"HEAR MY SONG," A NEW "HALLMARK HALL OF FAME" PRESENTATION STARRING DUSTIN HOFFMAN, KATHY BATES, EDDIE IZZARD AND KEVIN McHALE, WITH JOSH LUCAS AND DEBRA WINGER, TO BE BROADCAST SATURDAY, APRIL 16 ON CBS

New "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation HEAR MY SONG, starring Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman and Kathy Bates, Academy Award nominee Debra Winger, Emmy Award winner Eddie Izzard, Josh Lucas and Kevin McHale will be broadcast Saturday, April 16 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The inspirational, music-filled movie tells the tale of a neglected 12-year-old boy, Stet (Garrett Wareing), whose devilish behavior obscures his angelic singing voice until he enters a boy choir boarding school where the demanding choir master (Hoffman) drives him to achieve beyond his wildest dreams.

After the passing of Stet's mother, his affluent father, Gerard (Josh Lucas, "A Beautiful Mind," "The Mysteries of Laura"), is summoned to Texas, where he finally meets the son he's kept a secret from his wife and daughters home in New York City. Stet's supportive school principal, Ms. Steel (Debra Winger, "Terms of Endearment," "An Officer and a Gentleman"), reveals to Gerard what an exceptional singer Stet is, and easily persuades him to enroll Stet in a boarding school that's home to the country's leading boys choir.

At first, Stet is shunned by his classmates due to his untrained voice, inability to read music and bad-boy demeanor. Though the choir's demanding conductor, Mr. Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman, "Rain Man," "Kramer vs. Kramer"), and Carvelle's aloof musicologist, Drake (Eddie Izzard, "Ocean's Thirteen," "The Riches"), are intimidating to Stet at first, the school's feisty headmistress (Kathy Bates, "Misery," "American Horror Story") and Wooly (Kevin McHale, "Glee"), a kind young teacher, offer the nurturing he needs.

Stet's superb training and inner grit eventually propel him to be a contender for the lead role in the choir, a long unchallenged position held by his fiercest rival, Devon (Joe West). Finally, after finding people who believe in him, Stet achieves a level of skill, success and serenity that he never thought possible.

HEAR MY SONG was originally produced as a feature film called "Boychoir." The Hallmark Hall of Fame acquired the movie for its nationwide premiere on CBS.

HEAR MY SONG, presented by Hallmark Hall of Fame, is an Informant Films production in association with Embankment Films, Carol Baum Productions and Goldenring Productions. The executive producers are Michael A. Simpson, Eric Brenner, Tim Haslam, Hugo Grumbar, Grant Guthrie, Ben Ripley, Darrel Casalino, Guirec Van Slingelandt, Rob Van Den, Paul B. Loyd Jr., Jeff Steen, Bob Westendarp, Jarod Becker and Brent Shields. Judy Cairo, Carol Baum and Jane Goldenring are the producers. It was directed by François Girard ("The Red Violin") and written by Ben Ripley.

RATING: TVPG