Program Notes
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Friday Evening, March 18, 2016, at 8:00 m a r g The Cooper Clan All Together o r with Chuck, Eddie, Alex & Lilli Cooper P Joshua Stephen Kartes , Music Director, Arranger, e and Piano h Paul Brandenburg , Trumpet T Darius Christian Jones , Trombone Kyle Schweizer , Saxophones Colin Dean , Bass Jacob Boulay , Drums Lance Roberts , Director This evening’s program is approximately 75 minutes long and will be performed without intermission. Please make certain all your electronic devices are switched off. Major support for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook is provided by Amy & Joseph Perella. Endowment support provided by Bank of America This performance is made possible in part by the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center. Steinway Piano Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse American Songbook Additional support for Lincoln Center’s American Songbook is provided by The DuBose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, The Shubert Foundation, Jill and Irwin B. Cohen, The G & A Foundation, Inc., Great Performers Circle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of Lincoln Center. Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts. Artist catering provided by Zabar’s and zabars.com MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center UPCOMING AMERICAN SONGBOOK EVENTS IN THE STANLEY H. KAPLAN PENTHOUSE: Wednesday Evening, March 30, at 8:00 Liz Callaway sings Maltby & Shire Thursday Evening, March 31, at 8:00 Imani Uzuri Friday Evening, April 1, at 8:00 Grace McLean IN THE DAVID RUBENSTEIN ATRIUM: Tuesday Evening, March 22, at 7:30 Rana Santacruz Tuesday Evening, April 5, at 7:30 Rick Barry The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse is located in the Samuel B. and David Rose Building at 165 West 65th Street, 10th floor. The David Rubenstein Atrium is located on Broadway between West 62nd and 63rd Streets. Shows at the Atrium are free, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. For tickets, call (212) 721-6500 or visit AmericanSongbook.org. Call the Lincoln Center Info Request Line at (212) 875-5766 or visit AmericanSongbook.org for complete program information. Join the conversation: #LCSongbook We would like to remind you that the sound of coughing and rustling paper might distract the performers and your fellow audience members. In consideration of the performing artists and members of the audience, those who must leave before the end of the performance are asked to do so between pieces . Flash photography and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in the building. American Songbook I Meet the Artists Chuck Cooper s t Chuck Cooper won the Tony s Award for his performance in Cy i t Coleman’s The Life . He has been r featured in 13 Broadway shows in every theatrical genre from A Shakespeare to musical comedy. e His most recent guest-starring television appearances include h t House of Cards , The Good Wife , Madam Secretary , Gossip Girl , t Nurse Jackie , and Muhammad e Ali’s Greatest Fight . Mr. Cooper’s e other awards include the Lucille Lortel Award for The Piano Lesson , the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle M Award for Two Trains Running , the Audelco Award for Caroline, or Change , and two Drama Desk nominations for Choir Boy and The Life. His favorite role is father to Eddie, Alex, and Lilli. Eddie Cooper Eddie Cooper was recently seen in Encores! Off-Center’s production of Little Shop of Horrors playing the role of Audrey II. His television work includes ABC’s Forever , a recurring role as Fat Au on Cinemax’s Banshee , and the upcoming HBO series Crime . Raised in New York City, Mr. Cooper graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from Ithaca College. American Songbook I Meet the Artists Alex Cooper Following his brother’s footsteps, Alex Cooper went to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Quickly shy - ing away from acting, he pursued music and acquired a strong founda - tion for guitar from his teacher (his dad). Mr. Cooper has performed at such venues as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, Birdland, and Rockwood Music Hall. Lilli Cooper A born and bred New Yorker, Lilli Cooper attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. While apply - ing to colleges, she originated the role of Martha in the Tony Award– winning musical Spring Awakening . She studied film at Vassar College, and during her junior year, studied abroad at the Prague Film School, graduating with honors. After Vassar, Ms. Cooper joined the second national tour of Wicked as the Elphaba understudy, and went on to tour internationally. She is currently the Elphaba standby on Broadway, and, in collaboration with Bicephaly Pictures, working on an original web series It’s Not OK, Cupid , about the world of online dating messages. Joshua Stephen Kartes Joshua Stephen Kartes (music director, arranger, piano) is a freelance com - poser, arranger, pianist, vocalist, musical director, vocal coach, and clinician. He is the music director, arranger, and orchestrator for the critically acclaimed Broadway Sings concert series at Highline Ballroom, and is music director for Broadway Sessions at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. His awards include the 2008 After Dark Award for Outstanding Musical Direction for his work in the Theo Ubique Theatre Company’s production of Jacques Brel’s Lone- some Losers of the Night . He also won the Jeff Award for Outstanding Achievement as musical director for the company’s production of Cabaret . American Songbook I Meet the Artists Paul Brandenburg A native of Secaucus, New Jersey, Paul Brandenburg (trumpet) was heard in the house band for the Curtis Mayfield tribute Here but I’m Gone at Lincoln Center Festival in 2012, where he performed with Mavis Staples, the Roots, Sinead O’Connor, and the Impressions, among others. Currently he can be heard with swing band Double Down, as well as King of the World, a Steely Dan revue. Darius Christian Jones Darius Christian Jones (trombone) is a trombonist, bandleader, and vocalist. He has worked recently with artists such as Klingande, Macy Gray and David Murray, and Darcy James Argue. Kyle Schweizer Kyle Schweizer (saxophones) is a performer, arranger, and composer with a wide musical palette. He has performed on saxophone with Jack Wilkins, Angela Workman (a former Raelette), Brother Joscephus, Tony Middleton, Daniel Glass, Sarah Hayes, and many others. He also performs on vocals, guitar, and keyboards. As an arranger and composer, his influence can heard as the musical director for swing band Double Down, Anacoustic Mind (led by Mike Ogletree, formerly of Simple Minds), and Renee Borys. Colin Dean Colin Dean (bass) is a bassist, composer, music director, and artist manager. He currently works as a freelance musician in New York with some of the city’s best talent in jazz, hip-hop, world music, and on Broadway, and has toured exten - sively across North America and internationally. Recent projects include a tour through Nepal, Mozambique, and Swaziland with Nomadic Wax for American Music Abroad, the U.S. Department of State’s flagship cultural diplomacy pro - gram. He also recently worked in Sudan with American Voices, teaching music and acting as deputy director for a media-production training program. Mr. Dean has also led performances supporting artists from Senegal and Cuba for the Kennedy Center’s One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide festival in Washington, D.C., and performances supporting artists from Algeria, the U.K., and U.S. for Muslim Women’s Voices at Wesleyan. Jacob Boulay Jacob Boulay (drums) is an accomplished drummer, percussionist, guitarist, composer, and educator. Having performed with multiple ensembles through - out New York, his experience spans all styles. American Songbook I Meet the Artists Lance Roberts Lance Roberts (director) most recently directed The Blues of Langston Hughes , starring Chuck Cooper, at 54 Below. His production of Ka’davaret, Broadway’s Halloween Revue , was a highlight of the 2011 season. A New York native, Mr. Roberts is a veteran of the original casts of many Broadway shows, including Sister Act and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof starring Scarlett Johansson, and has performed in many of the national’s regional theaters. He currently appears in the Roundabout Theatre’s revival of The Robber Bridegroom . For over 30 years he has been associated with The All Night Strut! as actor, director, or choreographer. Mr. Roberts also served as artistic director for the Actors’ Co. in Los Angeles for four years, directing and produc - ing over 20 plays, including Neil Simon’s Fools and the L.A. premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday . American Songbook In 1998, Lincoln Center launched American Songbook, dedicated to the cele - bration of popular American song. Designed to highlight and affirm the cre - ative mastery of America’s songwriters from their emergence at the turn of the 19th century up through the present, American Songbook spans all styles and genres, from the form’s early roots in Tin Pan Alley and Broadway to the eclecticism of today’s singer-songwriters. American Songbook also show - cases the outstanding interpreters of popular song, including established and emerging concert, cabaret, theater, and songwriter performers. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: pre - senter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and com - munity relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educa - tional activities annually, LCPA offers 15 programs, series, and festivals includ - ing American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and the White Light Festival, as well as the Emmy Award–winning Live From Lincoln Center , which airs nationally on PBS.