Her Performance is the First in New "Songbook Series" Presented by the
Los Angeles Philharmonic Association

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21 AT 7:30 PM

Media support provided by Oldies 540/1260

Legendary songstress Barbara Cook brings the melodies of Broadway to Walt Disney Concert Hall in a one-night performance on Sunday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. Barbara Cook launches the L.A. Phil's new "Songbook Series" with her new show, Barbara Cook's Broadway for which she received a New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The three-concert series, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, celebrates the art of song in various forms from the hits of musical theater to Canadian roots to classic American standards.

Barbara Cook's Broadway is only a taste of repertoire the Broadway Hall of Famer has made famous throughout her illustrious career. Introduced earlier this year at Lincoln Center Theater, Cook's show includes a selection of her favorite tunes from the Great White Way's supreme songwriters: Bock and Harnick, Kander and Ebb, Jerry Herman, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne, among others. The concert was conceived by Cook and her long-time music director of thirty years, Wally Harper, who passed away recently. Cook performs this show with Don Rebic at the piano and Peter Donovan on bass.

The Songbook Series continues with k.d. lang (January 7, 2005) performing songs from her new album, Hymns from the 49th Parallel, by Canadian songwriters Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and others; and concludes with Peter Cincotti (March 4, 2005) performing The New American Standard, with classics from the 1940s and '50s plus contemporary pop songs infused with a jazz twist.

BARBARA COOK'S silvery soprano, purity of tone, and warm presence have delighted audiences around the world for more than 50 years. The recipient of a Tony, a Grammy, a Drama Desk Award, a Special New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and named as a Living New York Landmark and inducted into the Broadway Hall of Fame, Ms. Cook was considered "Broadway's favorite ingenue" during the heyday of the Broadway musical. She then launched a second career as a concert and cabaret artist who soared from one professional peak to another. Whether in the intimate setting of New York's Café Carlyle or on the stages of major international venues throughout the world, Ms. Cook's popularity continues to thrive - as evidenced by her 1997 birthday concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Albert Hall in London, triumphant returns to Carnegie Hall in 1998, 2001 and again in 2003, and her New Year's Eve Millennium concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Ms. Cook and her musical director, the late Wally Harper recently premiered their latest concert, Barbara Cook's Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater in New York. The concert was recorded live by DRG Records and released in July 2004 as Ms. Cook's most recent recording on that label. A native of Atlanta, Barbara Cook made her Broadway debut in 1951 as the ingénue lead in the musical Flahooley. She subsequently had starring roles in Oklahoma!, Carousel, and Plain and Fancy before creating the role of Cunegonde in the original production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide. Having won the highly prestigious Tony Award for her portrayal of Marian the Librarian in the premiere production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, Ms. Cook followed with She Loves Me, The Gay Life, The Grass Harp, The King and I and Showboat. Ms. Cook originated the role of Patsy in Jules Feiffer's Little Murders, and in 1972 returned to the dramatic stage in the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center's production of Gorky's Enemies. In 1974 Ms. Cook began a creative partnership with musical arranger, accompanist, composer, dance arranger and conductor Wally Harper, a shining model of artistic collaboration and enduring friendship which lasted for thirty years until his death this year. Ms. Cook and Mr. Harper traveled the world together, performing at the White House for Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.

DON REBIC was trained as a classical pianist at Indiana University, where he studied with the internationally renowned concert pianist Abbey Simon. While at Indiana, Rebic became interested in Jazz and was taken under the wing of jazz pedagogue David Baker. Upon graduating with a degree in piano performance, he moved to New York City, and within a year conducted his first show on Broadway, Jesus Christ Superstar. Since then, he has enjoyed a busy career as a conductor, pianist, and composer. His theatrical and Broadway credits also include, Dancin', directed by Bob Fosse, Sweet Charity, Little Johnny Jones, Teaneck Tanzi, Anything Goes, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, among others. As an accompanist and musical director, Rebic has worked with a variety of singers, including Peggy Lee, Kiri Te Kanawa, Laura Theodore, Betty Buckley, Dixie Carter. Morgana King, Lainie Kazan, Karen Akers, Mary Cleere Haran, Margaret Whiting, Leslie Uggams, Regis Philbin, Tovah Feldshuh, Julius la Rosa, Ricky Martin, and Jose Carreras (with a 70-piece orchestra). Rebic composed the music for the off-off Broadway show Flypaper, with lyricists Cheryl Paley and Larry Pelligrini (of Tony and Tina's Wedding). He has composed over 50 songs with lyricists Laura Theodore, Sara Krieger of The New York Voices, and Carol Hall of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

PETER DONOVAN has performed with many orchestras including The NY Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic and many chamber music groups including Speculum Musicae, the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble and the Prism Ensemble. His many festival appearances include the Newport Music Festival and the Ravinia and Tanglewood Festivals. Mr. Donovan has worked with jazz musicians Eric Reed, Charles McPherson, Lou Marini, Mike Longo and Fred Hersch, is a member of String Fever, a "big band' of strings led by Marin Alsop and also leads his own group, the Peter Donovan Band. He is a two-time recipient of the Meet the Composer grant for his compositions. Principal bassist for the Oklahoma! orchestra, on Broadway, he has played for many other Broadway shows and has worked with Dawn Upshaw, Liza Minnelli and Maureen McGovern. In the world of rock music, he appeared with original members of The Who in Daltrey plays Townshend at Carnegie Hall, MTV Unplugged with Bryan Adams and Net Aid with Bono and Quincy Jones.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, AT 7:30 PM

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Barbara Cook's Broadway

BARBARA COOK

DON REBIC, piano

PETER DONOVAN, bass

Media Support provided by Oldies 540/1260

Tickets ($26 - $84) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15), will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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