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DATE: September 24, 2008 MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Farmer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE cfarmer@pamusacad.org
717-399-9733EDWARD ALBEE TO SHARE HIS EARLY POETRY AT PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL
LANCASTER, Pa. – In his first public reading of poetry he wrote while a student at Choate, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee will unveil some little known works when he visits the Pennsylvania Academy of Music in Lancaster, Pa., on October 15. As a tribute to the Academy’s middle and high school students, the acclaimed author will reveal thoughts and insights he wrote as a teen and discuss the relevance of these early writings on his later well-known accomplishments. While in Lancaster, he will receive the first Pennsylvania Academy of Music Creativity Award which honors artists and innovators who have challenged conventional notions to positively impact humanity.
Perhaps best known for his play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Mr. Albee was a prolific writer as a teen, often focusing on poetry. Although his plays are widely published and performed, his poetry has had limited availability for public scrutiny. At the Academy, he will share some of these writings circa 1945-46.
The influence of Mr. Albee’s plays has been felt on stages around the world. Twenty-nine plays, four Tony Awards, and three Pulitzer Prizes later, he continues to be a force of innovation in the theater. “He is an unparalleled creative force in the world, one who will inspire generations to come. This is why we have chosen Mr. Albee as the first recipient of our Creativity Award,” explains Michael Jamanis, president and co-founder of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music.
The formal award ceremony will be preceded by a reception at 7 p.m. on October 15 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music in Lancaster, Pa. A limited number of tickets will be available to the general public beginning October 1. For more information and reservations, call 717-399-9733 or go to www.pamusacad.org.
The Pennsylvania Academy of Music is a non-profit pre-collegiate institution dedicated to the musical advancement of its students. Founded in 1990, the Academy attracts students from an immediate nine-county area as well as from around the world, who study disciplines ranging from instrumental, chamber music, orchestra, opera and vocal performance to music composition and theory, improvisation, accompanying ,jazz and recording. The Academy has a widely accomplished international faculty and is one of only 12 autonomous pre-collegiate music schools in the country accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
