Buffalo Native to Perform in National Tour of "Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Pianist and conductor Charles Czarnecki will return to his hometown to perform as part of the live band in the national tour of "Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway," which will be performed at the University at Buffalo at 8 p.m. on March 24 in the Mainstage theater in the Center for the Arts on the North (Amherst) Campus.

Charles Czarnecki started his career as a professional music director and conductor at age 16 in his native Buffalo. "The extensive arts community there, as well as my mentors at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and the Amherst School of Music, allowed for a well-prepared transition into the world of musical theater in and around New York," says Charles. Czarnecki has music directed, played and conducted countless shows ranging from youth theater programs, community theater and regional, Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. Presently he is a conductor for the 2006 Tony-winning Best Musical, "Jersey Boys," and his arrangements for "The Tempest" played in the Manhattan Ensemble Theater and in the Cherry Lane Theater by The Republic Theater Company.

The first professional job as a music director he ever had was a production of "Over Here" for Upstage Productions performed in the summer of 1996 in the Drama Theater in the Center for the Arts. In 2003, Czarnecki performed a solo classical piano concert at Slee Hall. He says, "It'll be nice to come back at this point in my career."

Czarnecki has been a performing artist and arranger for QRS Music in Buffalo, since he was 15 years old. His Sync-Along arrangements of "Jersey Boys" and "Buena Vista Social Club" were released this past holiday season, and his third solo album for QRS will be available later this year.

Czarnecki is a pianist, conductor, musical director, vocal coach, arranger/orchestrator and music producer in New York City. His work in all these fields has cultivated his close, collaborative relationships with many local theater composers including David Christian Azarow, Neil Berg, Michael Holland, Doug Katsaros, Daniel Neiden and Earl Wilson, Jr. His work consulting artists, workshopping new material, recording concept albums, music directing original productions and arranging music has made a lasting impression on the upcoming generation of new theater in New York.

Czarnecki holds a bachelor's degree from Purchase Conservatory of Music and a master's from the Manhattan School of Music, both in classical piano performance. He spent years studying and performing in festivals, competitions and different venues around the country and the world. As a music producer, he's produced albums ranging from concept albums for theater and animation, to rock, jazz and world music.

Neil Berg's widely acclaimed 100 Years of Broadway, is a musical revue of Broadway's most celebrated shows and features a dazzling cast of five Broadway stars accompanied by an all-star New York band. The show recreates the biggest moments from the biggest shows of the century featuring the actual stars of shows such as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "CATS," "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Jekyll & Hyde." These amazing performers light up the stage with songs from the hit shows in which they starred. Neil Berg presents brilliantly revived arrangements of Broadway classics as well as fantastic numbers from Broadway's newest hit shows.

Tickets for "Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway" are $35 and $27, and $24 for students. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a Ticketfast location. Students (of any school) must present valid student ID at the Center Box Office to receive discount.