Bernstein Bash Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG CROWDER HALL JANUARY 31, 2018 1 BOARD OF PROGRAM BOOK CONTACT DIRECTORS CREDITS US James Reel Arizona Friends of Editor President Chamber Music Jay Rosenblatt Post Office Box 40845 Paul Kaestle Tucson, Arizona 85717 Vice-President Contributors Robert Gallerani Phone: 520-577-3769 Joseph Tolliver Holly Gardner Email: [email protected] Program Director Nancy Monsman Website: arizonachambermusic.org Helmut Abt Jay Rosenblatt Recording Secretary James Reel Box Office Manager Cathy Anderson Wes Addison Advertising Treasurer Paul Kaestle USHERS Philip Alejo Allan Tractenberg Nancy Bissell Barry & Susan Austin Kaety Byerley Design Susan Fifer Michael Coretz Openform Marilee Mansfield Dagmar Cushing Lidia Morris Bryan Daum Printing Elaine Orman Marvin Goldberg West Press Susan Rock Joan Jacobson Jane Ruggill Jay Rosenblatt Janet Smith Elaine Rousseau Barbara Turton Randy Spalding Diana Warr Paul St. John Maurice Weinrobe & Trudy Ernst George Timson Patricia Wendel Leslie Tolbert VOLUNTEERS Cory Aaland Dana Deeds Beth Daum Beth Foster Bob Foster Marvin Goldberg Eddy Hodak Marie-France Isabelle Traudi Nichols Allan Tractenberg Diane Tractenberg Cover: Leonard Bernstein January 1, 1969 2 FROM THE PRESIDENT You’re in the middle of what must be the biggest By the way, you may know that we’d originally birthday party Leonard Bernstein ever had. This intended to present tonight’s emissaries from the year is the hundredth anniversary of Bernstein’s New York Festival of Song in the more intimate birth, and Tucson’s major performing-arts Holsclaw Hall, down the corridor, but things just organizations are going all-out to mark the occasion, got too big for that venue, so here we are in Crowder gathered in the cultural jumping castle that is the Hall—AFCM’s home for many decades, until we Tucson Desert Song Festival. For our part, AFCM moved to Leo Rich during Crowder’s renovation in is providing even more of a party atmosphere than the early 1990s, and stayed there except for most of the other organizations; I hope you arrived forays like this. early enough to enjoy the reception in the lobby, So now, enjoy the party, and join us as we continue and I think you’ll find most of tonight’s program to explore new ways to bring you the finest small- to be quite festive. Just please refrain from blowing ensemble music. on noisemakers during the performance, and remember that silly party hats may obstruct the view of audience members behind you. Tonight’s presentation should give you an idea of what AFCM’s Now Music series is evolving into. JAMES REEL We’d like to offer pre-concert drinks and appetizers President as a standard feature of the series, and explore venues beyond the Leo Rich Theater that may be better suited to the performances we’ve cooked up for you—sometimes because the hall’s seating capacity is more appropriate for whatever artists are on stage, or the facilities are better suited to shows that include elements beyond music, or the atmosphere simply seems “cool” and less intimidating to newcomers than a formal concert hall. We will always present classical musicians of the high quality you’ve come to expect, but we’re trying new ways to elevate the experience. 3 NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG JANUARY 31, 2018 NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG Now celebrating its 30th season, New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty and originality. Weaving music, poetry, history, and humor into evenings of compelling theater, NYFOS fosters community among artists and audiences. Founded by pianists Michael Barrett and Steven Blier in 1988, NYFOS continues to produce NYFOS Mainstage, its flagship series of thematic song programs, drawing together rarely-heard songs of all kinds, overriding traditional distinctions between classical and popular performance genres, and exploring the character and language of other cultures. NYFOS has produced five recordings on the Koch label, including a Grammy Award-winning disc of New York Festival of Song Bernstein’s Arias and Barcarolles, and the Grammy- Steven Blier, artistic director nominated recording of Ned Rorem’s Evidence of Michael Barrett, associate artistic director Things Not Seen (also a NYFOS commission) on New World Records. NYFOS’s discography also Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano includes Spanish Love Songs with Joseph Kaiser and Joshua Jeremiah, baritone the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson on Bridge Records. Steven Blier & Michael Barrett, piano Its recently released CD on the GPR label, Canción amorosa, also focuses on Spanish song—Basque, Catalan, Castilian, and Sephardic—with soprano Corinne Winters accompanied by Steven Blier. NYFOS is passionate about nurturing the artistry and careers of young artists and through its NYFOS Emerging Artists program has developed professional training residencies around the country, including The Juilliard School’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts (13th season); Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (10th season); NYFOS@North Fork in Orient, NY (5th New York Festival of Song 307 Seventh Avenue season); Glimmerglass Opera (2008–2010); and Suite 1206 San Francisco Opera Center (multiple visits over New York, NY 10001 the last 18 seasons). These intensive programs train young artists in programming and translation, presentation and production, and research and musical style. NYFOS’s concert series, touring programs, radio broadcasts, recordings, and educational activities continue to spark new interest in the creative possibilities of the song program, and have inspired the creation of thematic vocal series around the world. 4 NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG JANUARY 31, 2018 TONIGHT’S PROGRAM This evening’s concert Arias and Barcarolles is sponsored by the and the Bernstein Songbook generous contribution LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918–1990) of John & Teresa Forsythe, Arias and Barcarolles and is made possible by Prelude Love Duet a grant from the Tucson Little Smary Desert Song Festival. The Love of My Life Greeting Oif Mayn Khas’neh Mr. and Mrs. Webb Say Goodnight Nachspiel (Postlude) INTERMISSION Simple Song (from Mass) I Can Cook Too (from On the Town) Pass that Football (from Wonderful Town) It’s Gotta Be Bad to Be Good Carried Away (from On the Town) The Pennycandy Store Beyond the El (fromSongfest) Somewhere (from West Side Story) We Must Have a Ball (from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) Dream With Me (from Peter Pan) Ya Got Me (from On the Town) 5 NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG JANUARY 31, 2018 STEVEN BLIER MICHAEL BARRETT Steven Blier is the Artistic Director of the New York NYFOS Associate Artistic Director Michael Festival of Song (NYFOS), which he co-founded Barrett started NYFOS in 1988 with his friend and in 1988 with Michael Barrett. Since the Festival’s colleague Steven Blier. In 1992, he co-founded the inception, he has programmed, performed, Moab Music Festival with his wife, violist Leslie translated, and annotated more than 140 vocal Tomkins. From 1994 to 1997, he was the Director recitals with repertoire spanning the entire range of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y of American song, art song from Schubert to in New York, and from 2003 to 2012, he was Chief Szymanowski, and popular song from early Executive and General Director of the Caramoor vaudeville to Lennon-McCartney. NYFOS has also Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY. made in-depth explorations of music from Spain, He has distinguished himself as a conductor with Latin America, Scandinavia, and Russia. New York major orchestras here and abroad in the symphonic, Magazine gave NYFOS its award for Best Classical operatic, and dance repertoire. A protégé of Leonard Programming, while Opera News proclaimed Blier Bernstein, he began his long association with the “the coolest dude in town.” renowned conductor and composer as a student in Mr. Blier enjoys an eminent career as an accompanist 1982. He served as Maestro Bernstein’s assistant and vocal coach. His recital partners have included conductor from 1985–1990. He currently serves as Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Samuel Ramey, music advisor to the Leonard Bernstein Estate. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Susan Graham, Jessye A champion of new music, Mr. Barrett has Norman, and José van Dam, in venues ranging conducted and played premieres by Bernstein, from Carnegie Hall to La Scala. He is also on the Blitzstein, Bolcom, Danielpour, Kernis, Sellars, faculty of The Juilliard School and has been active in Harrison, Takemitsu, Del Tredici, John Corigliano, encouraging young recitalists at summer programs, Lowell Liebermann, and John Musto. He has including the Wolf Trap Opera Company, the collaborated with the directors Jerome Robbins, Steans Institute at Ravinia, Santa Fe Opera, and the John Houseman, Sir Peter Hall, David Alden, San Francisco Opera Center. Christopher Alden, and Gregory Mosher. In keeping the traditions of American music alive, Dedicated to music education, Mr. Barrett oversees he has brought back to the stage many of the rarely the innovative education programs of the Moab heard songs of George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Music Festival. He is also active in the creation of Kurt Weill, and Cole Porter. He has also played new educational programs for symphony orchestras ragtime, blues, and stride piano evenings with John in collaboration with Jamie Bernstein. Their Musto. A champion of American art song, he has programs have been performed throughout the premiered works of John Corigliano, Paul Moravec, U.S., Asia, Cuba, and Europe. Ned Rorem, William Bolcom, Mark Adamo, John Musto, Richard Danielpour, Tobias Picker, Robert Born in Guam and raised in California, Mr. Barrett Beaser, Lowell Liebermann, Harold Meltzer, and attended the University of California at Berkeley Lee Hoiby, many of which were commissioned and is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory by NYFOS. of Music, where he studied piano with Paul Hersh, and earned his master’s degrees in conducting and A native New Yorker, he received a Bachelor’s piano performance.