Marvin Hamlisch, featuring Maria Friedman and J. Mark McVey
@ the Pizza Express Jazz Club
10 -11 August 2009

Click an image to enlarge.

Marvin Hamlisch Biography

Marvin Hamlisch’s life in music is notable for its great versatility as well as substance.

As composer, Hamlisch has won virtually every major award that exists: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony and three Golden Globe awards; his groundbreaking show, “A Chorus Line”, received the Pulitzer Prize.
He is the composer of more than forty motion picture scores including his Oscar-winning score and song for “The Way We Where” and his adaptation of Scott Joplin’s music for “The Sting”, for which he received a third Oscar. His prolific output of scores for films include original compositions and /or musical adaptations for “Sophie’s Choice”, “Ordinary People”, “The Swimmer”, “Three Men And A Baby”, “Ice Castles”, “Take The Money And Run”, “Bananas” and “Save The Tiger”.

His latest effort is “The Informant”, starring Matt Damon, directed by Steven Soderbergh, scheduled for release in September, 2009.

Marvin Hamlisch holds the position of principal pops conductor for the National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and San Diego Symphony.

Mr. Hamlisch was Musical Director and arranger of Barbra Streisand’s 1994 concert tour of the U.S. and England as well as of the television special, “Barbra Streisand: The Concert” (for which he received two of his Emmys).

Hamlisch is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and Queens College (where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree). He believes in the power of music to bring people together.

“Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together. Music is truly an international language, and I hope to contribute by widening communication as much as I can.”

Maria Friedman biography

One cannot include the complete list of Maria Friedman’s credits in what has so far been a career of diversity and successes. She has received critical acclaim in musical theatre to plays, film, television, radio, concert and recording.

Friedman won an Olivier Award for her one-woman show “Maria Friedman - by Special Arrangement”. Her second show “Maria Friedman - By Extra Special Arrangement” (Whitehall Theatre) would spawn her solo album “Maria Friedman”.

A second Olivier Award followed for Best Actress as Fosca in Stephen Sondheim’s “Passion”. Her performance as Liza Elliot in “Lady in the Dark” earned an Evening Standard Award as well as an Olivier Award nomination. Friedman performs in concert halls all over the world and frequently appears with Britain’s leading orchestras including the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and London Symphony, and has recently performed at the Proms in a concert with the Matrix Ensemble. Friedman also starred in the 2002 Last Night of the Proms in the Park.

In addition to her solo album, Friedman recordings include: Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along”, “Anyone Can Whistle”, “A Little Night Music”, “Cabaret”, “Off the Wall” by Don Black, “Body Works” by Richard Stilgoe, as well as the cast recordings of “Witches of Eastwick”, “Lady in the Dark”, “Blues in the Night” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Passion”. In addition she is featured on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Essentials album, and is just about to release a live concert recording of her new one-woman show – “Maria Friedman Live”.

Friedman’s work for the stage includes “Blues in the Night” (Piccadilly Theatre and Donmar Warehouse) “April in Paris” (Ambassadors Theatre) “Hayyah in Ghetto” and “Sunday in the Park with George”, which won an Olivier Award for Best Musical and for which she gained her first nomination for Best Actress, both Royal National Theatre; Break of Day, Royal Court and tour, and Square Rounds, Royal National Theatre.

Most recently, Friedman starred in the West End as Roxie (Olivier nomination) in “Chicago”, as Sukie in “The Witches of Eastwick” and as the Narrator in the film video of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.

Her work for television includes: Trish Baynes in “Casualty”, “In Deep” and “Red Dwarf” to name a few.