Harold Arlen: Shake It Off With Rhythm

Harold Arlen: Shake It Off With Rhythm

Ah, the pleasures that come from a well-sung note held for a long, looooong time. Rodgers and Hart had a lot of fun with that idea in their song “Johnny One Note,” from their 1937 musical, Babes In Arms. Of course, that wasn’t the first time a composer used that...
Jerome Kern: Till the Clouds Roll By

Jerome Kern: Till the Clouds Roll By

There’s no way you could grow up in a Rodgers household without hearing the family music—great songs created by a certain father, daughter and grandson. But in anticipation of this week’s NYFOS “Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel” concerts, I got to wondering: What other...
Danny Boy

Danny Boy

Arguably the most well known song ever, Danny Boy has swiftly become a very favorite of mine since I became intimately acquainted with it a few seasons ago. I mentioned in a previous post that pianist Peter Dugan and I will be launching our album A Silent Night: A WWI...
Billy Joel: And So It Goes

Billy Joel: And So It Goes

I was first introduced to this song when I was just 13 years old. Back before I knew I wanted to be a professional singer, or a professional anything for that matter. I remember being drawn to the simple melody and the lovely poem. We had sung it for our troubadour...
Francis Poulenc:  Priez pour paix

Francis Poulenc: Priez pour paix

The transformative world of Francis Poulenc’s music lends itself well to any song recital program. Two seasons ago, after graduating from Juilliard, I chose to add “Priez Pour Paix” on a recital program I had concocted with pianist Peter Dugan for our...