'Peanuts Concerto' West Coast Premiere with Philharmonia Northwest

Burlingame, CA; Lee Mendelson Film Productions announces the West Coast Premiere
of the “Peanuts Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” based on the legendary music of
Vince Guaraldi, arranged by Grammy-winning composer, Dick Tunney, featuring pianist
Jeffrey Biegel with Philharmonia Northwest, led by Music Director, Julia Tai. The West
Coast premiere takes place on November 24th, 2019, at 2PM at the Town Hall in Seattle,
Washington.

This nostalgic arrangement sets Guaraldi's classic music from the Peanuts® specials, into
a three-movement work for piano and orchestra. It is a heartwarming introduction for
families to hear the jazz writings of the late Vince Guaraldi in a 21st century symphonic
landscape. Vince Guaraldi wrote and performed the music for the first fifteen animated
Peanuts® specials, until his untimely death in 1976. The album, "A Charlie Brown
Christmas" is the second most sold jazz album in history with over 4 million copies sold.
Guaraldi started writing music for the never-aired documentary "A Boy Named Charlie
Brown" in 1963 that Lee Mendelson Produced. When Mendelson, animator Bill
Melendez and Peanuts’ creator, Charles Schulz, created "A Charlie Brown Christmas,"
they turned to their friend Mr. Guaraldi to write the music for the special.

Vince Guaraldi’s music and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” have aired every Christmas season
since 1965, and the music from that special has become a timeless part of our culture and
the holiday season. In addition to that special, Guaraldi wrote the music for the next
fourteen animated specials, some of which have been incorporated into this concerto. Lee
Mendelson Film Productions has been producing television and films since 1963, wining
11 Emmys® along with 45 nominations, 4 Peabody awards, and Oscar® and Grammy®
nominations. Lee Mendelson Film Productions is the publisher of the musical works of
Vince Guaraldi.

Mr. Biegel is one of the most respected pianists of our time, performing and recording
classic repertoire and new works in Contemporary Classical and works of all styles. His
recording of Kenneth Fuchs's "Piano Concerto: Spiritualist" is part of the recording -
winning the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium, with the London
Symphony Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta, and produced by Tim Handley. He is
Professor of Piano at Brooklyn College and has commissioned many composers to write
new works for piano and orchestra.

Mr. Tunney and his wife, Melodie, have received ten Dove Awards, and a Grammy
Award for “How Excellent Is Thy Name”, recorded by Larnelle Harris. They have
recorded eight albums together, and Dick has recorded five solo instrumental albums.
The couple has penned more than 150 songs, many of which have been recorded by other
Christian artists.

Maestra Tai’s career has led to acclaimed performances and rehearsals with the American
Youth Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic
(Czech Republic), Brandenburger Symphoniker (Germany), Estonian National Youth
Symphony (Estonia), New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria), Orquesta Filarmónica de la
UNAM (Mexico), Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Charlos Chávez (Mexico), and the Seattle
Symphony. Recognized as a prominent innovator of the contemporary music world, Julia
Tai is the conductor and Co-Artistic Director of the Seattle Modern Orchestra, which
champions the music of today, commissioning and premiering new works from an
international lineup of composers.

For more information, interviews and media requests, please contact:
Jeffrey Biegel: info@jeffreybiegel.com

Please visit these websites for further information:

Jeffrey Biegel: www.jeffreybiegel.com

Julia Tai: https://juliatai.com/

Dick Tunney: www.tunneymusic.com

Philharmonia Northwest: http://philharmonianw.org/

Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc.: www.mendelsonproductions.com