An Afternoon with Porgy and Bess Tuesday, Dec
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College of Arts and Sciences College of Arts and Sciences ORIN College of Arts and Sciences GROSSMAN AN AFTERNOON WITH PORGY AND BESS TUESDAY, DEC. 8 • 5 p.m. click here to learn more about the artist Porgy and Bess was George Gershwin’s greatest labor of love and his most controversial masterpiece. When it opened on Broadway in 1935 it was attacked on all sides for its racial themes, its dark plot, the use of operatic devices such as recitative, and its length. The opera’s treatment of African American life has always stirred controversy, yet the opera contains Gershwin’s greatest music, some of which is familiar to everyone. This presentation explores the story of Porgy and Bess and the fascinating history of its life on the stage. It will include a performance of “Summertime,” “My Man’s Gone Now,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” and “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” in special arrangements by the great American pianist, Earl Wild. Orin Grossman has been delighting audiences the world over with his unique approach to performing and explaining great American and European music. As a performer he is in demand as an interpreter of the music of George Gershwin, playing his songs and classical compositions around the world, including Italy, Egypt, Australia, and Russia, where he performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and gave the Russian premiere of Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic to a standing ovation. Dr. Grossman graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in music. He continued his studies at Yale University, earning a PhD in Music. At Fairfield University, Dr. Grossman has been Professor, Dean, and Academic Vice President. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Visual and Performing Arts. After his New York Carnegie Hall debut recital, he performed a series of innovative recitals combining jazz, popular, and classical music. A superb lecturer, he has developed presentations combining performance and discussion. He is a frequent star professor for One Day University, a premiere lecture organization, giving talks in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and other locales across the United States. He was chosen to lecture at Tanglewood as part of the 2014 Boston Symphony Summer Season and was a featured presenter at Mexico City’s Day of Knowledge in 2018..