page_title: John Serry Sr.
section_title: The 1960s: Broadway theatre
hierarchical_section_title: John Serry Sr. / Career / The 1960s: Broadway theatre
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of the facade of the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center, New York, New York, taken on 10 February 2006 by Kevin Burdette and released into the public domain on 10 February 2006 by the photographer.
context_page_description: John Serry Sr. was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voice of America's cultural diplomacy initiatives during the Golden Age of Radio. He also concertized on the accordion as a member of several orchestras and jazz ensembles for nearly forty years between the 1930s and 1960s.
context_section_description: Serry collaborated on the Voice of Firestone series with the conductor Howard Barlow (guest conductor for NBC Television in 1961) and on The Revlon Revue (1960) for CBS Television. He also appeared in several Broadway theatre productions including: Cabaret at the Imperial Theatre (1968);The Happy Time starring Robert Goulet at The Broadway Theatre (1968 Tony Award Best Musical), and Fiddler on the Roof starring Zero Mostel at the Majestic Theatre (1968).
  In addition to entertaining audiences on Broadway, he was a member of the Seven-Up Continental Band, which performed at the 1964 New York World's Fair in the Seven-Up International Gardens Pavilion.
  On the Off Broadway stage, he emerged in the 1965 production of Gerard Calvi's La Grosse Valise at the 54th Street Theatre starring Ronald Fraser (actor) & Victor Spinetti (1965) (composer Gerard Calvi, lyrics by Harold Rome, musical director Lehman Engel).
  Later in the decade he appeared in a revival by the bandleader Guy Lombardo of Oscar Hammerstein II's South Pacific at the Jones Beach Theater located in the Jones Beach State Park on Long Island, New York (1968). The production featured Jerome Hines and Kathleen Nolan in the starring roles and was directed by Oscar Hammerstein II's son William Hammerstein.
  Returning to the classical concert venue, Serry served as the lead concert accordionist in performances of the New Ballet staged to the music of Tchaikovsky (the Orchestral Suite No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)) at the New York State Theater (1969). The production was performed as part of the 20th anniversary season of the New York City Ballet. The performances included the choreography of Jacques d'Amboise in the premier of his Tchaikovsky Suite and the New York City Ballet Orchestra directed by Robert Irving. Principal dancers in the corps de ballet included Francisco Moncion, Gerard Ebitz, and Nina Fedorova.  
  His advanced grade composition Concerto For Free Bass Accordion was also completed during this decade in 1966. In the process, he contributed a definitive work for accordion which embraces both the classical music and symphonic jazz musical genres as expressed within the United States. (See Advanced compositions below & List of jazz-influenced classical compositions).
caption: New York State Theater in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts 
  New York City Opera
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