Gene Kelly – A Life in Music

Gene Kelly – A Life in Music is a symphonic cinema tribute to the life and work of legendary dancer, director and choreographer Gene Kelly. Blending beautiful film clips from well-known MGM musicals with less-known pieces, including rarely seen television specials, the show is woven together with captivating, behind-the-scenes stories about the making of these magical works, shared by Kelly’s wife and official biographer Patricia Kelly. This very personal journey into the unique landscape of music and dance is capped by the presence of Auckland Philharmonia, a jewel in our city’s performing arts crown, whose magnificent orchestra plays live to Kelly’s dancing on screen.

Gene Kelly (1912–1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. One of the greatest movie stars in Hollywood history, he’s best known for his starring roles in film musicals, most famously Singin’ in the Rain (1952). He married Patricia Kelly in 1990. Gene Kelly: A Life in Music premiered with The Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2018. Created and hosted by Patricia Kelly, the show features her husband’s personal stories, rare memorabilia and restored film clips, which have been ‘scrubbed’ of their music for live orchestration, but retain Kelly’s singing voice, dialogue and dance taps — all digitally enhanced through special audio technology.