FACT SHEET
TITLE: MARINA AT WEST POINT:
UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY
LENGTHS/FORMATS: SD Base (1x60):
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HD Base (1x60):
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SD Pledge (1x60):
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HD Pledge (1x60):
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CATEGORY: Concert / Music Performance / Art & Entertainment
OFFERED: Summer 2009
RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2009
CONTRACT TERMS: Unlimited releases to be completed by November 7, 2011. Additional rights granted: Noncommercial cable, simulcast and video-on-demand.
PRODUCER: United World Entertainment
NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR: American Public Television (APT)
PRESENTER: APT Presentations
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The cross-over style of award-winning concert pianist and composer Marina Arsenijevic (arson-nee-vitch) seamlessly blends diverse cultural and ethnic rhythms with patriotic themes and classical techniques. Her public television debut, Marina at West Point: Unity Through Diversity, features the Yugoslavian-born virtuoso artist performing alongside the highly acclaimed 120-member West Point Band and West Point Cadet Glee Club. The 2008 concert, filmed live at West Point's historic Eisenhower Hall, celebrates the strength of America’s unique cultural, racial and religious diversity. Performances include stirring arrangements of well-known patriotic melodies — “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and “America the Beautiful” — in addition to dramatic orchestrations of Marina's original compositions.
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MARINA AT WEST POINT /2 FACT SHEET
SUPPORTING MATERIALS: Use above for listing. Also included: a press release, artist biography and song listing. Visit APTonline.org to download photos.
PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Public television stations may cross-promote the show locally to one or several of the more than 100 West Point Societies scattered across the United States. The more than 100,000 West Point graduates and families represented in these societies are very active in communities and closely match the key demographic of public television audiences. In addition, Marina also will be available for on-air pledging appearances.
COPYRIGHT DATE: ©2009 Marina at West Point Public Television Production
PRODUCTION CREDITS: Created and performed by Marina Arsenijevic. Producer / Director: George Veras. Audio: Ed Greene.
BROADCAST HISTORY: U.S. television premiere
SCHEDULING SUGGESTION: Consider airing in November for Veterans Day or during pledge drives.
RELATED MERCHANDISE: Viewers: This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Stations: Premiums for pledge include a DVD containing the 2 ½-hour full-length version of the concert and the two-CD set featuring the live concert. Visit APTonline.org for timings and premium pricing and ordering information. Marina also will be available for on-air pledging appearances. For more information, contact .
WEB SITE: www.MARINAinAMERICA.com
STATION PR CONTACT: Dawn Anderson
American Public Television
(617) 338-4455, ext. 149
9/1/09
CONTACT: Dawn Anderson
(617) 338-4455, ext. 149
MARINA AT WEST POINT: UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY
A Symphonic Powerhouse of Patriotism and Passion
PRESS RELEASE (Boston, MA – September 1, 2009) Already a superstar in Central and Eastern Europe, Marina Arsenijevic’s cross-over classical and pop style each year earns her new fans all over the world. The former child prodigy recently performed to enthusiastic audiences in Chicago, Toronto and New York, including two sold-out appearances at prestigious Carnegie Hall.
In her public television debut, Marina at West Point: Unity Through Diversity, the award-winning concert pianist and composer seamlessly blends diverse cultural and ethnic rhythms with patriotic themes and classical techniques.
Marina at West Point, airing on public television stations nationwide beginning in November 2009 (check local listings), features the international sensation performing alongside the highly acclaimed 120-member United States Military Academy Band (aka the West Point Band) and the West Point Cadet Glee Club. The Hellcats, an elite unit of buglers and drummers from the band, also join Marina for a rousing rendition of “The Official West Point March.”
Filmed in the fall of 2008 at West Point's historic Eisenhower Hall, the concert celebrates the strength of America’s unique ethnic, racial and religious diversity. Selections include well-known patriotic melodies: John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and Marina’s own stirring arrangement of “America the Beautiful.” In addition, Marina performs several of her dramatic original compositions, including "Under the Sun” and "Journey of the Soul."
Marina Arsenijevic’s (arson-nee-vitch) heroic life story inspired the "Unity Through Diversity" concert. The disintegration of her homeland of Yugoslavia into civil war greatly affected Marina's outlook on life and her music. She challenged ethnic extremism with her musical message of unity and tolerance by seamlessly blending varied religious melodies and multi-cultural rhythms. As a result, she created a new genre of the ethno-classical style with an unprecedented level of virtuosity and musical passion.
Marina believes the United States stands as a testament to the strength of "Unity Through Diversity," as evidenced by its rich multiculturalism and the ethnic traditions proudly maintained in neighborhoods across the country.
Marina at West Point: Unity Through Diversity was produced and directed by 12-time Emmy-winner George Veras, the producer and director responsible for PBS’ wildly popular series of concert specials featuring Yanni: Live at the Acropolis, Live at the Taj Mahal, Live at the Forbidden City and Live at Royal Albert Hall.
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MARINA AT WEST POINT /2 PRESS RELEASE
Nineteen-time primetime Emmy-winner Ed Greene, considered the "Dean of Television Musical Sound,” oversaw the audio production and mixing for Marina at West Point. Greene has worked on projects for American Idol, the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, and specials with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond and Bette Midler, among others.
American Public Television
With more than 10,000 hours of programming in its library, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations for 48 years, distributing more than 300 new programs per year. In 2006, APT launched Create – the TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. Known for its leadership in identifying innovative, worthwhile and viewer-friendly programming, APT has established a tradition of providing public television stations with program choices that strengthen and customize their schedules, such as Rick Steves' Europe, Worldfocus, Globe Trekker, Simply Ming, Sara's Weeknight Meals, America's Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated, Doc Martin, Lidia's Family Table, Rosemary and Thyme, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, The Big Comfy Couch, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Monarchy With David Starkey, Spain...on the road Again, and other prominent documentaries, dramatic series, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. For more information about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.
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BASE & PLEDGE PERFORMANCE LISTING
MARINA AT WEST POINT:
UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY
“The Stars and Stripes Forever” ...... John Philip Sousa
“Journey of the Soul” ...... Marina Arsenijevic
arr. Nixon/orch. Reifenberg
“Gypsies ...... Marina Arsenijevic & Eanan Patterson
arr. Nixon/orch. Richard
“Fire”...... Marina Arsenijevic
arr. Nixon/orch. Reifenberg
“Malagueña” ...... Ernesto Lecuona y Casado
arr. Richard
“Andalusia” ...... Marina Arsenijevic
arr. Grisa/orch. Richard
“Fight (To Protect the Weak)” ...... Marina Arsenijevic
arr. Nixon/orch. Reifenberg
“The Official West Point March” ...... Philip Egner
featuring “the Hellcats”
“My Sweetheart” ...... Marina Arsenijevic
arr. Grisa/orch. Richard
“Under the Sun” ...... Marina Arsenijevic
lyrics and arr. Nixon/orch. Reifenberg
Armed Forces Medley ...... arr. Kenneth Whitcomb
Revolutionary Etude ...... Frederick Chopin
“America, the Beautiful” ...... Samuel Ward
arr. Arsenijevic/orch. Richard
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Marina Arsenijevic
Marina Arsenijevic (arson-nee-vitch) has a superstar reputation in Eastern and Central Europe. She has focused on transforming different musical genres and styles by seamlessly blending diverse cultural and ethnic rhythms including jazz with traditional classical themes and techniques. Her music has been described as "unique to the ears yet very familiar to the soul." Marina made her debut solo concert at the tender age of nine, performing compositions by Chopin, Beethoven and Brahms. She studied with some of the world's great piano masters from Yugoslavia, Austria, Italy, Germany and Russia. She went on to win six international piano competitions and performed with every major orchestra in Eastern and Central Europe. She completed her formal music studies in piano and composition at the doctoral level with honors from the University of Arts in Belgrade at the age of 21. Marina's recordings of Mozart: Marina and the St. Petersburg Soloists and Chopin Piano Waltzes became top-selling classical CDs in Central and Eastern Europe.
The disintegration of Yugoslavia into civil war among its diverse ethnic groups greatly affected Marina's outlook on life and her music. She craved peace and unity in the face of ethnic extremism. As a result, she developed her hallmark "Unity In The Face of Diversity" and immediately applied her vision of unity and hope to her musical compositions, creating a new genre of the ethno-classical style. "Whenever I blend diverse cultural melodies with varied ethnic rhythms, regardless of their conflicted history, the music always reveals our common humanity,” Marina has said. The public quickly recognized the uplifting hopefulness in her music and Marina's popularity soared with sold-out concerts throughout Eastern and Central Europe. Her album, My Balkan Soul, sold more than 500,000 copies, making it the best-selling classical crossover CD in 11 European countries. She was featured on 40 magazine covers and received the Yugoslavian "Grammy" for “Most Popular Musical Artist” in 1996. In 1997, she received the Yugoslavian Media Award for “Most Popular All Media Personality.”
Marina witnessed the suffering of ethnic strife firsthand. During the height of the civil wars and ignoring extensive political pressures, Marina challenged the hatred and violence by taking an apprehensive Serbian National Orchestra to Kosovo's largest music hall to play both Muslim and Christian music to an appreciative standing room audience of Muslims and Christians without a single incidence of violence. As a result of this act, however, political extremists banned her from appearing on television. She responded by performing more than 75 concerts to large crowds in shopping centers, music halls and hotels.
On the last day of bombing, and in contrast to Slobodan Milosevic's proclamation of victory, Marina introduced her new composition "Kosovo" at the largest concert hall in Belgrade. Tears flowed as Marina played the deeply interwoven Christian and Muslim melodies of “Kosovo" as both the performer and the audience realized that the rich multi-cultural nation of Yugoslavia was no more.
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The next day Marina was warned to leave the country immediately for her own safety. Evading the secret police, she was guided to the U.S. Embassy in Budapest where, by special bipartisan Congressional arrangement, she entered the United States. Following the ouster of Milosevic, Marina was invited by the newly formed moderate government to return to Serbia for a concert tour. More than 300,000 fans came to hear the music that helped calm a nation torn apart by hatred and pain.
Following the tragedy of 9/11, Marina felt compelled to return to the United States to perform a series of benefit concerts for the victims and their families in Pennsylvania and Maryland and to thank the American people for their generosity and support toward mix- marriage Bosnian refugees who fled the ethnic genocide through asylum in the United States.
In the U.S., Marina has performed to enthusiastic audiences at major venues, including the Chicago Symphony Center, Toronto Center for the Arts, Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, The Chicago Navy Pier Auditorium and two separate sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall.
For more information about MARINA, visit www.MARINAinAMERICA.com
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