It must have been quite a stroke of inspiration when the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra (NDSO) thought to bring together the music of the comic opera partnership Gilbert and Sullivan and the father of the modern rock opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The program will feature performances of favorite songs from Phantom of the Opera, The Mikado, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Pirates of Penzance and more. Says NDSO’s artistic director Kathleen Beckmann, “While the tunes of Gilbert and Sullivan are always prim, proper and restrained, [Lloyd] Webber’s pieces can be irreverent and outrageous, with pounding rhythms, unusual meters and harmonies that clash at times: The Victorian Era meets rock ‘n’ roll.”
The Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra will be joined by 50 singers from the select choruses of John Jay and Roy C. Ketcham High Schools. The choruses are under the direction of Candice Ruffalo and Matthew King, respectively.
The “Brits on Broadway” concert will take place this Saturday, February 6 at 8 p.m. in the 800-seat Marriott Pavilion auditorium at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park. To complement this enchanting evening of music, the CIA will open the Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici for a special $39 pre-performance dining experience. The menu will include family-style Caesar salad and antipasti, a selection of five pastas served tableside and a set dessert. Reservations for this pre-performance dinner are available from 5 to 6:15 p.m. Tickets for the concert cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for students.
For tickets and more information, visit www.ndsorchestra.org or call (845) 635-0877. The CIA is located at 1946 Campus Drive, off Route 9 in Hyde Park.
Join the family! 
