Happy Birthday, Bubbles

Today marks the 83rd birthday anniversary of the late, great, American soprano Beverly Sills (here with conductor Andre Kostelanez in a photo from the Philharmonic’s Digital Archives).

A close friend of the Philharmonic, ”Bubbles” appeared with the Orchestra 25 times, and hosted numerous concerts for PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center. After decades as a darling of the opera stage, she became a fixture on the arts scene as general director of the New York City Opera, then chairman of Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Opera.

life:

October 18 marks the 50th anniversary of West Side Story, the acclaimed musical about two star-crossed lovers in 1950s New York City and the racial prejudices that keep them apart. In honor of the occasion, LIFE.com takes a look back at the evolution of the show—which made its Broadway debut in 1957 and was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie in 1961—from stage to screen.

(see more — ‘West Side Story’ A Look Back)

Happy 50th Anniversary West Side Story! Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic will perform Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story on the nationally televised A New Yorker’s New Year’s Eve. Check your local listings for PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center. 

Dear Tumblr followers:

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic wish you and your families a very safe and happy New Year! We hope that tonight you will join Alan, the Orchestra, and an internationally renowned guest — pianist Lang Lang — as they in ring in 2011 at Avery Fisher Hall at 7:30 p.m. Can’t get here? Enjoy the all-Tchaikovsky program by watching the New Year’s Eve concert at 8 p.m. on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center (check local listings).

We’re counting down the hours until the New York Philharmonic’s All-Tchaikovsky New Year’s Eve concert conducted by Alan Gilbert, so we headed backstage to catch up with the evening’s soloist, piano virtuoso Lang Lang. As he treated us to a sample of the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, he informed us that this will be his first-ever New Year’s Eve performance in New York City, and added that he hopes everyone can go to Times Square with him to celebrate after the concert.

Don’t miss the entire concerto, as well as favorites from The Nutcracker and the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, nationally broadcast on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center on December 31 at 8 p.m. (check local listings)!

Alec Baldwin Digs Seriously Beautiful Music!

In a recent New York Post article, the 30 Rock star and classical music connoisseur talks about his discovery of classical music: “It was back in the 80s, when I was living in Los Angeles and the popular music of the time wasn’t really interesting to me,” he recalls. “I never went back to popular music!”

Baldwin is definitely a fan! He’s also the voice of the nationally syndicated radio program, The New York Philharmonic This Week, and he will be hosting the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of the Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve concert on Friday night beginning at 8:00 p.m. on PBS [check local listings], with Music Director Alan Gilbert and Lang Lang as piano soloist.

Be sure to tune in!

To our loyal Tumblr followers:

Happy Holidays to you and your families from all of us at the New York Philharmonic!

If you miss us over this long weekend, check out some video interviews of the artists to be featured in next week’s concerts.

You can also get ready to ring in the New Year with the Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert, and pianist Lang Lang, in a performance to be broadcast nationally on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center, hosted by Alec Baldwin, on December 31 (check local listings).