The Fort Collins Symphony and The Lyric Cinema Collaborate for the All-Bernstein Masterworks 1 Concert

Mary Kopco, Executive Director

FORT COLLINS, CO – On Saturday, October 6, 2018, the Fort Collins Symphony (FCS) opens Season 69 at the Lincoln Center with a lively all-Leonard Bernstein Masterworks 1 concert in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the American composer’s birth.  This performance includes the romantic, Latin, and jazz-laced Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, along with other popular and lesser-known works that showcase this iconic American composer’s talents and career.

            The Lyric cinema is collaborating with the Symphony by hosting two screenings of Bernstein’s 1961 blockbuster musical film West Side Story: Tuesday, September 25 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, September 30 at 1:30 p.m.  Each showing will be preceded by a brief discussion on Bernstein by FCS Music Director Wes Kenney.  A pair of tickets for the Symphony’s first concert of the season will be awarded at each screening.  The Lyric cinema tickets are $10 each and may be purchased at 1209 N. College or online at lyriccinema.com.  A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Symphony.

            West Side Story, Bernstein’s romantic musical tragedy film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, was inspired by William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.  It tells the tale of a turf war between rival teenage gangs in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen and the two lovers who defy the battle lines.  Starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, the film won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.  For more than 50 years, audiences have been captivated by this music scored by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

            Tickets for the FCS Masterworks 1 concert, “Hollywood to the Big Apple,” are available for purchase by calling the Lincoln Center at 970.221.6730 or at LCtix.com. For more information about the Fort Collins Symphony, visit Fcsymphony.com.