Dawn Upshaw Movies

This classical gala concert, filmed at New York's famed Carnegie Hall on opening night, 2008, finds an all-star ensemble paying homage to the eminent composer-conductor-pianist Leonard Bernstein, with a line up of Bernstein's best-known compositions including "What a Movie" from Trouble in Tahiti, "The Symphonic Dances," and "Gee, Officer Krupke" from West Side Story, and "Danzón" from Fancy Free. Participating musicians include vocalists Christine Ebersole (Mac & Me), Dawn Upshaw and Thomas Hampson; cellist Yo-Yo Ma; and the San Francisco Symphony. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The true story of an upset victory that helped change the sport of golf forever provides the basis for this period drama. Francis Ouimet (played by Shia LaBeouf) was born in 1893 to a working-class family in Massachusetts, and grew up fascinated by golf. However, at that time golf was considered a pastime of the wealthy and privileged, and British and Scottish players dominated the professional game. Ouimet's familial home was near the Brookline, MA, Country Club, and over the stern objections of his father, Francis got a job there as a caddy. Honing his skill in his spare time, Francis displayed a tremendous natural talent for the game and an understanding of its strategies, and 1913 he became the first amateur to play in the U.S. Open, held at the Brookline Country Club. Ouimet's presence was considered little more than a novelty at the time; Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane), a British champion with six tournament victories under his belt, was considered a shoo-in to win, with Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus) his only serious competition. However, Vardon, a fellow working-class boy who had overcome tuberculosis to become Britain's premier professional golfer, had more in common with Ouimet than anyone expected, and the tournament unexpectedly became a hard-fought competition between an established star and a promising unknown. Directed by Bill Paxton in his second directorial effort, The Greatest Game Ever Played also stars Elias Koteas as Francis' father, Josh Flitter as the ten-year-old boy who becomes Francis' caddy, and Peyton List as Sarah Wallis, Francis' sweetheart. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This concert program features a live performance by vocalist Dawn Upshaw accompanied on the piano by Gilbert Kalish. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

This DVD highlights the third installment of Wagners's opera Der Ring Des Nebelungen, accompanied by conductor James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The cast stars James Morris as Siegfried Jerusalem, and also features Hildegard Behrens, Birgitta Svenden, and Matti Salminen. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

The Metropolitan Opera mounted this production of composer Giuseppe Verdi's opera Simon Boccanegra, starring Sherrill Milnes, Anna Tomowa-Sintow and Vasile Moldoveanu. The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, under the direction of James Levine, provide musical accompaniment. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Six of the world's most gifted vocalists of Broadway show tunes, with a plethora of Tony and Grammy awards between them -- Mandy Patinkin, Audra McDonald, Dawn Upshaw, Donna Murphy, Judy Blazer, and Richard Muenz -- pay homage to legendary tunesmith and conductor Leonard Bernstein in the concert film Leonard Bernstein's New York. Each of three segments features the cast members singing selections from one of Leonard Bernstein's Manhattan-themed shows, filmed live in the locations where the original scenes are set. The first, with extracts from the composer's late 1944 musical On the Town, has the ensemble singing "New York, New York"; Murphy, Blazer, and Patinkin singing "Ya Got Me"; Patinkin and Blazer singing "Come Up to My Place"; Upshaw singing "Lonely Town"; Patinkin singing "Some Other Time"; and Murphy singing "Ain't Got No Tears Left." The second segment, with musical extracts from Bernstein's 1953 musical Wonderful Town, has Muenz, Upshaw, and Murphy singing "What a Waste"; Muenz singing "A Quiet Girl"; Patinkin singing "Wrong Note Rag"; Blazer singing "Story of My Life"; and McDonald singing "A Little Bit in Love." The third, with musical extracts from Bernstein's 1957 West Side Story, has Upshaw and Muenz singing "One Hand, One Heart," and McDonald and Patinkin singing "Tonight." ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide