Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, a friend and join us to experience a family-friendly, nostalgia-filled type of day! Together, we'll sing our most favorite Hammerstein hits, share in the delight of each other's company and of course, music style - and yes, all on the lawn where it was created, at Oscar's home and true place of inspiration!
Release below (authored by the production team of Open Sky Artists) with more exciting details!
Painting of Highland Farm (above) circa 1955, as depicted by Bucks County artist Margie Perry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Community Comes Together For
“Oscar and Us”; Celebrating the Contributions of Beloved Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II
At His Former Home in Doylestown Township
A major musical celebration is coming to Highland Farm this July, just in time for Hammerstein’s 123rd birthday and Doylestown Township’s Bicentennial
DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA (7/9/18) — Song leader Jessie Barth, along with pianist Lori Rosolowsky and members of her band, will present a free sing-along for all ages celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II’s most treasured songs and highlighting his many humanitarian contributions. On Saturday July 14, 2018, the Doylestown Township Bicentennial Committee, in honor of one of the Township’s most beloved residents and in partnership with the Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center at Highland Farm, will host this SING!
The public is welcome to meet esteemed guests Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and humanitarian in his own right, Will Hammerstein, Executive Director of the non-profit project to create the Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Center, and Julie Henning, who lived with Pearl S. Buck as her adopted daughter. Vocalist Keith Spencer is one of several featured performers. Lyric sheets will be provided, but attendees should bring lunch, lawn chairs or blankets. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at Delaware Valley University Life Science Center, 101 Admission Drive, Doylestown, PA 18901.
Oscar Hammerstein II was one of the twentieth century’s most influential lyricists, and his collaborations with composer Richard Rodgers include some of the most successful musicals in the history of the American theatre—including The Sound of Music, South Pacific, The King and I, and Carousel. In 1940, three years before the Broadway debut of Oklahoma!, he purchased Highland Farm in Doylestown Township and lived there with his family until his passing in 1960. The three-story residence was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Mr. Hammerstein's work has been recognized with countless Tony, Grammy, and Academy Awards, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. As one of Doylestown's notable residents, he made profound contributions to art and culture.
A life-long fan of Oscar Hammerstein II, Jessie Barth began leading Rodgers and Hammerstein SING! events in 2009—the first of which was held in the living room of Highland Farm. In 2010, she recorded her album, At Home With Oscar, in that same living room. Jessie has led SING! events along the American east coast and abroad in Vietnam, where she taught for five months. Jessie is also a writer and teacher.
This SING! will be presented on Saturday, July 14 from 11:30am to 2:00pm at Highland Farm (70 East Road, Doylestown Township, PA).
Free and open to all ages. Please note that no alcohol will be permitted at the event.
For event info, visit www.doylestownpa.org, www.openskyartists.com/sing, or www.hammersteincenter.org.
This event is presented in partnership with Open Sky Artists, LLC, the Doylestown Township Bicentennial Committee, and friends of the Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center.
ABOUT THE OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN MUSEUM & THEATRE EDUCATION CENTER
The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center, is a recognized nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization, dedicated to the preservation of Highland Farm, as THE place to celebrate Oscar Hammerstein’s legacy of great musical theatre, social engagement and mentorship. Highland Farm is where the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership was formed, where Hammerstein wrote classics like Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music, where he mentored a young Stephen Sondheim, and where he devoted one hour of every working day advocating for the pressing social issues of his time.
To honor this singular legacy, we aim to restore the house at Highland Farm and give house tours, with docent-telling stories of the man and the history that happened there. We will also restore the barn and turn it into a dynamic, browsing Broadway history museum. The museum will share the origins and journey of Oscar Hammerstein’s life, that begins with his grandfather, Oscar I, father of Times Square and leading through current Broadway and ending with Stephen Sondheim who honors Oscar’s legacy to the present day. The Hammerstein Center will foster socially relevant discussions and other engaging, community programming. Highland Farm is located at 70 East Road, Doylestown, PA 18901, just an 80-mile drive south of Times Square.
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As Always, #LoveToLaunchMKH