Tony Award Winner Brian Stokes Mitchell Joins Marilyn Horne, the beloved Sesame Street Muppets, and John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for July 4th Fireworks Spectacular

July 2 sponsored by Bank of America, with additional media support by KOST-FM and KCET-TV
July 3 and 4 generously sponsored by Farmers Insurance, with additional media support July 3 by KTWV

Principal Conductor John Mauceri leads the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in the annual July 4th Fireworks Spectacular at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 2, 3, and 4, at 7:30 p.m. The performances feature Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame recipient Marilyn Horne, Tony award-winning vocalist Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Sesame Street Muppets characters Big Bird, Elmo, Grover and other special Sesame Street friends for an evening of celebration and surprises.

The concert celebrates the nation's birthday with an all-American program of patriotic songs and American standards, including the Olympic Fanfare and Theme from the 1904 St. Louis Olympics and the Glenn Miller classic In the Mood. In addition, Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra also celebrate noted anniversaries with this performance, including the 100th anniversary of the St. Louis World Fair, the first Olympics held in the U.S., and the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Under the newly-constructed Hollywood Bowl shell, Horne and Mitchell perform three of Copland's Old American Songs, including "I Bought Me A Cat" and "Simple Gifts." Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra present other traditional American celebration favorites; the artists then join forces with the lovable Muppets from Sesame Street in the second half. Each evening is capped by spectacular Bowl fireworks for a rousing conclusion.

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 artforms, 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 Turino.

Dubbed "the last leading man" by the New York Times, BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL's spectacular Broadway career includes a starring role as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha for which he received the Helen Hayes Award and Tony nomination. He won the 2000 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Best Leading Actor in a Musical" for his performance as Fred Graham/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate. Other Broadway performances include Coalhouse Walker in "Ragtime" (Tony Nom.), August Wilson's King Hedley II (Tony Nom.), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Valentin), Jelly's Last Jam (replacing Gregory Hines), and David Merrick's "Oh, Kay!" His performance in "Mail" earned him the Theatre World Award for outstanding Broadway Debut. He has also starred in the City Center "Encores" productions of "Carnival" and "Do Re Mi". Stokes has performed numerous times at Carnegie Hall, making his debut at the 1988 televised Gershwin Gala with the San Francisco Symphony. He has also been a frequent guest at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, most recently appearing in the title role of Sweeney Todd at the last year's tremendously successful Sondheim Celebration. He has had recurring roles on Frasier and Crossing Jordan with numerous other TV and film credits including DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt, Too Rich with Lauren Bacall, Double Platinum with Diana Ross, and Call Me Claus with Whoopi Goldberg, Ruby's Bucket of Blood with Angela Bassett and PBS "Great Performances". His TV series debut began as a seven year stint on Trapper John, M.D. He has appeared on more than 10 albums and is currently working on his first solo CD.

As one of the world's most popular performers, MARILYN HORNE has received numerous accolades and honors in the arts. With a career spanning almost four decades, Miss Horne sang at the Reagan, Bush and Clinton White Houses and at President Clinton's inauguration in 1993. Among her many worldwide prizes are the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters from France's Ministry of Culture, the Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, the Fidelio Gold Medal from the International Association of Opera Directors, and the Covent Garden Silver Medal for Outstanding Service. In an unprecedented move, Marilyn Horne received Italy's first Rossini Medaglia d'Oro, created especially for her. Grammy Awards have been presented to Miss Horne for several of her operatic recordings. These include Handel's Semele (Deutsche Grammaphon), Presenting Marilyn Horne, In Concert at the Met with Leontyne Price and Marilyn Horne, and Carmen (conducted by Leonard Bernstein). Her most recent releases include a collection of songs of Bernstein, Barber and Bolcom, entitled I Will Breathe a Mountain, and a recording of the songs of Irving Berlin that was released by VAI in 2000.The 2003-2004 season marked several milestones for Marilyn Horne, including her 70th birthday on January 16th, 2004, the 50th anniversary of her operatic debut at the age of 20 with the Los Angeles Guild Opera, and the 10th Anniversary of both the Marilyn Horne Foundation and her position as chair of the voice department at the Music Academy of the West, of which she is an alumnus. Throughout all of these celebrations, she continues to be one of America's most beloved artists, and one of the busiest, with a full schedule of concerts, recitals and teaching activities.

SESAME WORKSHOP is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Sesame Street, Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat.

One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and, in 1991 gave its name to The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. The 2004 season introduces audiences to a revitalized Hollywood Bowl, featuring a newly-constructed shell and stage and the addition of four stadium screens enhancing stage views in the venue. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "Summer Sounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 35th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and last summer close to one million admissions were recorded. It is no wonder that the Bowl's summer music festivals have become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers and Disneyland.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Friday, July 2, 2004 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, July 3, 2004 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, July 4, 2004 at 7:30 PM

Hollywood Bowl

2301 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood

JOHN MAUCERI, conductor

BIG BIRD, ELMO, GROVER, ZOE and ROSITA from Sesame Street

MARILYN HORNE and BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, special guests

ARNAUD Bugler's Dream

WILLIAMS Olympic Fanfare and Theme

HERRMANN Fandango from North by Northwest

BARRY Dances with Wolves

BERNSTEIN The Magnificent Seven

GLENN MILLER In the Mood

COPLAND I Bought Me a Cat

COPLAND Simple Gifts

RODGERS Victory at Sea Suite

July 2 sponsored by Bank of America, with additional media support by KOST-FM and KCET-TV
July 3 and 4 generously sponsored by Farmers Insurance, with additional media support July 3 by KTWV

Tickets ($6 - $160) 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. Children 12 and under are half-price. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850-2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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