Radio City Organist Brings Broadway Brass to "Spring into Joy"

When Radio City Music Hall’s principal organist George Wesner returns to the Barrymore Film Center on March 17th, he will do so with a touch of brass. Trumpeters Alex Bender and Bryan Uhl will be the musical guests for Spring into Joy! Wesner’s next “Music Hall Magic” experience at Fort Lee’s sparkling homage to its legacy in movie history. They have been working with George in the orchestra for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular collectively for 15 seasons, and all three are pleased to continue performing together in “the off season”.

Both men have impressive resumes of their own. Bender is currently in the pit orchestra of Spamalot on Broadway. Previously Broadway credits include Finding Neverland, Side Show, Paramour and a supporting lead role in the cast of Bandstand. He has also performed regularly with the Detroit Symphony. Alex is a music professor at the College of New Jersey while pursuing his doctorate in music from Michigan State University.

Uhl is currently in the pit for Back to the Future: the Musical on Broadway. He was also in the orchestras for The Book of Mormon and Dancin’ and has performed with the New York Philharmonic Quintet. A U.S. Army veteran who reached the rank of Sergeant 1st Class, he performed in the Army’s West Point Band for 20 years, and had the honor of playing “Taps” at the funeral of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. Bryan holds degrees in music from Iowa State and The University of North Texas.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Escape the winter grays with a multi-sensory experience built around the season of spring: hope, tradition, action, love and, perhaps most important. JOY!! George will play a program of movie and show music, classics and more on the Barrymore's recently-restored Allen theater organ accompanied by visuals on the big screen.

ABOUT GEORGE

George Wesner has been the principal organist at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for over 40 years and has played over 6,000 shows for more than 28 million people. He has appeared with the American Symphony Orchestra and world premiere film events for Disney, Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox, the Grammy Awards and PBS TV. He is also the director of music at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Teaneck.

ABOUT THE VENUE

The 267-seat Barrymore Film Center is a not-for-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to presenting classic repertory films, documentaries, independent movies and world-wide cinema promoting 21st Century filmmaking through the prism of Fort Lee’s role as the
birthplace of the American motion picture industry. Ground was broken for this spectacular but intimate theater in October of 2018 and the grand opening was October 21, 2022.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Spring into Joy will take place Sunday, March 17th at 2:30 p.m. at the Barrymore Film Center, on Main Street in Fort Lee. Tickets start at $30 and are available at the Barrymore box office or georgewesner.com