latest posts
NYFOS@Caramoor: Day 1
This is our tenth anniversary at Caramoor—which means it’s my eleventh season...
Nina Simone sings I Loves You, Porgy
This week we’ve been surveying the Spaniards. But today I had an extraordinary discussion with my class at Hunter College. I teach a single class in the Theater department. It is called Singing. We sing of course, but today we had a deep discussion about race and music.
Marisol sings Zorongo gitano
We’ve been in Spain, or thereabouts, all week on Song of The Day. Here is something I would call Flamenco style. Or at least this arrangement is. Talk about an entrance! This is a song that Garcia Lorca loved. Our Lorca concert will be April 24th in NYC.
Jean Ritchie sings O Love Is Teasin’
We at NYFOS know Jean Ritchie as the author of “Now Is The Cool Of The Day”, a song we’ve performed many times. It’s a great song that reminds us we are in control of our planet. And that the day of reckoning is at hand. Did we keep the grasses green and the water pure? But Jean Ritchie was known more as a folk singer and dulcimer player. Here she is in an old American tune.
Pepe Marchena sings Flamenco
At our last NYFOS concert we presented a huge song cycle by composer Roberto Sierra. I was drawn to this music’s dark side, and its exploration of uneasy human emotion. Maybe that’s one reason I seem to be drawn to this marvelous music from Spain. Here is some flamenco as sung by Pepe Marchena.
Miguel de Molina sings La Bien Pagá
La Bien Pagá as sung by Miguel de Molina. A spaniard, he ended up in Argentina. These old musical films are delicious with their emotional drama. This one is about his ex- the “well paid” woman. And she seems so amused! The musical style is like an old zarzuela aria, complete with orchestral interludes between verses, and even a spoken verse toward the end. But it’s Molina’s strange tenor voice, full of melismas and pain that makes this song so interesting to me.
Kate Soper
Composer/performer Kate Soper talks about her favorite music to sing and the “strange and wonderful world of electronics and the voice” in advance of her NYFOS Next evening on March 28 at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music.
Van Morrison & The Chieftains: She Moved Through the Fair
Coming from an Irish family, my earliest memories of hearing live music came from family parties. The ‘adults’ would each take turns singing a song a cappalla in the circle in the living room. And my great grandma – Nana Nana – somehow knew every song. I remember thinking “how could she know all of these songs. Some of them weren’t even in English?” I was fascinated.
Richard Thompson: Meet on the Ledge
A close friend of mine hosts lively dinner parties mixing exotic foods, unlikely pairings of people, and free flowing spirits. These convivial gatherings last late into the night, fueled by many elements including far reaching conversations. One night following a poignant memorial service, while ruminating on the musical choices of the service, we delved into the songs we’d want sung at our memorials.
Stephen Schwartz: West End Avenue
Though it ran on Broadway for more than 4 years and was a commercial success, I’ve never met anyone else who saw The Magic Show, a Broadway musical from the 1970s starring magician Doug Henning. My mother took me to see it when I was 12-years-old, and the main thing I remember is that it included a song about WEST END AVENUE—the street I lived on!
Bob Dylan: Make You Feel My Love
This song came to prominence in my own life early in my pregnancy when we were still in those first uncertain twelve weeks when losing a pregnancy is common. The words “I know you haven’t made your mind up yet, but I will never do you wrong” still have the ability to bring me to tears.
The Beatles: Good Night
I grew up in a household full of music. Both my parents are talented amateur musicians and
compulsive singers – you have to find yourself taking care to not say any sing-able phrase aloud
lest the whole family breaks into song mid conversation – even a cheerful “Good Morning” will
either give you Garland and Rooney or, perhaps more often from my flower child mother, “Good
Morning Starshine” from Hair.
Clarice Assad: Disseram que eu voltei Americanizada
Here’s another video from Clarice Assad. The things she does with her voice are mind-blowing! Percussive, colorful, lyrical, and full of personality. This video speaks for itself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Clarice Assad: Alas
Clarice Assad constantly surprises and delights me with her inventive audio-visual offerings. I discovered this music video and I absolutely love it! Check out her crazy vocal effects around 1:28 and appreciate all the vocal colors that feel like instruments layered throughout. I can’t put it any better way: she’s just cool.
Roberto Sierra: Décimas
Tonight’s American premiere of Roberto Sierra’s composition 33 Sueños will be quite an epic musical journey. I have also really enjoyed listening to some of his vocal music for soprano, so here is the cycle Décimas. It is lyrical and beautiful, playful and stylistic. I particularly enjoy the spirited Amanecer which begins at 2:09 and Agua Maldita which begins at 7:13. If you have time to listen to the whole cycle, it’s absolutely worth it.