Broadway Performers Take the Stage in Adelphi's Larson Legacy Concert Showcasing the Work of Award-Winning Songwriter Benjamin Velez
Garden City, NY (09/13/2021) — On Saturday, September 25, Adelphi University introduces you to the work of rising composer-lyricist Benjamin Velez in his one-night-only showcase Benjamin Velez, a Larson Legacy Concert. A recipient of the esteemed Jonathan Larson Grant, Velez presents songs from his current musical projects-including Broadway-bound Kiss My Aztec-sung by a cast of Broadway performers. The event at Adelphi's Performing Arts Center's (PAC) Olmsted Theatre begins at 3 p.m. and will also be live-streamed at 3 p.m. ET.
Velez has been a member of the BMI Workshop since 2010, he was selected for the renowned Sundance Lab in 2017, and he presented his musical Borderline at the acclaimed Eugene O'Neill National Musical Theater Conference in 2019. Also in 2019, he received the coveted Fred Ebb Award, recognizing greatness in a young composer-lyricist.
Benjamin Velez, a Larson Legacy Concert will feature performances by Lincoln Clauss (Bat Out of Hell), Hannah Corneau (Elphaba in Broadway's Wicked), Micaela Diamond (Babe aka Cher in The Cher Show), Troy Iwata (Be More Chill), Marissa Rosen (Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls), and more to be announced. Rounding out the ensemble for the show are KC De La Cruz, Paul Esswein, Joseph Fierberg, Billy Fitzpatrick, Alesha Jeter, Kianna Kelly-Futch, and Alexia Sanchez. The concert features music direction by David Gardos (Hamilton) and is co-produced by Velez and Ruthie Fierberg.
Since 2015, the Larson Legacy Concert Series has given creators an opportunity to showcase their work to new audiences. It is named in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and composer of RENT and Adelphi alum Jonathan Larson, who lost his life to Marfan syndrome at the age of 35. The concert series helps nurture and support the next generation of creative artists to carry on Larson's legacy.
"After growing up with Jonathan's words and music as the soundtrack to my childhood, it's an honor to be sharing my own work in his honor," says Velez of Larson. "The angst, compassion, curiosity, and challenging of the status quo in his work inspired me to create bold musical storytelling in my own voice."
In addition to Velez's Kiss My Aztec (a collaboration with John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone), Velez's concert offers a glimpse at his original musicals Afterland (which has been workshopped at the Yale Institute for Musical Theater and enjoyed a reading at the York Theater in 2016), Borderline (presented at the O'Neill Center), Boomerangs (workshopped at the Manhattan School of Music), and his untitled Young Einstein musical.
Velez's music has been featured at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Joe's Pub, Cutting Edge Composers and the York Theater where he had a New Emerging Outstanding (NEO) artist residency from 2015-2016. He is currently under commission at the La Jolla playhouse writing an autobiographical-based musical in collaboration with playwright Harrison David Rivers.
Velez is a Jerry Harrington Award winner for Outstanding Creative Achievement as writer of the 114th annual Varsity Show "Morningside Hates" at Columbia University.
Tickets are required for the event and cost $25 each. Tickets for the live-stream cost $15. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit adelphi.edu/pac.
The second performance in the Larson Concert Series will take place in December and will feature award-winning singing and performance duo The Bengsons.
Adelphi PAC is one of Long Island's premier cultural arts venues for entertainment of all kinds. See more about other upcoming Adelphi PAC offerings and ticketing at adelphi.edu/pac.
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Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi offers exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training, with particular strength in our Core Four-Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.
Recognized as a Best College by U.S. News & World Report, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. It serves more than 7,500 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York-just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities-and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.
More than 118,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.
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On Saturday, September 25, Adelphi University introduces you to the work of rising composer-lyricist Benjamin Velez in his one-night-only showcase Benjamin Velez, a Larson Legacy Concert. A recipient of the esteemed Jonathan Larson Grant, Velez presents songs from his current musical projects—including Broadway-bound Kiss My Aztec—sung by a cast of Broadway performers. Th