With the launch of the New Victor Herbert Orchestra, VHRP LIVE! presents a revival of Victor Herbert's 1917 romantic operetta and ode to Ireland.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, April 3, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! concludes its "All Irish" season with Eileen, the 1917 Romantic Operetta by Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom. An unabashed ode to Herbert’s Irish heritage, Eileen is set during the Irish Rebellion of 1798: Eileen Mulvaney (Soprano Joanie Brittingham) a young noblewoman falls in love with the Irish revolutionary Barry O’Day (Tenor Tom Carle), who outmaneuvers England’s overarching military forces. The plot is loosely based on the wildly popular 1835 novel Rory O'More by Herbert's own grandfather, Samuel Lover. In some ways the story line of Eileen mirrored real-time political events in Europe as America entered WWI. In retrospect, Herbert called Eileen his finest score; it was the 34th of his 45 compositions specifically for the stage between 1894 and 1924.

In celebration of the centenary of Eileen, Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! is proud to launch the New Victor Herbert Orchestra. The first Victor Herbert Orchestra belonged to Herbert from 1904 to 1924, based primarily in New York City, and played all over the U.S. Creating a new union orchestra is rare in the current environment yet the Artistic Director of VHRP LIVE!, Alyce Mott, explains “We are doing just that with a small, but mighty orchestra. The plan is to begin modestly and grow one or two instruments at a time, until we reach the perfect Herbert-sized 18-20 piece ensemble. The importance being, if you haven't heard Herbert with an orchestra, you simply haven't heard Herbert!"

Eileen includes the singing voices and acting talents of Joanie Brittingham, Tom Carle, Tanya Roberts, Richard Holmes, Jovani McCleary, David Seatter, Christopher Robin Sapp, Drew Bolander, Anthony J. Maida, Jason Robinette, Brian Kilday, Jonathan Hare, Pedro Coppeti, Chloë Schaaf, Haley Marie Vick, Jessamyn Anderson, and Elizabeth Yoder. Musical direction is by Michael Thomas; with libretto by Alyce Mott, and choreography by Emily Cornelius.

Eileen is presented by VHRP LIVE! for two nights only at 8pm, Tue April 25th, and 8pm, Wed April 26th, 2017 in Christ and St Stephen’s Church at 120 West 69th Street (near B'way) in New York City, in order to accommodate Carnegie Hall’s MasterVoices presentation of Victor Herbert’s Babes in Toyland with Kelli O’Hara, Bill Irwin, Lauren Worsham, and Christopher Fitzgerald on April 27th, 2017.

Advance $10 to $30 Eileen tickets are available at www.vhrplive.org and tdf.org until noon on performance days, after which full price tickets are for sale at the door at 7:30pm; order by phone at 917-815-8899.

The Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! is the world's only company exclusively devoted to bringing to the attention of contemporary audiences the music of Victor Herbert, an Irish-American composer, conductor, musician, and orchestration legend who indelibly influenced the foundations of American popular music as well as musical theater. For more information visit www.vhrplive.org.

For press requests contact VHRP LIVE! Press Director press@smallvictorypress.com 917-697-6260.

Brian Lee Boyce
Small Victory Press, Inc
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