistic promise. A Curtis education is uniquely tailored to the individual student, with personalized attention from a celebrated faculty and unusually frequent performance opportunities. This distinctive "learn by doing" approach to musical training has produced an impressive number of notable artists, from such legends as Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber to current stars Juan Diego Flórez, Alan Gilbert, Hilary Hahn, Jennifer Higdon, and Lang Lang.