Musical director Robert Lamont and singer-actress Gabrielle Lee celebrate the history and music of New York’s Tin Pan Alley with a fascinating look at the music publishing district’s relationship to musical theater and a performance of songs that illustrate the development of American musical comedy from 1890 to 1910. Lee and Lamont perform several works that were published on 28th Street and discuss the musical shows that introduced them to American audiences. The program focuses on important composers, songwriters, and performers who made major contributions to building the American show music industry during these two decades that constitute the golden age of Tin Pan Alley. Two songs from The Seventh Regiment Songbook that were published on Tin Pan Alley are also be performed. This event is presented in cooperation with the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project.
Robert Lamont is a musical director, composer, and educator who has worked on and off Broadway as well as regionally with such artists as Carol Burnett, Jerry Orbach, Marc Anthony, and Duncan Sheik. A veteran public-school educator, he was Curriculum Development Co-Chair for the New York City Department of Education’s current Blueprint for Teaching Music. He is a board member of the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project.
Gabrielle Lee is equally at home in theater, television, film, and concert performance with the NY Pops, among others. She has taken leading roles in Broadway and European tours, Off-Broadway, regionally, and more. Lee has performed as a backing vocalist with such artists as Aloe Blacc, Steely Dan, Natalie Cole, and Harry Belafonte. Also at home with the popular music and American Songbook performed in her shows, her globally successful one-woman show, Blackbirds, celebrates performers such as Florence Mills, Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge—and the songwriters who gave them wings. She was a featured performer on Tin Pan Alley Day 2021.
The Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project promotes appreciation for the historic beginning of American Popular Music and the modern music business on and around West 28th Street in New York City. Through telling the stories of the songwriters, music publishers, and songs that formed the sound and industry of American Popular Music in the first half of the 20th Century, the project connects people with the power of music as an essential element of New York City and American cultural history.
“The Moon has his eyes on you” by Albert Von Tilzer and Billy Johnson. Monographic, 1905. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
September 22, 2022
Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 6:30pm
Doors open at 6:00pm
$20 (plus fees) General Admission
and Friend Members
$15 (plus fees) Seniors and Students
with valid ID
$12 (plus fees) Supporters at the
$250 level and above
Board of Officers Room
Sign up for our email list to get notifications and reminders about purchasing tickets for this and other upcoming events.