by Steven Blier | Sep 26, 2023 | Program Notes
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...
by Steven Blier | Aug 27, 2023 | Program Notes
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,...
by Steven Blier | Mar 14, 2023 | Program Notes
Note: Due to illness, this program’s song list has changed since the notes were written. It will be annotated from the stage at tonight’s performance. When I hear the word “Mediterranean,” I immediately think of the Cannes Film Festival, Barcelona’s...
by Steven Blier | Feb 14, 2023 | Program Notes
I remember being at Tower Records in 1980, where I came across a fancy boxed set of LPs called Régine Crespin: 30 ans sur scène. Thirty years of performances, from Fiordiligi to Fidelio—what a dazzling pinnacle! At age 28, I could barely grasp the idea of such a long...
by Steven Blier | Nov 15, 2022 | Program Notes
Mention the words “Berlin cabaret” and most people will imagine the sleazy M.C. and decadent all-girl band from the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret. Film buffs will conjure up the image of Marlene Dietrich tormenting a mild-mannered elderly gentleman with her sexually...
by Steven Blier | Sep 27, 2022 | Program Notes
Tonight’s program, Heroes, had a unique birth. It began with my desire to work with with the four musicians sharing the stage with me tonight, a quartet of artists who are frequent collaborators and close friends. While baritone John Brancy and violinist Charles Yang...
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