Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski star in the San Francisco Symphony’s New Year’s Eve concert – photograph courtesy San Francisco Symphony
It’ll be showbiz all the way on Saturday evening as the San Francisco Symphony bids farewell to 2016 and rings in the New Year at Davies Symphony Hall. Joining conductor Edwin Outwater and the Symphony will be two award-winning stars of Broadway and TV – Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess. In their first-ever full-length concert collaboration, Krakowski and Burgess will be celebrating the New Year festivities with a selection of hit songs from stage and screen, spiced up with their own particular brand of humor and pizzazz.
Each of the two stars has an individual success to celebrate as well. Jane Krakowski has recently been named Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in the 2016 Critics Circle list of awards for her role in the TV series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – to add to the many other awards she’s received. These include a 1997 Golden Globe for her portrayal of Elaine Vassal in Ally McBeal, and a 2003 Tony following her performance of Carla in the Broadway musical Nine. She has also signed to play the role of Liza Minelli in the forthcoming movie Simply Halston (based on the life of the American designer) in which she’ll star opposite Alec Baldwin.
For his part, Tituss Burgess was nominated for an Emmy (excellence in the television industry), won a Webby (excellence on the Internet), and is a 2017 SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards nominee for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Titus Andromedon in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. According to Vanity Fair, “Burgess shone in the role: showing off his soaring vocal ability in the viral hit Peeno Noir”. Burgess himself was quoted by eonline as saying: “… this was a complete surprise … I will float all day.” His vocal hero, he declares, is soprano Renée Fleming. The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be announced on January 29.
Conductor Edwin Outwater leads the San Francisco Symphony and guest artists in the New Year’s Eve concert – © Larry Williamson
It’s always a pleasure to welcome conductor Edwin Outwater back to Davies Symphony Hall. Director of the San Francisco Symphony’s Summer Concerts, he is also kept busy in his role as Music Director of Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, which has recently celebrated its 70th anniversary and Mr Outwater’s ninth season as Music Director. For the San Francisco Symphony this 2016-17 season, he is curating and leading concerts in the SFS Soundbox series, and conducting Music for Families concerts, and subscription performances with pianist Stephen Hough. Mr Outwater will also be making return visits to the Chicago and Tokyo metropolitan symphonies, leading performances of Caroline Shaw’s new violin concerto with the Indianopolis and North Carolina symphonies, and directing three programs with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Edwin Outwater conducts the San Francisco Symphony, with guest artists Jane Krakowski and Tituss Burgess, in this year’s New Year’s Eve concert at Davies Symphony Hall on Saturday, December 31 at 8.00 pm. For further information, and for tickets, visit the San Francisco Symphony website.
Jane Krakowski
Sources: