The Center’s new Performing Arts Connect series uses Zoom videoconferencing to bring you live workshops and presentations featuring artists and experts from leading cultural organizations around the world. You can enjoy these virtual field trips from the comfort of home – or anywhere!

From Hamilton to West Side Story: Identifying Our American Experience through Song
Live from the Manhattan School of Music

Take a virtual trip to NYC’s “Great White Way” to examine three preeminent American musicals: Richard Rodgers’ South Pacific, Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit Hamilton. Exploring the historical context and sociocultural issues in each musical, participants will reflect on their own cultural and personal identities. In addition to a live performance by an MSM Orto Center Teaching Artist, participants will collaboratively compose and perform their own historical rap! Join us and discover what makes the American Musical a defining part of American culture and identity.