This spring, Rocktopia, which merges hit rock songs with classical music, opens on Broadway for a six-week run, March 20 to April 29, 2018. The production showcases works of musical figures from the rock and classical worlds, among them Mozart, Journey, Handel, U2, Tchaikovsky, Heart, Beethoven, Journey, Foreigner, Rachmaninoff, Queen, Copland, and The Who. Created by vocalist Rob Evan and conductor Randall Craig Fleischer, a pioneer in the fusion of symphonic rock and world music, Rocktopia features an orchestra of 20 musicians, multiple vocalists, a five-piece rock band, and a choir of 40. Developed over eight years, the show is inspired by the idea that if Beethoven or Mozart were alive today, they would be modern-day rock stars. Evan and Fleisher sought common themes and emotional resonance in the songs before fusing them together in new musical arrangements. Since its premiere in June 2016 in Budapest, Rocktopia has been performed in over twenty U.S. cities, featuring local orchestras and choirs. Fleischer is currently music director at the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in New York, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra in Alaska, and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra in Ohio.
Posted December 4, 2017
