-Press- "Cormier's arrangements are facile and colorful; his orchestra is capable and the choreography of his gifted quartet of singers brought humor as well as musical richness to the ensemble." -The Times "The New Sigmund Romberg Orchestra ... opened our holiday season to standing ovations after exhibiting the orchestra's masterful interpretation of traditional holiday music and selections from Romberg's repertoire." - Executive Director, Maxwell C. King Center For The Performing Arts
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Sigmund Romberg (1887-1951) was Hungary's gift to melody-loving Americans. Befriended by the famous operetta composer Franz Lehar (Merry Widow), Romberg decided to become a professional musician.
After World War I, his career as a composer of operettas with Viennese flavors really blossomed. During the 1920's, he wrote Blossom Time, The Student Prince, Desert Song, Rosalie, and The New Moon. Among his friends and musical collaborators were Al Jolsen, Oscar Hammerstein II, Cole Porter, George Gerswhin, Gus Kahn, and Irving Berlin. With the advent of sound films, Romberg moved to Hollywood in 1929. More than a half dozen of his film operettas were released between 1929 and 1954, including the original Viennese Nights. Throughout the 30's and 40's he hosted weekly radio programs that included his own songs and works by other popular composers. In early 1940, Romberg organized his first concert tour. The Sigmund Romberg Orchestra not only played the music of Broadway, but also "popular classics." Still he found time to compose work for the New York musical theatre, including Up in Central Park and My Romance. Know to his friends as "Romy," Romberg was a congenial, fun-loving man know for his appreciation for good food and drink. He was a tireless composer, working on a new musical at the time of his death in 1951. Select Tour Cities*
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