Two Connecticut Locals Win Contest to Sing on Stage with Broadway Stars in NEIL BERGS 100 YEARS OF BROADWAY
This Friday, March 6th, at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.
Hartford, CT – (March 4, 2009) – Melissa Paul of Wethersfield and Meric Martin of Bristol have won the “Singing with the Broadway Stars” competition being held in conjunction with the show Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway that will be held at The Bushnell this Friday, March 6th at 8:00 p.m. Broadway hopefuls had the option of either submitting their audition videos online or, for the first time since the contest’s inception, auditioning live in-person for Neil Berg himself at The Bushnell last Thursday, February 26. Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway is part of the Robinson & Cole Family Series.
After a record-breaking turnout for the auditions, Paul and Martin along with 19 runners up were selected to sing live on stage at The Bushnell with the performers of Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway. The panel of judges was floored by the abundant talent found in Connecticut, finding it difficult to even narrow down the number of runners up to an overwhelming 19. Paul and Martin will be performing solos in the show’s finale and the runners up will perform in the chorus side-by-side with some of the greatest talent on Broadway. Visit www.bushnell.org for a complete listing of the winners and runners up.
Paul and Martin will each receive four tickets to the show and the runners up will each receive a pair of tickets for their family or friends to see them perform. Both the winners and runners up will also receive a CD of the show and the opportunity of a lifetime, to sing on a professional stage alongside five of Broadway’s finest voices.
Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway concert will feature the extraordinary talent of Ron Bohmer (Phantom, The Phantom of the Opera), Carter Calvert (Grizabella, Cats), Rita Harvey (Christine Daee, The Phantom of the Opera), Danny Zolli (Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar), and Norm Lewis (King Triton, Disney’s The Little Mermaid) singing some of the greatest songs of the last 100 Years of Broadway musicals. Tickets are still available for the one night only engagement this Friday, March 6, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets, ranging in price from $20.00 to $53.00, are on sale now and can be purchased at The Bushnell Box Office at 166 Capitol Ave. in Hartford, online at www.bushnell.org, or by phone at 860-987-5900.
About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
The Bushnell is Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, hosting more than 350 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. The Bushnell is home to two theaters- the historic 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall, and the 907-seat Belding Theater, a state-of-the-art performance hall that opened in 2001. The Bushnell’s nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), now in its 16th year, is a cross-community educational effort serving 15 schools in 6 districts throughout the Greater Hartford area. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.
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Contact: Audrey Root, The Bushnell
860-987-6076; audrey_root@bushnell.org