GRAIL – a SciFi Rock Musical “ONCE….YOU BELIEVED” Now Available on iTunes

New York – Emmy-nominated composer Bob Christianson can now be found on iTunes in the Soundtrack section. Grail, the Rock Musical of the Future, www.GrailTheMusical.com is a futuristic retelling of the “Fisher King” legend, now available in a 2-CD set, featuring lyrics by Cappy Capossela and music by Christianson. Grail has been the CD of the month of Musicals magazine and received ***** reviews from iTunes and Amazon.com.

“Grail presents an unbelievably engaging and idea-rich composition” - Musicals

Grail: the year is 2050. The place is the Outerworld. Ten-year-old Lance is a lonely child with a passion for building castles in the sand. Not just any castles…architectural wonders. But the Outerworld is ravaged by a war with Citiworld, a walled metropolis that on the surface seems a Utopian haven. Soon Lance must choose between the world he knows and the world he can barely remember and all the answers lie in a crystal his father gave him before he died….it is the GRAIL.

"…powerful and amazing…everyone needs to listen to this show. It rocks" - iTunes review

The cast includes: Jason Paige, Sophia Ramos, Bill Nolte, Vaneece Thomas, Florence Warner, Joseph Kolinski, Kurt Yahjian, Christopher Marquett, Russell G. Valazquez and Bruce Connely.

Bob Christianson is a critically acclaimed composer, arranger, performing musician and conductor. For three years he was one of the most consistently used composers on HBO’s Sex and the City. Bob has recorded with Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Jan Hammer, Laura Branagan, Diana Ross, Judy Collins, Rupert Holmes and Melissa Manchester. He has performed under such legendary film composers as Elmer Bernstein, Ennio Marricone and John Morris. His new musical, Take Me America, penned with collaborator Bill Nabel, just finished its world premiere run in NYC.

As a performing musician, Bob has toured with Jan Hammer, Laura Branagan, and Rupert Holmes. He has also conducted and performed with NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” band, and has sat in with the band and arranged for “The Late Show with David Letterman”. His work for ABC Sports earned him an Emmy nomination and he has scored many documentaries for the Discovery Network including “The Secrets of…” (series) and “Wildlife Emergency”. On Broadway, Bob was the Music Director and Conductor for The Magic Show and Godspell, and the conductor and keyboard player for Gilda Radner – Live from New York.

As a composer, his works have been performed by the Colorado Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Eugene Symphony and by the NYC based Concordia Orchestra. “Too Hot to Handel”, commissioned by Marin Alsop, a contemporary version of Handel’s Messiah that Bob co-arranged with composer Gary Anderson, played to sold out audiences for 10 seasons at Lincoln Center, and was the number one selling classical download on iTunes for the month of December, 2006.

GRAIL
To purchase the CD, go to www.the-grail.net/cdinfo.html
To download music on iTunes, search for Grail the Rock Musical on the iTunes home page
For more information please visit www.GrailTheMusical.com or contact GrailTheMusical@gmail.com


Biographies
BOB CHRISTIANSON (music) is an award-winning composer, arranger, performing musician and conductor. For three years he was one of the most consistently used composers on HBO’s Sex and the City. His work for ABC Sports earned him an Emmy nomination and he has scored many documentaries for the Discovery Network including “The Secrets of…” (series) and “Wildlife Emergency”. On Broadway, Bob was the Music Director and Conductor for The Magic Show and Godspell, and the conductor and keyboard player for Gilda Radner – Live from New York. His new musical, Take Me America, penned with collaborator Bill Nabel, just finished its world premiere run in NYC.

Bob has scored over 15 films including Machiavelli Rises, Vibrations, Sunstorm, and The Adventures of Ragtime. His latest film The Conscientious Objector won best Featured Documentary at the Cinequest Film Festival. Among TV composition and/or arranging credits are “The Late Show with David Letterman” (CBS), “NBC’s 75th Anniversary Show”, “The Equalizer” (CBS), “Gimmeabreak” (NBC), “CBS Winter Olympics 1998” (CBS), “Comedy Hour” (HBO), and “Sex and the City” (HBO). In addition, Bob has written many award-winning sports themes and promos for CBS Sports, ESPN, and ABC Sports, including “Olympic Trial” (ESPN), “Major League Baseball” (CBS & ESPN), “NFL Football” (CBS & ESPN), and the “World Cup Theme” (ESPN & ABC).

As a successful studio synthesist, Bob has recorded with such producers as Arif Margin, and with artists such as Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Jan Hammer, Laura Branagan, Diana Ross, Judy Collins, Rupert Holmes and Melissa Manchester. He has performed under such legendary film composers as Elmer Bernstein, Ennio Marricone and John Morris. As a performing musician, Bob has toured with Jan Hammer of “Miami Vice” fame, Laura Branagan, and Rupert Holmes. He has also conducted and performed with NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” band, and has sat in with the band on “The Late Show with David Letterman”.

As a composer, his works have been performed by the Colorado Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Eugene Symphony and by the NYC based Concordia Orchestra. He performed with the Denver Symphony in December as they presented “Too Hot to Handel”, a contemporary version of Handel’s Messiah that Bob co-arranged with composer Gary Anderson. Bob is also the composer, arranger and producer of The Grail, a rock musical. www.bobchristianson.com

CAPPY CAPOSSELA (book, lyrics) was a songwriter, advertising writer, published author and film writer. Her SONG credits include: Advertising jingles for Hanes, Bahamasair, Foster Grant, Chrysler, Continental
Airlines, Crispy Critters Cereal, many others; Songs: "When The Heat Hits The Street" - Laura Branigan;
Theme song "A Million Children" for NBC Televison movie: "A Place At The Table" starring Danny AGlover, Susan Dey and Lukas Haas; Paramount Film "What To Do When Your Mom And Dad Break Up"

FILM Credit: Story for NBC Television movie: "A Place at the Table"

NON-FICTION: Co-author of "Share The Care: How To Organize A Group To Care For Someone Who Is Seriously Ill" (Pub. Simon & Schuster). "Share The Care" is a true story of 12 strangers who formed a group to take care of Susan, a single woman battling cancer and stayed together for three years. It outlines a system of caregiving that any group can follow so that no one has to do it alone.

ADVERTISING Experience: Creative Director, Coty Fragrances for 10 years, creating names and concepts for the following fragrances: ! ex-cla-mation, Ici, Longing, Dark Vanilla, Celebrate, Avatar, Stetson Country, Gossip. She worked with the following agencies: Young & Rubicam, Geer DuBois, Ketchum Advertising, Della Femina/Jeary & Partners; worked with the following clients: Coty, Almay Cosmetics, Hanes, Hardees, Johnson & Johnson, Time Magazine, Kodak, Foster Grant, Chrysler, Continental Airlines, others.