The Wallis Announces Two Hershey Felder Musical Events Streaming Live from Florence

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces two live streamed musical events produced by HERSHEY FELDER PRESENTS – LIVE FROM FLORENCE, featuring Hershey Felder. The one-time only, live streamed programs include HERSHEY FELDER as Claude Debussy, A PARIS LOVE STORY, on Sunday, November 22, 2020, at  5 pm (PST), and HERSHEY FELDER, TCHAIKOVSKY, on Sunday, December 20, 2020, at 5 pm (PST). Purchase includes the live stream and an addition week of “on demand’ viewing access to the recording of the live stream. Felder doubles as playwright and performer in both performances. Tickets are now  on sale, with a 10% discount for purchasing both programs. Proceeds benefit The Wallis.

Felder takes the audience on his own personal journey In Hershey Felder as Claude Debussy in A Paris Love Story as he explores the life and music of Impressionist composer Claude Debussy, bringing to life a visionary who proclaimed nature his religion and romance his milieu. From the sweeping La mer to the evocative Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and the mystical “Clair de lune,” the celebrated composer created music of ravishing beauty, color and compassion. Critics have hailed Felder in this production as “phenomenal … (he) exceeds expectations by incorporating his great gift of storytelling, historical knowledge and virtuoso piano playing with a deep, loving personal connection to Debussy” (Broadway World).

Hershey Felder, Tchaikovsky is based on the original production of Our Great Tchaikovsky, and features an extended focus on The Nutcracker ballet (in honor of the holiday season) as well as Tchaikovsky’s life in Florence, Italy where he spent considerable time. Tchaikovsky - Live from Florence, an interesting, surprising and engaging holiday treat, will be filmed live on location in Florence.

Says The Wallis Artistic Director Paul Crewes, “The Wallis is delighted to continue its long running and highly successful collaboration with Hershey Felder to present these two compelling digital productions. His ability to pivot to from presenting live in-person performances to producing extremely high quality live-streamed programs from Italy during the pandemic reflects his vision and commitment. His artistry continues to draw ever-expanding audiences with these digital performances.”

Both productions are produced by HERSHEY FELDER PRESENTS - LIVE FROM FLORENCE, directed by Stefano Decarli and Felder and based on the stage plays directed by Trevor Hay. Production Design is by Hershey Felder. Film production and live editing is by the DeCarli Live film company. Live broadcast and Sound Design Production are by Erik Carstensen. Historical and biographical research is by Meghan Maiya. Costumes and Hair are by Isabelle Gerbe. Scenic Construction is directed by Pierre Gerbe.

Following this year's successful live streams of Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin; Hershey Felder: Beethoven and Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone from Florence, Italy, which raised significant funds for 13 US theatres and arts organizations, including The Wallis, Felder has created a new arts broadcasting company, HERSHEY FELDER PRESENTS – LIVE FROM FLORENCE. The collaboration unites Felder with Florentine cinema group Montagni Audiovisivi, to produce high quality streaming arts programming for international audiences, both for the period while theatres remain closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and beyond.

Tickets are $55.00 per household, for viewing on Smart TV, computer, smartphone or tablet; a 10% discount is offered for purchasing both programs. Patrons will receive a link and password three days before the event, which will enable them to view the live stream. Purchase includes the live stream and a week of extended “on-demand” viewing access to the recording of the live broadcast (available one-hour after the live broadcast ends). Tickets cannot be transferred or shared. Tickets may be purchased by visiting TheWallis.org/Debussy and TheWallis.org/Tchaikovsky, by email at Tickets@TheWallis.org or by calling 310.746.4000 (Tuesday – Friday, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm).

About Hershey Felder

HERSHEY FELDER, an actor, pianist, writer, director, composer, conductor and producer, and named to Time Magazine’s 2016 Top 10 Plays and Musicals, has played over 6,000 performances of his self-created solo productions at some of the world’s most prestigious theatres and has broken box office records consistently. American Theatre Magazine has said, “Hershey Felder is in a category all his own.” His shows include: George Gershwin Alone (Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre, West End’s Duchess Theatre); Monsieur Chopin; Beethoven; Maestro (Leonard Bernstein); Franz Liszt in Musik, Lincoln: An American Story, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Our Great Tchaikovsky, and A Paris Love Story. His compositions and recordings include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano; and An American Story for Actor and Orchestra. Hershey is the adaptor, director and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music The Pianist of Willesden Lane with Steinway artist Mona Golabek; producer and designer for the musical Louis and Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara, directed by Taylor Hackford; and writer and director for Flying Solo, featuring opera legend Nathan Gunn. Hershey has operated a full-service production company since 2001, and in 2020 created a new brand LIVE FROM FLORENCE, that operates a “theatre at home broadcast company,” based in Florence, Italy. He has been a scholar-in-residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Kim Campbell, the first female Prime Minister of Canada.

About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts: 

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national and international artists share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. The campus, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is committed to robust and distinctive presentations and education programs curated with both creativity and social impact in mind. Distinguished by its eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented more than 275 dance, theater, opera, classical music, cinema and family programs since its doors opened in October 2013. Hailed as “au courant” (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaims, “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Its programming has been nominated for 57 Ovation Awards and seven L.A. Drama Critic's Circle Awards. The campus itself, a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, has garnered six architectural awards. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF:architects), the restored building features the original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places), which serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and includes the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike. The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is led by Chairman of the Board Michael Nemeroff, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Rachel Fine and Artistic Director Paul Crewes.

For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.

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