Syracuse Symphony offers $5 rush tickets to SU students for ‘West Side Story Celebration’ May 23-24

Jaime Winne Alvarez
315 443-3784

The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO), a community partner with Syracuse University’s Pulse performing arts series, is offering $5 rush tickets to SU students for “A West Side Story Celebration” on Friday, May 23, and Saturday, May 24 , at 8 p.m. at the Mulroy Civic Center at Oncenter. The performance, which closes the 2007-08 M&T Bank Pops Series, will be conducted by guest conductor Grant Cooper.

The concert will feature the SSO, the Syracuse Symphony Pops Chorus under the direction of Lou Lemos (SU Oratorio Society), and guest vocalists sopranos Janet Brown (SU faculty member) and Mariel van Dalsum Boggs, tenor Bryan Burdick and baritone Rob Weintraub.

Highlighting music from some of Broadway’s most famous and entertaining shows, the performance will feature songs from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” including “I Feel Pretty” and “America.” Also included will be music from Rodgers and Hammerstein classics “Oklahoma” and “The Sound of Music,” in addition to overtures from Porter musicals “Anything Goes,” “Love for Sale” and “Ridin’ High.”

Cooper, artistic director and conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, served as associate conductor and later resident conductor of the SSO from 1997-2007, during which he gave almost 600 performances with the orchestra, garnering critical acclaim on all the major series.

Friday night’s performance is sponsored by Francis Audio-Visual Service Inc. and Saturday’s sponsor is The Attorneys Consortium. The media partner is 570-WSYR.

Tickets for the general public start at $20; $5 student rush tickets (subject to availability) will be available beginning at 6:30 p.m. the nights of the performances at the Civic Center Box Office.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.syracusesymphony.org or call the SSO Customer Service Center at (315) 424-8200 or (800) 724-3810.