I am always looking for the element that will lift a song from the memorized-and-well-executed to the owned-and-embodied. There are many ways to board that magic carpet, assuming the singers have the capacity for levitation. (Everyone in this cast does.) But it isn’t...
written by
Steven Blier
NYFOS@Juilliard Rorem Project: Post 1
I have had a lot of good times doing my annual Juilliard concerts, a tradition since 2006. But I had not anticipated how much fun I would have with this year’s show, Ned at 100: A Rorem Celebration. It is a revamped revival of a concert we did ten years ago,...
Program Note: Gracias a la vida
Four decades ago I found myself at a week-long residency on the Princeton campus, studying song repertoire with a roster of legendary recitalists. At one of those master classes I heard my first Argentinean art song—“La rosa y el sauce,” by Carlos Guastavino. After...
Program Note — Perennials: Songs for every season
After working with Peter Dugan on last year’s opening night concert, Heroes, I was eager to collaborate with him again. But on what, exactly? We met for lunch and batted ideas around for a while. As we got to the last pieces of sushi, Peter asked, “Tell me, is there...
Program Note: 100 Years of Broadway Love
I chose this year’s theme, 100 Years of Broadway Love, for two reasons. First, because I thought it would have an inviting, end-of-summer appeal, offering a breather from the horrors of the daily news reports; second, because I assumed it would be a snap to program,...
NYFOS@North Fork 2023: Day 6
Today was dress rehearsal—and out here that means actually getting into full concert regalia. That’s because Husband Jim comes to take pictures of the show the day before the performance. That way, no one has to disturb the crowd by skulking around the hall during the...