PROGRAM HISTORY
37 Years of Song
This page is dedicated in loving memory to Jean Trotzky, our wonderful volunteer, whose dedicated efforts created and maintained this list for many years. The concerts are listed in chronological order.
Lyrics by Shakespeare – 10/9/1988
Greenwich House Music School
Brenda Harris, soprano
Braden Harris, bass-baritone
Blythe Danner, narrator
Steven Blier, piano
Shakespeare’s words set to music—including a rare performance of Kabalevsky’s Shakespeare’s Sonnets sung in Russian. Other works by Hector Berlioz, Roger Quilter, Thomas Arne, William Schuman, Dick Hyman, and John Dankworth, all setting Shakespeare’s poetry to music
Americans on America – 10/23/1988
Greenwich House Music School
Karen Holvik, soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Songs about people and places in our country.
Composers include Charles Ives, Leonard Bernstein, William Bolcom, Virgil Thomson, Samuel Barber and John Musto.
Obbligato – 11/13/1988
Greenwich House Music School
Carmen Pelton, soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Michael Barrett, keyboards
Leslie Tomkins, viola
Paula Robison, flute
A concert of vocal chamber music, featuring works of J. S. Bach, Franz Schubert, Aaron Jay Kernis, and the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Chinese Folk Songs
Rodgers and Hart’s Boys From Syracuse – 12/18/1988
Greenwich House Music School
Karen Holvik, soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Carol Yahr, mezzo-soprano
A 50th anniversary concert performance of the 1938 smash hit with full cast
From Rio to Buenos Aires – 4/9/1989
Greenwich House Music School
Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Tangos, ballads, love songs—the rhythm and melody of South America. Works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francisco Braga, Ernesto Nazareth, Alberto Ginastera, and Carlos Guastavino
Night Songs – 4/23/1989
Greenwich House Music School
Carol Yahr, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A musical journey through the night: romance, incantations, dreams, seductions, people together and people alone. Works by Hugo Wolf, Charles Griffes, Camille Saint-Saens, Robert Schumann, Marc Blitzstein, John Musto, and others.
Red, White and Blues – 5/7/1989
Greenwich House Music School
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
French and American Music before and after the Jazz Age. Francis Poulenc’s Bal Masqué. The program also includes Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouce for two pianos and songs by George Gershwin, Henri Duparc and Charles Ives.
An Evening of Ballads – 3/18/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Amy Burton, soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Love stories, ghost stories, stories with morals and stories with no morals by Hugo Wolf, Franz Schubert, Karl Loewe, Lee Hoiby, Benjamin Britten, Cole Porter, and others
George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy – 2/24/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Gwenneth Bean (Frisco Kate)
Kim Criswell (Molly Gray)
Margaret Jane Wray (Patsy West)
William Sharp (Danny Churchill)
Michael Hume (Slick)
John Sloman (Gieber Goldfarb)
Steven Goldstein; Richard Holmes; Michael Hume; John Keuther (Foursome)
Eric Stoltz (Narrator)
Michael Barret, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A concert version of Gershwin’s musical theater play.
George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy – 2/25/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Repeat cast of 2/24/1990
Repeat of program of 2/24/1990
Total Eclipse – 4/22/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Rosemarie Landry, soprano
Kurt Ollman, baritone
Alvin Epstein, narrator
Leslie Tomkins, viola
Steven Blier, piano
The poetry of Verlaine and Rimbaud set to music by Debussy, Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn, Lee Hoiby, and Benjamin Britten
New American Works – 5/20/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Amy Burton, soprano
Rondi Charleston, soprano
Michael Hume, tenor
Joanne Lessner, mezzo-soprano
Don Mayo, bass
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A program of songs by Aaron Jay Kernis, Michael John LaChiusa, Ricky Ian Gordon, James Sellars, Jamie Bernstein, and Scott Frankel
Music, Marriage and Madness – 10/21/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Lieder by Robert Schumann, nearly all written in 1840.
Ticket to Ride – 11/8/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Marsha Hunter, soprano
Brian Kent, baritone
Mark Stewart, cello
Steven Blier, piano
A concert of the songs on Lennon and McCartney in unusual arrangements
Ticket to Ride – 11/11/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Repeat cast of 11/8/1990
Repeat of program of 11/8/1990
Promised Lands – 11/30/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Carmen Pelton, soprano
Pamela Smith, contralto
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Folk music from many countries, from art songs through popular tunes.
Promised Lands – 12/2/1990
Greenwich House Music School
Same cast as program of 11/30/1990
Repeat of program of 11/30/1990
Unquiet Peace: The Lied Between the Wars – 2/10/1991
Greenwich House Music School
Cyndia Sieden, soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A program of early 20th century German composers, including Hans Eisler, Kurt Weill, Richard Strauss, Alexander Zemlinsky, and others.
Theater and Cabaret Music of William Bolcom – 3/25/1991
Alice Tully Hall
Amy Burton, soprano
Katherine Buffaloe, mezzo-soprano
Chris Groenndaal, tenor
Eddie Korbich, tenor
William Bolcom, Special Guest
Joan Morris, Special Guest
Steven Blier, piano
Michael Barrett, conductor
Songs composed by William Bolcom and Darius Milhaud with selections from The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay, arranged by Bolcom and Milhaud.
Leonard Bernstein, A Concert Tribute – 4/6/1991
Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, PA
Katherine Buffaloe, soprano
Louise Edeiken, soprano
Stephen Bogardus, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Jamie Bernstein Thomas, narrator
Arias and Barcarolles and selections from West Side Story, On the Town, Candide, Wonderful Town, Trouble in Tahiti, Mass, and Peter Pan.
Leonard Bernstein: From Concert Stage to Broadway – 4/7/1991
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
Repeat of cast of 4/6/1991
Repeat of concert of 4/6/1991
From Rio to Buenos Aires – 4/14/1991
Greenwich House Music School
Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Songs from Brazil and Argentina featuring the music of Guastavino, Villa-Lobos, Ginastera, Braga, Piazzolla, Nazareth, and others.
New American Works – 5/12/1991
Greenwich House Music School
Karen Holvik, soprano
Beverly Morgan, soprano
Luretta Bybee, mezzo-soprano
Frances Schopick, mezzo-soprano
John Musto, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs by Chris DeBlasio, Eric Klein, David Leisner, Deniz Ulben, Ricky Ian Gordon, Tobias Picker, Hayes Biggs, with premiere performances of songs by Stewart Wallace, John Musto, and Aaron Jay Kernis.
Arias and Barcarolles – 8/17/1991
The Jewish Center of the Hamptons, East Hampton, NY
Katherine Buffaloe, soprano
John Brandstetter, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Music of Leonard Bernstein, Marc Blitzstein, William Bolcom, Cole Porter, and others.
Americans on America – 10/1/1991
Luther College, Decorah, IA
Jane Bunnell, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Leonard Bernstein’s last work, Arias and Barcarolles, along with selections from On the Town, Trouble in Tahiti, and songs by Marc Blitzstein.
Americans on America – 10/6/1991
Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY
Same cast as program of 10/1/1991
Repeat of the program of 10/1/1991
American Passions – 10/13/1991
Greenwich House Music School
Jane Bunnell, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Bernstein’s Arias and Barcarolles, songs by Ives, Ellington, Blitzstein, and Porter.
Spanish Song, Wine, & Food – 11/22/1991
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Benefit hosted by Jamie Bernstein
Spanish Love Songs – 11/24/1991
Greenwich House Music School
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven, Blier, piano
Selections from Wolf’s Spanisches Liederbuch, Schumann’s Spanische Liebeslieder, songs by Granados, Fauré, Turina, Mompou, Saint-Saëns, Obrador, and others.
The Diary of One Who Vanished – 1/26/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Karen Holvik, soprano
Jane Bunnell, mezzo-soprano
Frances Schopick, mezzo-soprano
Deborah Berruete, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
A complete performance of the Janàcek work, plus songs by Dvorák, Chabrier, Brahms, and Wolf.
Scenes from Childhood – 2/23/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Edrie Means, soprano
Joanne Lessner, soprano
Adrien Reju Finckel, girl soprano
Parker Conrad, boy soprano
Michael Barrett, piano
Arioso and Scene from Foss’ Griffelkin, songs by Ives, Bernstein, Barab, Copland, Debussy, and Poulenc.
New American Works – 3/22/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Amy Burton, soprano
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Tony Boutté, tenor
Patrick Mason, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
John Musto, piano
Paul Woodiel, violin
Hanne-Berit, violin
Dorothy Lawson, violincello
Roger Wagner, contrabass
Robert Maggio’s Love and Travel, songs by Robert Baksa, Joelle Wallach, John Musto, Danna Kelly Eastman, Ned Rorem, and James Sellars.
Total Eclipse – 4/4/1992
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Robert Chapline, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
The poetry of Verlaine and Rimbaud set to music by Debussy, Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn, Lee Hoiby, and Benjamin Britten.
Guilty Pleasures and Confessions – 4/26/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Roger Wagner, double bass
Songs by Brahms, Wolf, Beethoven, Berlin, Schoenberg, Britten, Rebecca Clarke, and the Bobs.
Guilty Pleasures and Confessions – 4/27/1992
Walter Reade Theater, New York, NY
Same cast as program of 4/26/1992
Repeat program of 4/26/1992
Picnic Cantata / L’amour Masqué – 5/31/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Amy Burton, soprano
Karen Holvik, soprano
Rebecca Mercer-White, mezzo-soprano
Carmen Pelton, soprano
Cynthia Rose, contralto
Robert Sapolsky, baritone
Nathaniel Watson, baritone
Jacqueline Chambord, narrator
Christian Aubert, narrator
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
James Saporito, percussion
A concert double bill of the works by Paul Bowles and André Messager
Backer’s Audition – 9/20/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Beth Fowler, mezzo-soprano
Joe Grifasi, baritone
Dana Hanchard, soprano
Howard McGillin, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Selections from the Gershwin’s Pardon My English, La La Lucille, and Strike Up the Band; Porter’s Wake Up and Dream, Anything Goes, Weill’s One Touch of Venus, Lady in the Dark; Arlen’s Hooray for What.
Words Without Songs – 10/25/1992
Greenwich House Music School
Steven Goldstein, tenor
John Deak, instrumentalist
Robert Black, instrumentalist
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Karen Marx, violin
Susan Radcliffe, cornet
James Saporito, percussion
Glenn Stulpen, soprano saxophone
Christian Aubert, narrator
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Works scored for narrator and chamber ensembles: Poulenc’s The Story of the Barber, the world premieres of James Sellars’ Beulah in Chicago and Aaron Jay Kernis’ Le Quattro Stagioni dalla Cucina Futurismo.
Ticket to Ride – 11/2/1992
Walter Reade Theater, New York, NY
Same cast as program of 11/8/1990
Repeat of program of 11/8/1990
Picnic Cantata – 11/13/1992
Weill Recital Hall
Karen Holvik, soprano
Amy Burton, soprano
Rebecca Mercer-White, mezzo-soprano
Carmen Pelton, soprano
Jennifer Lane, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
James Saporito, percussion
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs by Copland, Blitzstein, Rorem, Musto, Wallach, Bernstein, Bolcom plus Paul Bowles’ Picnic Cantata.
Die Schöne Magelone – 12/6/1992
Greenwich House Music School
William Sharp, baritone
Beth Dixon, narrator
Steven Blier, piano
Johannes Brahms’ 1868 song cycle performed with original narration.
The Ages of Bel Canto – 1/7/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Jon Villars, tenor
Andrea Matthews, soprano
Linda Maguire, mezzo-soprano
Michael Barrett, piano
Songs by Donizetti, Mascagni, Puccini, and Dallapiccola.
Romance in the Belle Epoque – 2/14/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Fauré’s song cycle Le jardin clod, songs by Massenet, Debussy, Satie, Chabrier, and Pladilhe
Spanish Love Songs – 3/8/1993
Walter Reade Theater
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Selections from Wolf’s Spanisches Liederbuch, Schumann’s Spanische Liebeslieder, songs by Granados, Fauré, Turina, Mompou, Saint-Saëns, Obrador, and others
Songs of the Irish Poets – 4/4/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Amy Burton, soprano
Glenn Siebert, tenor
Paul Woodiel, violin
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The words of Yeats, Wilde, Moore, and Joyce, in settings by Britten, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Barber.
Red, White and Blues – 4/12/1993
Walter Reade Theater
Milagro Vargas, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Marcia Butler, oboe
Sue Hineman, bassoon
Jo-Ann Sternberg, clarinet
James Baker, percussion
Karen Marx, violin
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Poulenc’s L’Amour Masqué, the music of Milhaud, Gershwin, Duparc, and Ives.
New American Works – 5/2/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Debra Vanderlinde, soprano
Belinda Pidgeon, soprano
John Horton Murray, tenor
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Kathleen Nestor, flute
Marianne Gythfeldt, clarinet
Marshall Coid, violin
Leslie Tomkins, viola
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Tom Cipullo’s The Husbands; Robert Maggio’s Four Men at the Door, selections from Jeffrey Stock’s The Voice of Temperance and William Bolcom’s McTeague; songs by Ricky Ian Gordon, John Musto, Daron Hagen, and Steven Sametz.
Music of Leonard Bernstein – 9/11/1993
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Lucy Schaufer, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Jon Villars, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Arias and Barcarolles, selections from On the Town, Wonderful Town, Candide, Mass, and others.
A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein – 9/28/1993
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Same cast as 9/11/1993
Same program as 9/11/1993
Women’s Work – 10/17/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Karen Holvik, soprano
Jennifer Lane, soprano
Michael Barrett, piano
Music of Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Alma Mahler, Josephine Lang, Joelle Wallach, Nadia Boulanger, Lili Boulanger, and Pauline Viardot.
Republic of Verse: A Marathon of 19th Century American Poetry and Song – 10/24/1993
92nd Street Y, New York, NY
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Amy Burton, soprano
John Musto, piano
Works by Arthur Farwell, John Duke, Ives, Bernstein, Bolcom, and Copeland.
Music of Leonard Bernstein – 11/8/1993
Library of Congress, Washington DC
Same cast as 9/11/1993
Same program as 9/11/1993
The Afterlife – 11/13/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Brenda Harris, soprano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs by Vaughan Williams, Argento, Thomson, Bolcom, Handel, Wolf, Barber, Ricky Ian Gordon, Foss, Schumann, and John Musto.
Unsung Strauss – 12/12/1993
Greenwich House Music School
Linda McGuire, mezzo-soprano
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Rarely-heard music of Richard Strauss, including the original version of Zerbinetta’s aria from Ariadne auf Naxos and Krämmerspiegel, Op. 67.
A Ned Rorem Birthday Tribute – 1/23/1994
Greenwich House Music School
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Lucille Beer, mezzo-soprano
NYFOS String Quartet
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs and vocal chamber music of Rorem, including Santa Fe Songs and selections from Nantucket Songs.
Modern Scenes from American Life – 2/23/1994
Greenwich House Music School
Dominique Labelle, soprano
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Music of John Musto, Arlen, William Bolcom, Aaron Kipnis, Copland, and others.
Modern Scenes from American Life – 3/6/1994
Wigmore Hall, London, UK
Same cast as 2/13/1994
Same program as 2/23/1994
The Russian Masters – 4/17/1994
Greenwich House Music School
Juliana Gondek, soprano
Nancy Allen Lundy, mezzo-soprano
Zhou Zeng, baritone
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Mark Pakman, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Music of Glinka, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and contemporary Russian composers.
New American Works – 5/8/1994
Greenwich House Music School
Amy Burton, soprano
Claron McFaddon, soprano
Lucy Schaufer, mezzo-soprano
David Ossenfort, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Sheryl Henze, flute
Margaret Parkins, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
John Musto, piano
Music by Bolcom, Davide Zannoni, Nancy Gunn, Donald St. Pierre, Dan Wechler, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jeffrey Stock (commission), and James Sellars.
Red, White, and Blues – 9/9/1994
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Constance Haumann, soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A collection of French and American songs by Hahn, Ravel, Duparc, Gershwin, Ives, Copland, and others.
American Dreams – 10/8/1994
92nd Street Y
Lauren Flanigan, soprano
Amy Burton, soprano
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano
Steven Goldstein, tenor
Jamie Offenbach, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
William Bolcom, piano
A gala program of songs about love, famly, and freedom in American life, featuring the music of Bernstein, Bolcom, Griffes, Gershwin, Arlen, and others.
Vienna: Turn of the Centuries – 11/12/1994
92nd Street Y
Cheryl Parrish, soprano
Suzanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Music from the two decades surrounding 1900 by Mahler, Strauss, Schoenberg, Pfitzner, and others.
New American Works – 1/19/1995
Weill Recital Hall
Nancy Lundy, soprano
Laura Tucker, mezzo-soprano
Jon Villars, tenor
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Chamber Players
Annual program of contemporary American composers with works by Ricky Ian Gordon, Aaron Kempnis, Chris DeBlasio, Rob Maggio, Christopher Berg, and James Sellars.
Les Années Folles – 2/11/1995
92nd Street Y
Amy Burton, soprano
Karen Holvik, soprano
Carolyn Scimone, soprano
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Nathaniel Watson, baritone
Christian Aubert, narrator
Jacqueline Chambord, narrator
NYFOS Chamber Players
A double bill of André Messager’s 1924 hit L’Amour Masqué and French chamber pieces; Delage: Chansons Hindoues; Ravel: Chansons madécasses; Poulenc and others.
Sisters, Mothers, and Daughters – 4/28/1995
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Lauren Flanigan, soprano
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Explores the relationship between women in families through the music of Richard Strauss, Shostakovich, Britten, Brahms, and others.
Bernstein and Friends – 5/20/1995
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A tribute to the late American composer and conductor.
From Rio to Buenos Aires – 6/3/1995
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Songs from Brazil and Argentina featuring the music of Guastavino, Villa-Lobos, Ginastera, Braga, Piazzolla, Nazareth, and others.
Romance in the Belle Epoque – 6/29/1995
Wigmore Hall, London, UK
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Fauré’s songs cycle Le jardin clos, songs by Massenet, Debussy, Satie, Chabrier, Paladilhe.
Rivers and Rainbows – 9/9/1995
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
Patrick Mason, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Songs about nature by Rorem, Ives, Schuber, Richard Strauss, Harold Arlen, Weill, and others.
Guilty Pleasures and Confessions – 9/10/1995
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
Patrick Mason, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A survey of venial and deadly sin in songs by Conrad Susa, Brahms, Schubert, Christopher Berg, Johann Strauss and others.
Songs from the Diaspora – 10/28/1995
92nd Street Y
Tovah Feldshuh, soprano
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Robert Abelson, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Music of Ravel, Milhaud, Mahler; songs from the Yiddish theater; traditional Sephardic songs; and contemporary American Jewish art songs by Bernstein, Lazar Weiner, and others.
Broadway Orphans – 12/12/1995
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Brent Barrett, tenor
Beth Fowler, mezzo-soprano
Joe Grifasi, baritone
Karen Holvik, soprano
Steven Blier, piano
Showstoppers and unpublished gems from the vintage Broadway musicals of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Kurt Weill, Richard Rogers, and Irving Berlin.
A Langston Hughes Celebration – 1/16/1996
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Harolyn Blackwell, soprano
Camellia Johnson, soprano
Arthur Woodley, bass
Arnold Rampersad, narrator
Steven Blier, piano
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Songs and poems in celebration of the writer’s centennial; music of Ricky Ian Gordon, John Musto, Arnold Zemlinsky, Kurt Weill, and many others.
Total Eclipse: The Poetry of Verlaine and Rimbaud – 2/12/1996
92nd Street Y
Dominique Labelle, soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
The poets’ works heard in classic settings by Gabriel Fauré, Caude Debussy, Benjamin Britten, Reynaldo Hahn, and Frederick Delius, with excerpts from Total Eclipse, Christopher Hampton’s drama about the lives of Verlaine and Rimbaud.
Teatros Españoles – 3/9/1996
92nd Street Y
Yvonne Gonzales, soprano
Nancy Herrera, soprano
Antonio Barasorda, tenor
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Pablo Zinger, program consultant
A celebration of theater music from Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba; tangos and zarzuela arias from Villa-Lobos, Chapi, Carlos Lopez-Buchardo, and others.
Spanish Love Songs – 3/25/1996
Vocal Arts Society, Washington, DC
Lorraine Hunt, soprano
Christopher Trakas, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Works by Granados, Turina, Obradors, Luna, Fauré, Chabrier, as well as excerpts from Schumann’s Spanisches Liebeslieder and Wolf’s Spanisches Liederbuch.
The Unsung Strauss – 4/14/1996
Greenwich Chamber Music Society, Greenwich, CT
Risa Renae Harman, soprano
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
Jon Villars, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Rarely-heard songs by Richard Strauss, including excerpts from his 1918 cycle Krämerspeigel and Zerbinetta’s aria from the original version of Ariadne auf Naxos.
The Unsung Strauss – 4/16/1996
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Risa Renae Harmon, soprano
Marguerite Krull, mezzo-soprano
Jon Villars, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 4/14/1996
American Love Songs/Brahms Liebeslieder – 5/11/1996
92nd Street Y
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
Philip Cutlip, bass-baritone
Nancy Allen Lundy, soprano
Steven Tharp, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Brahms’ classic 1868 suite of waltzes for four voices and piano four-hands is a curtain raiser to a newly-commissioned companion piece, a collection of love songs by over a dozen contemporary composers.
American Love Songs/Brahms Liebeslieder – 9/6 & 9/7 1996
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Risa Renae Harman, soprano
Lucy Schaufer, mezzo-soprano
Philip Cutlip, bass-baritone
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 5/11/1996
Dove Sta Amore – 10/2/1996
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
Rodney Gilfry, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A concert featuring the New York premiere of John Musto’s most recent vocal work Dove Sta Amore, along with song cycles about the progress of love by Poulenc, Lopez-Buchardo, and Strauss.
An Ira Gershwin Celebration – 11/20/1996
Tyne Daly, mezzo-soprano
Diane Fratanoni, soprano
David Garrison, baritone
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A concert of classics and rarely heard songs in honor of the great lyricist’s 100th birthday. The program includes his collaborations with Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Vernon Duke, as well as his brother George.
Modern Scenes from American Life – 1/15/1997
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Christine Goerke, soprano
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
An updated revival of the critically-acclaimed program that introduced NYFOS to London in 1994, including the premiere of a new commission by Lowell Liebermann, as well as songs by Bolcom, Musto, Kernis, Gordon, and others.
Modern Scenes from American Life – 2/10/1997
The Barns, Wolftrap, VA
Christine Goerke, soprano
Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/15/1997
The English Landscape and Façade – 2/26/1997
92nd Street Y
Rebecca Evans, soprano
Kevin McMillan, baritone
Francis Conroy, narrator
Brian Murray, narrator
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS’s first journey through England’s seascapes, stately mansions and dens of iniquity in a century of British song, from Vaughan Williams to Elgar to Coward; coupled with a performance of William Walton’s Façade on poems of Edith Sitwell, performed with the NYFOS chamber ensemble.
Romance in the Belle Epoque – 3/26/1997
The Barns, Wolftrap, VA
Emily Mannhart, mezzo-soprano
Scott Hendricks, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Fauré’s song cycle Le jardin clod, songs by Massenet, Debussy, Satie, Chabrier, and Paladilhe
The Russian Masters – 4/23/1997
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Sheri Greenawald, soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Zhou Zeng, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Music of Glinak, Borodin, Medtner, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and contemporary Russian composers
Paris at Night – 6/4/1997
92nd Street Y
Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano
Helene Delevault, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
William Schimmel, accordion
Greg Utzig, guitar
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A cabaret evening featuring the wit and passion of French popular songs by Jacques Brel, Charles Trénet, Edith Piaf and many others.
American Love Songs/Brahms Liebeslieder – 8/21/1997
Trinity Church, New York, NY
Nancy Ann Lundy, soprano
Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Brahms’ classic 1868 suite of waltzes for four voices and piano four-hands is a curtain raiser to a newly-commissioned companion piece, a collection of love songs by over a dozen contemporary composers.
A Bel Canto Celebration – 10/15/1997
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jane Jennings, soprano
Jami Rogers, soprano
Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano
Jan Opalach, baritone
Curt Peterson, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
The vocal fireworks and melodic genius of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, as well as the composers they influenced throughout Europe, including Schubert, Balfe, Glinka, Barbieri, Chopin, and Pauline Viardot.
Heaven on Earth – 11/20/1997
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Lorraine Hunt, mezzo-soprano
Dominique Labelle, soprano
Steven Blier, piano
Musicians, including Handel, Schubert, Wolf, Mahler, Liszt, Duke, Hoiby, Argento, and Copland, create impressions of the soul’s ascent to paradise.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 1/18/1998
Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
Lisa Saffer, soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A monumental new song cycle by Ned Rorem set to the poetry of W. H. Auden, Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Walt Whitman, and others, commissioned by NYFOS and the Library of Congress to celebrate Mr. Rorem’s 75th birthday.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 1/22/1998
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Lisa Saffer, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Rufus Muller, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
Four on the Aisle – 2/19/1998
92nd Street Y
Amy Burton, soprano
Dana Hanchard, soprano
William Burden, tenor
Arthur Woodley, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Four infrequently performed discoveries from the world’s musical theater, Kurt Weill’s satiric, yet melodic Der Kuhhandel, Noel Coward’s witty Conversation Piece, Isaac Albeniz’s Pepita Jiminez, and the groundbreaking 1903 Broadway hit, In Dahomey, the first musical written and performed entirely by black artists.
The Gershwins and Their World –3/14/1998
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Lauren Skuce, soprano
Leslie Johnson, mezzo-soprano
Ted Keegen, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Music of George Gershwin and his contemporaries
The Youth’s Magic Horn – 3/19/1998
92nd Street Y
Suzanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano
Zhou Zheng, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The beloved nineteenth century folk poetry anthology Des Knaben Wunderhorn—stories of love, war, and nature—in musical settings by Brahms, Strauss, and Schumann, as well as Mahler’s classic song cycle in both piano and chamber orchestra arrangements.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 4/18/1998
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Monique McDonald, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Rufus Muller, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
Tenth Anniversary Gala Concert – 5/14/1998
92nd Street Y
Harolyn Blackwell, soprano
Amy Burton, soprano
Risa Harmon, soprano
Sylvia McNair, soprano
Roberta Peters, soprano
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Steven Tharp, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Williams Sharp, baritone
Philip Cutlip, bass-baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
William Bolcom, piano
Singers familiar to NYFOS audiences join new friends to celebrate 10 successful seasons in a program of favorites.
Twentieth Century Masters II: Gabriel Fauré – 6/7/1998
The Kaye Playhouse
Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano
Kamel Boutros, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Peter Orth, piano
Music of Gabriel Fauré
Twentieth Century Masters II: Gabriel Fauré – 6/8/1998
The Kaye Playhouse
Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Peter Orth, piano
Music of Gabriel Fauré
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 8/18/1998
Nantucket Musical Arts Society, Nantucket, MA
Monique McDonald, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Steven Tharp, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 9/13/1998
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Monique McDonald, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Steven Tharp, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
George Gershwin is 100! – 9/26/1998
Friends of Music, Ossining, NY
Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano
Ted Keegen, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
John Musto, piano
A celebration of Gershwin classics, duo-piano suites from Porgy and Bess and Lady Be Good! and a selection of his rarely-heard unpublished songs.
New York, New York – 10/15/1998
The Kaye Playhouse
Amy Burton, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Lewis Cleale, baritone
Tony Kushner, narrator
Steven Blier, piano
A musical celebration of New York City’s centenary—songs from the theater, the concert stage, and vaudeville by composers including Marc Blitzstein, John Musto, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, John Duke, and Ricky Ian Gordon.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 11/8/1998
Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago, IL
Sari Gruber, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Steven Tharp, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
George Gershwin is 100! – 11/12/1998
The Kaye Playhouse
Audra McDonald, soprano
Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano
Ted Keegen, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
John Musto, piano
Same program as 9/26/1998
George Gershwin: Sung and Unsung – 1/9 and 1/10 1999
The University Musical Society, Ann Arbor, MI
Karen Holvik, soprano
Ted Keegan, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
John Musto, piano
Same program as 9/26/1998
Romance in the Bell Epoque – 2/4/1999
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Music from the turn of the century, France’s Golden Age of song, featuring Gabriel Fauré’s cycle Le jardin clos, and works by Reynaldo Hahn, Claude Debussy, Albert Roussel, Erik Satie, and Emmanuel Chabrier.
Dance Date with Cuba – 3/2/1999
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Monique McDonald, soprano
Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
James Saporito, percussion
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Christopher Cullen, clarinet
Created in cooperation with the American Composers’ Orchestra – Sonidas de Las Americas – Cuban Festival. The concert, theater, and dance songs of Cuba, from rhythm masters Ernesto Lecuonas, Gomzalo Roig, Alejandro Gracia Caturla and others.
Songs of Sense and Sensibility – 4/8/1999
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
Rufus Muller, tenor
Brett Polegato, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
The clarity of the age of reason shares the stage with the passion of the early Romantic era in songs and arias by Mozart, Haydn, Salieri, Schubert, and Stephen Storace.
Love and Betrayals – 5/13/1999
The Kaye Playhouse
Jane Jennings, soprano
Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano
Bejun Mehta, countertenor
John Hancock, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Courtship and marriage, jealousy and vengeance: the joys and perils of true love in music from Haydn to Richard Rodgers.
Twentieth Century Masters: Samuel Barber – 6/4/1999
The Kaye Playhouse
Leah Summers, mezzo-soprano
Christopheren Nomura, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Kurt Weill’s Berlin – 10/14/1999
The Kaye Playhouse
Constance Hauman, soprano
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Mark Steward, banjo, guitar, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The irony, satire, and sentiment of centerarian Kurt Weill, with contributions from fellow cabarettists Tucholsky, Eisler, and Hollaender.
Latin Lovers – 11/30/1999
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Scott Hendricks, baritone
Oren Fader, guitar
James Saporito, percussion
Steven Blier, piano
A new collection of songs and zarzuela from Spain and Latin America; passion, melody, and rhythm of De Falla, Albéniz, Guastavino, Lecuona, and others.
Great American Songwriting Teams – 12/10/1999
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
John Hancock, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A salute to a century of America’s best creative collaborators, including songs by Gershwin & Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Kalmaer & Rudy, Bolcom & Weinstein, Dietz & Schwartz, and Lieber & Stoller.
Latin Lovers – 1/7/2000
Vocal Arts Society, Washington, DC
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Nancy Herrara, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Scott Hendricks, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/30/1999
Songs of Travel – 2/17/2000
The Kaye Playhouse
Petra Lang, mezzo-soprano
Wolfgang Holzmair, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Wanderers and lovers on a romantic journey throuh Europe, with music by Mahler, Dvorák, Vaughan Williams, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Krenek.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 3/12/2000
Louisville, KY
Lisa Saffer, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Rufus Muller, tenor
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
From Rags to Riches: A Hundred Years of American Song – 3/23/2000
The Kaye Playhouse
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
William Burden, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A century of American music—from MacDowell to Musto, Berlin to Bernstein, Griffes to Gordon—offers a panoramic view of how we lived in the twentieth century. The program includes a new work by John Musto and Denise Lanctot commissioned by NYFOS.
Great American Songwriting Teams – 4/12/2000
Anti-Defamation League Benefit, Roosevelt Hotel, NY
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
John Hancock, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 12/10/1999
Birthday Bash for Francis Poulenc – 4/14/2000
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A musical gathering of Francis Poulenc and his circle, including Satie, Milhaud, Rorem, Auric, to celebrate the Parisian composer’s hundredth birthday with songs and vocal chamber music.
Songs of Sense and Sensibility – 5/5/2000
The Barns, Wolftrap Opera, VA
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Theodore Green, tenor
Steven Powell, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 4/8/1999
Songs of the Irish Poets – 5/18/2000
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Amy Burton, soprano
Theodore Green, tenor
Paul Woodiel, violin and arranger
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
The lyricism of the Emerald Isle’s greatest writers, including Thomas Moore, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Paul Muldoon, as set to music by Beethove, Britten, Bax, Barber, Daron Hagen, and others; with a gropu of traditional Irish ballads and theater songs; featuring the fiddle-playing of Paul Woodiel.
Twentieth Century Masters: Aaron Copland and his Circle – 5/23/2000
The Kaye Playhouse
Monique McDonald, soprano
Scott Hendrick, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Music of Aaron Copland, Nadia Boulanger, Paul Bowles, Ned Rorem, and others.
Harry, Haogy and Harold – 10/12/2000
The Kaye Playhouse
Sandra Bonitto, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollman, baritone
Greg Utzig, guitair
John Miller, bass
Steven Blier, piano
Greatest hits and rarities by three American song-writing heroes: Harry (“I Only Have Eyes for You”) Warren, Hoagy (“Stardust”) Carmichael, and Harold (“Stormy Weather”) Arlen.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 11/4/2000
Market Square Concerts, Harrisburg, PA
Monique McDonald, soprano
Delores Ziegler, mezzo-soprano
Steven Tharp, tenor
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
Aimez-vous Brahms? Lieben Sie Fauré? – 11/9/2000
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jennifer Welch-Babidge, soprano
Stephanie Houtzeel, mezzo-soprano
John Hancock, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
The radient music of two late-Romantic masters, as well as a sampling of songs by their students Zemlinsky, Ravel, and others.
Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking – 2/3/2001
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Amy Burton, soprano
Scott Hendricks, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Songs on the beauty and folly of youth, the fountain of youth, lost youth, and the envy of youth in works by the child Mozart, Reynaldo Hahn, Aaron Kernis, Poulenc and others.
Songbook for a New Century – 3/22/2001
The Kaye Playhouse
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Theodora Hanslowe, mezzo-soprano
Ted Schmitz, tenor
Mel Ulrich, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS embarks on a full evening commission of sixteen composers and lyricists in songs examining the future. Works by Rorem, Bolcom, Kernis, Tan Dun, Peter Lieberson, Susan Botti, Paquito d’Rivera, Ricky Ian Gordon, as well as emerging American composers. This collection was published by Boosey & Hawkes.
From Rags to Riches: 100 Years of American Song – 2/18/2001
Schwabacher Recitals, San Francisco Opera Center, San Francisco, CA
Suzanne Ramo, soprano
Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano
Brian Anderson, tenor
Daniel Teadt, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A century of American music—from MacDowell to Musto, Berlin to Bernstein, Griffes to Gordon—offers a panoramic view of how we lived in the twentieth century. The program includes a new work by John Musto and Denise Lanctot commissioned by NYFOS.
Beyond the Iron Curtain – 4/25/2001
Vocal Arts Society, Washington, DC
Lisa Saffer, soprano
Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS explores the soulful melodies and coloful musical traditions of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and other former Soviet Block countries. Music from the nineteenth century to the present day by Dvorák, Janácek, Enesco, Chopin, Szymanowski, Bartok, Lutoslawski, and others.
Beyond the Iron Curtain – 4/26/2001
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Same cast and program as 4/25/2001
Happily Ever After: An Operetta Junket – 5/23/2001
The Kaye Playhouse
Jane Jennings, soprano
Leslie Johnson, mezzo-soprano
Ted Green, tenor
Ian Greenlaw, baritone
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Peter Kazaras, stage director
The NYFOS Chorus
A joyous celebration of light opera from Vienna to Broadway. Romance, humor, and melody from the masters of the genre: Lehár, Kálman, Offenbach, Gershwin, Kern, Sullivan, Chapi Luna, and others.
The Unknown Bernstein – 6/6/2001
The Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Patrick Mason, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Leonard Bernstein’s unpublished and lesser-known works.
At Harlem’s Height – 10/11/2001
The Kaye Playhouse
Dana Hanchard, soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A salute to the music of the Harlem Renaissance, when jazz clubs throbbed to the music of Eubie Blake, Duke Ellington, and Fats Waller, and William Grant Still and Harry Burleigh broke new ground in the recital genre with lyrics by Langston Hughes, Andy Razaf, and many others.
Spanish Gold – 11/15/2001
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano
Giuliani Belotti, guitar
Steven Blier, piano
The Iberian Peninsula, rich with history and the multifarious traditions of Catalonia, Castille, and the Sephardic homelands, yields up its treasures of songs from the Baroque to the Romantic to our own time. Featuring works by Granados, Rodrigo, Guridi, Mompou and others, sung in Spanish, Catalan and Galician.
P. G.’s Other Profession – 12/1/2001
Wigmore Hall, London, UK
Sylvia McNair, soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor (great-grandson of Wodehouse)
Henry Goodman, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Peerless comic novelist P. G. Wodehouse, in his lesser-known second career, wrote brilliant lyrics for songwriters including Jerome Kern, Ivor Novello, and the Gershwin brothers to create shows that lit up Broadway and London’s West End.
Song of the Midnight Sun – 1/7/2002
Vocal Arts Society, Washington, DC
Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo-soprano
Paul Groves, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
The great Scandinavian songwriters, including Grieg, Sibelius, Stenhammer, Nielsen, and Sinding, reveal in song their world of hidden loves, nighttime confessions and the poetry of nature. An air of austerity, freshness, and intense privacy lends these songs a rare beauty.
Song of the Midnight Sun – 1/9/2002
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Same cast and program as 1/7/2002
At Harlem’s Height – 1/14/2002
Aaron Davis Hall, CUNY College of NY, NY
Same cast and program as 10/11/2001
At Harlem’s Height – 1/16/2002
The Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Same cast and program as 10/11/2001
P. G.’s Other Profession – 2/28/2002
The Kaye Playhouse
Sylvia McNair, soprano
Christianne Tisdale, soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor
David Costabile, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Scott Kuney, guitar, banjo, mandolin
Laurence Maslon, stage director
Same program at 12/1/2001
Our Pride and Joy – 4/4/2002
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Cynthia Watters, soprano
Cyndia Seiden, soprano
Rinal Shaham, mezzo-soprano
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS celebrates fourteen seasons of commissions and premieres by reprising the best of its “firsts.” Selections include songs from Musto’s Dove Sta Amore, Liebermann’s Appalachian Liebeslieder, Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen, and NYFOS’s commissioned collections American Love Songs and American Songbook for a New Century, an historic collection of new works by America’s finest living composers and writers.
Killer “B”s – 5/1/2002
The Kaye Playhouse
Amy Burton, soprano
Elizabeth Shammash, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Lentz, tenor
John Hancock, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
To find a collection of America’s best songwriters, look no further than “B” in the Grove Dictionary, where you find Barber, Beach, Berlin, Bernstein, Blitzstein, Bolcom, and Bowles. Their songs, full of the hopes, joys, and struggles of twentieth-century Americans from the working class to the patrician blue blood, remind us how much this country has to sing about.
Great American Songwriting Teams – 5/4/2002
Friends of Music Concerts, Inc., Ossining, NY
Christianne Tisdale, soprano
Anna Bergman, soprano
John Hancock, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A concert of classic and rarely heard songs in honor of the great American composer and lyricist teams of the twentieth century: the Gershwin brothers; Bernstein, Comden and Green; Rodgers and Hart; Rodgers and Hammerstein; Lerner and Loewe; Bock and Harnick; Kander and Ebb; Leiber and Stoller, and others.
Lyrics by Shakespeare – 10/9/2002
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Rufus Muller, tenor
Anton Belov, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Kathleen Chalfant, narrator
Works by Finzi, Quilter, Saint-Saens, Brahms, Kabalevsky, Virgil Thomason, Stephen Sondheim, and others with readings from Shakespeare’s plays and verses
Dvorák and the American Soul – 11/20/2002
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Dana Hanchard, soprano
Dagmar Peckova, mezzo-soprano
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Antonin Dvorák discovered America’s voice in the Negro spirituals brought to him by Harry T. Burleigh, his African-American composition pupil at New York’s National Conservatory of Music, where Dvorák taught from 1892-1895. Our program celebrates this inspiring creative exchange, its profound influence on Dvorák and his other pupils, and on the path of American music. The program includes works by Dvorák, Burleigh, Will Marion Cook, and others.
Sons and Brothers – 2/6/2003
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jennifer Dudley, mezzo-soprano
William Ferguson, tenor
John Hancock, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A newly commissioned song cycle by Robert Beaser explores the familiar yet mysterious world of the men of the family with other vocal works on themes paternal, fraternal and filial, including Britten’s Abraham and Isaac, Loewe’s Erlkönig, and Ives’s The Greatest Man.
Songs of Peace and War – 3/12/2003
The Kaye Playhouse
Dana Hanchard, soprano
Sari Gruber, soprano
Christine Antenbring, mezzo-soprano
Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo-soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Anton Belov, baritone
William Sharp, baritone
Joseph Kaiser, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Tanya Tomkins, cello
Cenovia Cummins, violin
Some Enchanted April in New York, A Vernon Duke & Richard Rodgers Celebration – 4/12/2003
The Kaye Playhouse
Sylvia McNair, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Kaiser, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Laurence Maslon, stage director
The 2002-2003 season marks both the close of Richard Rodgers’s much-celebrated hundredth birthday year, and the hundredth birthday of Rodgers’s unjustly neglected contemporary Vernon Duke. NYFOS pairs rarely-heard works by two monarchs of American songwriting—a beloved kind, an elusive duke—to contrast their shining glories.
The Crystal Anniversary Concert – 5/22/2003
The Kaye Playhouse
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Amy Burton, soprano
Karen Holvik, soprano
Rinat Shaham, soprano
Eric Cutler, tenor
Ross Hauck, tenor
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Ricardo Herrera, baritone
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
William Sharp, baritone
Ryan Taylor, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
William Bolcom, piano
Joan Morris, vocalist
NYFOS celebrates its fifteenth anniversary with a sparkling evening of song, featuring many of our favorite members of the NFYOS family of artists.
The New York Poets – 10/15/2003
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Amy Burton, soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
An irreverent group of Harvard schoolmates, the New York School of poets and their friends shocked and delighted audiences of the 1950s-60s with their evullient sense of the absurd. Poems by Koch, Ashbery, O’Hara, Schuyler, Weinstein and others, set to music by Ned Rorem, William Bolcom, Virgil Thomson, Ricky Ian Gordon, Christopher Berg and others.
Evidence of Things Not Seen – 10/24/2003
Miller Theater, Columbia University, NY
(presented with the Works & Process program of the Guggenheim Museum)
Lisa Saffer, soprano
Christine Antenbring, mezzo-soprano
Rufus Muller, tenor
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 1/18/1998
Lost Tribes of Vaudeville – 11/12/2003
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
LaChanze, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
Bruce Adler, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Greg Utzig, guitar, banjo, ukelele
Alan R. Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, piano
Jewish and Black Vaudeville—two great entertainment cultures, their contributions to each others’ worlds and to ours. Songs by Creamer and Layton, Shelton Brooks, Eubie Blake, Sholom Secunda and Irving Berlin, as popularized by Fannie Brice, Sophie Tucker, Ethel Waters, Bert Williams, Cab Calloway and others.
Homage to Barcelona – 1/27/2004
Vocal Arts Society, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Composers born or educated in Barcelona capture the heart of that enchanting city in song. Works by Mompou, Toldra, Granados, Vives and many others, in styles ranging from art song to zarzuela.
Homage to Barcelona – 1/29/2004
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 1/27/2004
A Bel Canto Dynasty – 3/4/2004
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
John Hancock, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Music of Pauline Viardot, great coloratura soprano of the late 19th century. The program includes songs written by her father Manuel Garcia; her sister, Maria Malibran; those she inspired, Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz; those who were in her artistic circle, Saint-Saens, Gounod, Fauré, Massenet, Rossini; and the Russian composers Rubinstein, Rimsky-Korsakov.
Men, Women, and Food – 4/8/2004
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Anna Christy, soprano
Karen Holvik, soprano
Elizabeth Shammash, mezzo-soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
Kurt Ollmann, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Joseph Tompkins, percussion
Songs containing references to food by Irving Berlin, Martin Hennessy, Christopher Berg, Barber, Bernstein, Bolcom, Rodgers, Joni Mitchell, Heitor Villa-Lobos. The second half of the program was devoted to the Picnic Cantata by Paul Bowles.
A Multitude of Sins – 5/19/2004
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Carolyn Betty, soprano
Angela Gilbert, soprano
Marie Lenormand, mezzo-soprano
Ross Hauck, tenor
Ryan Taylor, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Songs by Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Poulence, Berlioz, and American composers from Irving Berlin throught Tom Lehrer to Stephen Sondheim, all with a slightly risqué slant.
A Multitude of Sins – 6/25/2004
SPCO Center, St. Paul, MN
Same cast and program as 5/19/2004
Spanish Love Songs – 7/9/2004
Caramoor Festival, Katonah, NY
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 11/24/1991
At Harlem’s Height – 9/24/2004
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Dana Hanchard, soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 10/11/2001
Kurt Weill’s Berlin – 10/14/2004
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Constance Hauman, soprano
Kimberly Barber, mezzo-soprano
Peter Kazaras, tenor
Mark Stewart, banjo, guitar, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 10/14/1999
At Harlem’s Height – 10/20, 10/21, 10/22/2004
Krannert Center, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Same cast and program as 10/11/2001
At Harlem’s Height – 10/24/2004
Caramoor Festival, Katonah, NY
Same cast and program as 10/11/2001
Latin Lovers – 11/6/2004
University of Maryland Performing Arts Center, MD
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Jeffery Picon, tenor
Hugh Russell, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 11/30/1999
From the Grecian Isles – 11/17/2004
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Amy Burton, soprano
Dimitri Pittas, tenor
John Hancock, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
John Musto, piano
Scenes and verses inspired by Greek mythology and poetry, ancient and modern. Featuring John Musto’s song cycle Penelope with works by Schubert, Grieg, Ravel, Theodorakis and others.
Blok and Akhmatova: Poets Without Heroes – 1/14/2005
Vocal Arts Society, Kennedy Center, Washignton, DC
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Nikolai Janitzky, baritone
Juliette Kang, violin
Thomas Kraines, cello
Steven Blier, piano
Kathleen Chalfant, narrator
An homage to two great 20th century Russian poets, Alexander Blok and Anna Akhmatova, their poet friends and followers. Shostakovich’s seven songs on poems by Blok (op. 127); works by Slominsky, Sviridov, Prokofiev, and others.
Blok and Akhmatove: Poets Without Heroes – 1/19/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 1/14/2005
At Harlem’s Height – 2/23/2005
Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series, Allen Room, Rose Hall, NY
Same cast and program as 10/11/2001
At Harlem’s Height – 2/24/2005
University of DC, Washington, DC
Same cast and program as 10/11/2001
Fats and Fields – 2/16/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Jason Graae, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A centennial tribute to the song legacies of brilliant lyricist Dorothy Fields, and prodigious virtuoso singer/songwriter Fats Waller, tracing their wide-ranging, occasionally criss-crossing musical paths from the Cotton Club to Broadway, via Tin Pan Alley.
A Delicate Drama: Songs of the Opera Composers –3/23/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Caroline Betty, soprano
Ann Christy, soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Alexander Tall, baritone
Daniel Mobbs, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The composers of opera’s grand stages show their gentler side in the salon. Rarely heard song works by Verdi, Puccini, Sullivan, Wagner, Meyerbeer, Gounod, and others.
The Last Time I Saw Paris – 4/20/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Julie Bouliane, mezzo-soprano
Alexandra Montano, mezzo-soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Modernism and resistance: the coming of age of French song, from the lost innocense of the jazz age and the ripe sensuality of pre-war Paris to the enduring lyrics of the liberation, forged in passionate activism. Works by Roussel, Poulenc, d’Ollone, Auric, Milhaud, Weill, and Trenet.
Lost Tribes of Vaudeville – 5/11/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Anika Noni Rose, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
Bruce Adler, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Greg Utzig, guitar, banjo, ukelele
Alen R. Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 11/12/2003
Lost Tribes of Vaudeville – 5/17/2005
Coolidge Auditorium, Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Same cast and program as 5/11/2005
Latin Lovers – 6/14/2005
SPCO Center, St. Paul, MN
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone
Aaron Barnel, percussion
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 11/30/1999
Dance Date with Cuba – 7/15/2005
Caramoor Festival, Katonah, NY
Monique McDonald, soprano
Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Danny Villanueva, percussion
Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet
Thomas Kraines, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The concert, theatre, and dance songs of Cuba from rhythm masters Ernesto Lecuona, Gonzalo Roig, Alejandro Gracia Caturla and others.
Since the Seventies: A Generation of Song – 10/16/2005
Gildenhorn Recital Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Susan Narucki, soprano
Steven Tharp, tenor
Ian Greenlaw, baritone
Leslie Tomkins, viola
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
An appreciation of the wit and lyricism of our finest songwriters in the last quarter of the 20th century. These “most singable” works come from composers including William Bolcom, John Musto, Adam Guettel, John Corigliano, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lee Hoiby, Richard Thomas and more.
Since the Seventies: A Generation of Song – 10/19/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 10/16/2005
Teatros Españoles – 11/15 and 11/16/2005
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Ricardo Herrera, baritone
Marcos Granados, flute
Steven Blier, piano
A fiesta for lovers of zarzuela, the music theater from Spain and Latin America, with works by Pablo Luna, Pablo Sorozabal, Ernesto Lecuona, Carlos Lopez-Buchardo, Ruperto Chapi, and others.
Fats and Fields – 1/31/2006
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program of 11/15/2005
All Together Now – 2/14 and 2/16/2006
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Jane Archibald, soprano
Leena Chopra, soprano
Alexandra Montano, mezzo-soprano
Christianne Rushton, mezzo-soprano
William Ferguson, tenor
Javier Abreu, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Evan Rogister, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Ensemble works from Monteverdi and Schubert to the Beach Boys and the Bobs, including a cappella and accompanied pieces.
The Banquet Years – 3/8/2006
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Marie Lenormand, mezzo-soprano
Hugh Russell, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Celebration of the chaotic brilliance of France’s avant-garde at the close of the Belle Epoque and the eve of the Great War. Works by Satie, Chabrier, Ravel, Yvette Guilbert and others.
The Banquet Years – 3/12/2006
Vocal Arts Society, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Same cast and program as 3/8/2006
Godmothers of Song – 4/11/2006
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Carolyn Betty, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Charlotte Hellekant, mezzo-soprano
William Sharp, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Works commissioned by Princesse de Polignac, Isabella Steward Gardner, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Alice Esty and other women whose patronage of song composers enriched the song repertoire. Works by Fauré, Poulenc, Thomson, Bowles, Rorem and others, as well as a new work by Paul Moravec commissioned by NYFOS specifically for the program.
Hands Across the Sea – 5/16 and 5/17/2006
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Lisa Vroman, soprano
Mary Testa, mezzo-soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor
Jason Graae, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Follow the transatlantic drift in the 1920s and 30s musicals when London and New York carried on an exchange program of talent and audience appeal: Kern, the Gershwins, Rodgers, Porter and others mounted musicals in London, while Coward, Novello and tohers had their vogue in New York.
English Gardens, Earthly Delights – 10/11 and 10/12/2006
Lisa Vroman, soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor
Andrew Garland, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS wanders the primrose path of the English garden and roves its countryside in the company of British composers—from Vaughan Williams and Elgar to Britten and Coward—who found inspiration in nature (including human nature) and the special beauty of their native land over the last century and longer.
Brava Italia! – 11/11/2006
Vocal Arts Society at the Terrace Theater, Washington, DC
Carolyn Betty, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Jeremy Little, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Twentieth century Italian song, from the late Romantic era to the beginnings of Neo-Realism. The music of Puccini, Mascagni, Respighi, Pizzetti and Castelnuovo-Tedesco will be complemented by that of Italian-American composers Harry Warren, Menotti, Argento, Musto and others.
Brava Italia! – 11/15 and 11/16/2006
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Same cast and program as 11/11/2006
Songs of Peace and War – 1/17/2007
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Charlotte Dobbs, soprano
Ariana Wyatt, soprano
Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Alex Mansoori, tenor
Paul La Rosa, baritone
Sidney Outlaw, baritone
Marc Webster, bass
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The second yearly collaborative concert between New York Festival of Song and The Juilliard School.
Dvořák and the American Soul – 2/7 and 2/8/2007
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Jonita Lattimore, soprano
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 11/20/2002
Since the Seventies – 2/18/2007
San Francisco Opera Center, Schwabacher Series
Rhoslyn Jones, soprano
Katharine Tier, mezzo-soprano
Noah Steward, tenor
Jeremy Galyon, bass-baritone
Matthew Piatt, piano
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
Same program as 10/16/2005
Island Journeys – 3/14 and 3/15/2007
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Leena Chopra, soprano
Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Matthew Worth, baritone
Edward Arron, cello
Marco Granados, flute
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs from and about the world’s most mysterious and beautiful islands, from Ireland to the West Indies, and from Madagascar to Manhattan, with detours to the islands of the imagination. Works by Maurice Ravel, Thomas Moore, Benjamin Britten, Kurt Weill, Vernon Duke, Richard Rodgers and more.
Amores Nuevos – 4/11 and 4/12/2007
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Jennifer Aylmer, soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Ricardo Herrera, baritone
James Baker, percussion
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
NYFOS renews its two-decade-long love affair with Latin music in this new program of songs from Spain and Latin America. Sephardic melodies set by Alberto Hemsi, Brazilian art songs by Mozart Camaro Guarnieri and Oscar Fernández, Mexican songs by Maria Grever, zarzuela arias by Chapi and Chueca, Chuba songs by Gisela Hernández and Tanya León, as well as vocal music by Granados, Turina, Halffter and many others—all receiving their first NYFOS performances.
Amores Nuevos – 4/15/2007
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Same cast and program as 4/11/2007
We Open in Paris – 5/9 and 5/10/2007
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Sari Gruber, soprano
Marie Lenormand, mezzo-soprano
Mary Testa, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Hugh Russell, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Paris is the ever-beckoning backdrop for four musical theater works in vest-pocket NYFOS productions, including Jacques Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne and Cole Porter’s Fifty Million Frenchmen.
No Song Is Safe from Us – 10/16 and 10/18/2007
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Renee Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Javier Abreu, tenor
Paul Appleby, tenor
Alex Mansoori, tenor
Paul La Rosa, baritone
David McFerrin, baritone
William Sharp, baritone
Marc Webster, bass
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Leslie Tomkins, viola
NYFOS presents four favorite specialties of NYFOS’s Artistic Directors Steven Blier and Michael Barrett: 1) songs by contemporary American composers; 2) popular and musical theater songs from across the world; 3) art song, charged with literary power of the great poets of Europe; and 4) Latin song, from the Iberian peninsula to Cuba, Mexico and South America.
Love at the Crossroads –11/13 and 11/15/2007
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Sari Gruber, soprano
Paula Murrihy, mezzo-soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor
Matthew Worth, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Four characters in search of a happy ending; in duets, trios and quartets, four performers enact a series of linked romantic scenarios ,set in contrasting languages and eras, in works ranging from Brahms to Sondheim, leading each re-combining pair of lovers to a different emotional conclusion.
A Modern Person’s Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up – 1/16/2008
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Jennifer Zetlan, soprano
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Renee Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Alex Mansoori, tenor
Paul La Rosa, baritone
David McFerrin, baritone
Tae-Hee Im, violin
Heidi Schaul-Yoder, viola
Min-Jeong Kany, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The Juilliard School’s Vocal Arts Division’s third annual installment of NYFOS@Juilliard. This collaboration between NYFOS and The Juilliard School celebrates the creative energy and superlative vocal talent of tomorrow’s brightest stars, building on NFYOS’s distinctive programming and performing style.
Harry, Hoagy, and Harold – 2/5 and 2/7/2008
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Jonita Lattimore, soprano
Mary Testa, mezzo-soprano
James Martin, baritone
Greg Utzig, banjo and guitar
Vince Giordano, bass
Steven Blier, piano
A reprise of the program of 10/12/2000
Bastianello and Lucrezia – 3/11 and 3/13/2008
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Lisa Vroman, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Patrick Mason, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Two newly-commissioned music theater works in a comic vein by composers John Musto (Bastianello) and William Bolcom (Lucrezia) with book and lyrics by Mark Campbell; both works are scored for five singers and two pianos. Bastianello, based on an Italian folktake and set in 18th century rural Italy, is a family fable of love and folly; Lucrezia, a “riff” on Machiavelli’s La Mandragola, is a wickedly funny seduction satire, rewritten from the viewpoint of the story’s wise and captivating heroine.
Obsession à la Russe – 4/15 and 4/17/2008
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Anton Belov, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
From as early as the 18th century, when French became the court language of the Russian aristocracy, to the conquest of Paris by Les Ballet Russes, Russia looked to France as the height of refinement and France sought in all things Russian as exotic charm and vigor Western Europe seemed to lack. Artistic influences ran rampant in both directions, shaping the musical language of composers of both cultures.
Bastianello and Lucrezia – 9/5/2008
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Lisa Vroman, soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Patrick Mason, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Michael Barrett, piano
David Shimoni, piano
Same program as 3/13/2008
A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration – 9/23 and 9/25/2008
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Sari Gruber, soprano
Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Renee Tatum, mezzo-soprano
Alex Mansoori, tenor
William Sharp, baritone
Marc Webster, bass
William Bolcom, piano
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A tribute to two of New York Festival of Song’s guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom, quintessential American composers and great spirits who have long provided wisdom, guidance, and music to NYFOS. Songs from Bernstein’s Peter Pan, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Songfest, Wonderful Town, Arias and Barcarolles; Bolcom’s Cabaret Songs, I Will Breathe a Mountain, Briefly It Enters, McTeague.
The Last Time I Saw Paris – 10/26/2008
Chester Meeting House, Chester, CT
Julie Boulianne, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Modernism and resistance: the coming of age of French song, from the lost innocence of the jazz age and the ripe sensuality of pre-war Paris to the enduring lyrics of the liberation, forged in passionate activism. Works by Roussel, Poulenc, d’Ollone, Auric, Milhaud, Weill, and Trenet.
The Last Time I Saw Paris – 11/9/2008
West Parish Church, Andover, MA
Same cast and program as 10/26/2008
Fugitives – 11/14/2008
Vocal Arts Society, Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Kate Lindsay, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
An evening of songs from the concert stage, the movies, Broadway, and Berlin’s cabarets that trace the varid fates of the gifted composers who fled destruction during Hitler’s rise to power—some to begin new lives and brilliant careers abroad, others to meet with darker ends. Music by Kurt Weill, Franz Schreker, Alexander Zemlinsky, Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Korngold, Hanns Eisler, Friedrich, Hollaender, and many others.
Fugitives – 11/18 and 11/20/2008
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 11/14/2008
Latin Lovers – 1/14/2009
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Jennifer Zetlan, soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Isabel Vera, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Christopher Tiesi, tenor
Carlton Ford, baritone
Adrian Rosas, bass-baritone
Eric Roberts, percussion
Rupert Boyd, guitar
Steven Blyer, piano
Jeanne Slater, choreographer
A Collection of songs and zarzuela from Spain and Latin America; passion, melody, and rhythem of De Falla, Albéniz, Guastavino, Lecuona, and others.
Voices of the Jewish Diaspora – 2/10 and 2/12/2009
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano
Steven Goldstein, tenor
Laura Goldberg, violin
Lisa Tipton, violin
Leslie Tomkins, viola
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs in many languages celebrate the culturally diverse Jewish communities that fourished as the tribes of Israel spread out across the globe. Sephardic melodies arranged by Alberto Hemsi and Roberto Sierra; Second Avenue specialties by Irving Berlin and Joseph Rumshinsky; art songs by Ravel, Mahler, and Ruinstein; plus music by Gershwin, Harold Rome, and Bernstein.
Voices of the Jewish Diaspora – 2/15/2009
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD
Same cast and program as 2/10/2009
Songs of the Irish Poets – 3/14/2009
Caramoor’s Vocal Rising Stars, Caramoor, Katonah, NY
Joelle Harvey, soprano
Lisa Forrester, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Deavid McFerrin, baritone
Jessica Lee, violin
Karen Ouzounian, cello
Christopher Layer, uilleann pipes, flute and whistle
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The lyricism of the Emerald Isle’s greatest writers, including Thomas Moore, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Paul Muldoon, as set to music by Beethoven, Britten, Balfe, Barber and others.
Songs of the Irish Poets – 3/17/2009
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 3/14/2009
Carried Away…with the Lyrics of Comden and Green Spring Gala – 4/15/2009
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Tyne Daly, mezzo-soprano
Amanda Green, mezzo-soprano
Alex Mansoori, tenor
Darius de Haas, tenor
Walter Bobbie, tenor
Brooks Ashmanskas, baritone
David Krohn, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
The Welcome Shore – 5/19 and 5/21/2009
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Philp Cutlip, baritone
Rupert Boyd, guitar
Steven Blier, piano
A hymn to rivers and oceans stirs the heart and the imagination as the summer season draws near. Music by Elgar (the magnificent Sea Pictures), Fauré, Guastavino, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Noël Coward, Pauline Viardot, and many others.
Where We Come From – 10/13/2009
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Amy Burton, soprano
Sari Gruber, soprano
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Benjamin Sosland, tenor
Carlton Ford, baritone
William Sharp, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Songs of home, offered by members of the newly created NYFOS Artist Counsel, saluting their birthplaces and their musical roots.
Great American Songwriting Teams – 11/13/2009
Vocal Arts DC, Terrace Theater at Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Sylvia McNair, vocals
Liza Forrester, vocals
Jason Graae, vocals
Steven Blier, piano
An evening of famous and rarely-heard songs honoring the genius of America’s classica songwriting collaborators: George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Dietz & Schwartz, Bock & Harnick, Kander & Ebb, Lieber & Stoller, Bolcom & Weinstein.
Great American Songwriting Teams – 11/17 and 11/19/2009
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Sylvia McNair, vocals
Mary Testa, vocals
Jason Graae, vocals
Steven Blier, piano
An evening of famous and rarely-heard songs honoring the genius of America’s classica songwriting collaborators: George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Dietz & Schwartz, Bock & Harnick, Kander & Ebb, Lieber & Stoller, Bolcom & Weinstein.
Killer “B”s: American Song from Amy Beach to the Beach Boys – 1/13/2010
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Catherine Hancock, soprano
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Carla Jablonski, mezzo-soprano
Naomi O’Connell, mezzo-soprano
Carlton Ford, baritone
Timothy McDevitt, baritone
Adrian Rosas, bass-baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
The Voluptous Muse – 2/16 and 2/18/2010
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Lush harmonies and exotick themes are showcased in the songs of late-Romantic masters Erich Korngold, Karol Szymanowski, Nikolai Medtner, Richard Strauss and more.
The Sweetest Path – 3/13/2010
Caramoor’s Vocal Rising Stars, Caramoor, Katonah, NY
Charlotte Dobbs, soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Peña, tenor
John Brancy, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
A celebration of the first great flowering of French art song in a program of works by Gounod, Fauré, Bizet, Chabrier, and others.
The Sweetest Path – 3/16/2010
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 3/13/2010
Let Yourself Go! A gala evening of Irving Berlin – 4/12/2010
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Kate Baldwin, soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Terri White, mezzo-soprano
Howard McGillin, tenor
John Brancy, baritone
Johathan Estabrooks, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The Newest Deal – 5/4 and 5/6/2010
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Anne-Carolyn Bird, soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Andrew Garland, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
An all-new NYFOS program of 21st-century American works, including the premiere of Beautiful Ohio by Howard Meltzer, as well as Gabriel Kahane’s Craigslistlieder and songs by Lisa Bielawa, Tom Cipullo, Gabriela Frank, Ray Lustig, and Phil Kline.
Killer “B”s – 8/13/2010
Alice Busch Opera Theater, Glimmerglass Opera
Beginner’s Luck – 10/19 and 10/21/2010
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
Beginner’s Luck – 10/24/2010
Vocal Arts DC, Terrace Theater at Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Same cast and program as 10/19/2010
NYFOS Next: Gabriel Kahane & Friends (series premiere) – 11/16/2010
Gilman Performance Space at Baryshnikov Arts Center; presented in the Movado Hour series
Gabriel Kahane, pianist, vocalist and host
Lacey Jo Benter, mezzo-soprano
David Deporis, singer/songwriter
Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next offers a forum for the next generation of song composers and interpreters to share their work, and gives audiences an intimate look inside the creative process, as freshly-minted songs are presented—some for the first time—in the warm atmosphere of an informal performance. With an emphasis on spontaneity, novelty, and collaboration between performers and composers, the newly-created series NYFOS Next pioneers an experimental venue for song, paralleling (on a new track) New York Festival of Song’s long-celebrated concert series.
Manning the Canon – 11/15 and 11/17/2010
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Scott Murphree, tenor
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Matthew Worth, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
Road Trip: A Musical Travelogue of the United States – 1/12/2011
NYFOS@Juilliard; Alice Tully Hall, Linoln Center
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Lacey Benter, mezzo-soprano
Naomi O’Connell, mezzo-soprano
Daniel Curran, tenor
Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone
Willie Liverman, baritone
Timothy McDevitt, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Jeanne Slater, choreographer
Night & Day / USA – 2/12/2011
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD
Sari Gruber, soprano
Liza Forrester, mezzo-soprano
Joseph Shadday, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Night & Day / USA – 2/15 and 2/17/2011
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Sari Gruber, soprano
Liza Forrester, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Tiesi, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Same program as 2/12/2011
Spanish Gold – 3/13/2011
Caramoor’s Vocal Rising Stars, Caramoor, Katonah, NY
Corinne Winters, soprano
Wallace Giunta, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Owens, tenor
Carlton Ford, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Spanish Gold – 3/15 and 3/17/2011
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 3/13/2011
Amores Nuevos – 3/27/2011
Schwabacher Recitals, San Francisco Opera Center, San Francisco, CA
A Fine Romance: A gala evening celebrating the songs of Jerome Kern – 4/4/2011
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Kelli O’Hara, soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Jonathan Estabrooks, Timothy McDevitt, Matthew Peña and Lauren Worsham, additional vocals
NYFOS Next: Phil Kline & Friends – 5/3/2011
Gilman Performance Space at Baryshnikov Arts Center; presented in the Movado Hour series
Phil Kline, host
Katherine Dain, soprano
Lauren Worsham, soprano
Carla Jablonski, mezzo-soprano
Michael Barrett, piano
Kathleen Supové, piano
Todd Reynolds, violin
Ashley Bathgate, cello
A snapshot of New York’s “downtown” experimentalist scene.
In the Memory Palace – 10/22/2011
Vocal Arts DC; George Washington University, Washington, DC
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Andrew Garland, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
In the Memory Palace – 10/25 and 10/27/2011
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 10/22/2011
NYFOS Next: Joseph Thalken & Friends – 11/8/2011
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
Joseph Thalken, pianist and host
Marcy Richardson, soprano
Lauren Worsham, soprano
Rita Gardner, soprano
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Jonathan Estabrooks, baritone
Sam Davis, piano
Peter Foley, piano
New musical theater works by Joseph Thalken, Sam Davis and Peter Foley.
Manning the Canon – 11/15/2011
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD
Scott Murphree, tenor
Jesse Blumberg. baritone
Timothy McDevitt, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
Same program as 11/15/2010
Manning the Canon – 11/17/2011
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same program and cast as 112/15/2011
A Goyishe Christmas to You! – 11/29 and 12/1/2011
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Lauren Worsham, soprano
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
Judy Kaye, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Breitzer, tenor
John Brancy, baritone
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Alan R. Kay, clarinet
Yuletide songs by Jewish composers
Invitation to the Dance – 1//18/2012
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Simone Easthope, soprano
Karen Vuong, soprano
Elizabeth Sutphen, mezzo-soprano
Rachael Wilson, mezzo-soprano
Kyle Bielfield, tenor
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Nathan Haller, tenor
Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone
Leo Radosavljevic, bass-baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
Andrew Stenvall, percussion
Jeanne Slater, choreographer
Songs about dancing and songs with dancing
A Modern Person’s Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up – 2/12/2012
Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Anne-Carolyn Bird, soprano
Liza Forrester, mezzo-soprano
Alex Mansoori, tenor
Andrew Garland, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
with Gennard Lombardozzi, tenor and Adrian Rosas, bass-baritone
A Modern Person’s Guide to Hooking Up and Breaking Up – 2/14 and 2/16/2012
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 2/12/2012
New York to Paris, Paris to Paradise – 3/11/2012
Caramoor’s Vocal Rising Stars, Caramoor, Katonah, NY
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Kristin Hoff, mezzo-soprano
Ryan Brenton, tenor
Eugene Chan, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano and arranger
New York to Paris, Paris to Paradise – 3/13/2012
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Same cast and program as 3/11/2012
Over the Rainbow: A gala evening of Harold Arlen – 4/2/2012
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Laquita Mitchell, soprano
Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano
Mary Testa, vocalist
Darius de Haas, tenor
Jason Danieley, baritone
Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Next: Russell Platt & Friends – 4/24/2012
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
Russell Platt, host
Sarah Wolfson, soprano
Blythe Gaissert, mezzo-soprano
Kyle Bielfield, tenor
Mischa Bouvier, baritone
Carla Kihlstedt, vocalist/violinist
Matthais Bossi, percussionist
Thomas Sauer, pianist
Michael Barrett, pianist
Dvořák and the American Soul – 10/14/2012
Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Julia Bullock, soprano
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
James Martin, baritone
Michael Barrett, piano
Mr. Gershwin Goes to Washington – 10/20/2012
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Marc Kudisch as John P. Wintergreen
Anne-Carolyn Bird as Mary Turner
Lauren Worsham as Diana Devereaux
David Garrison as Horace J. Fletcher/Alexander P. Throttlebottom/Chief Justice of the Supreme Court/Comrade Kruger/Governor John P. Tweedledee/Representative of France
Leonard Lopate, host and announcer
Steven Blier, piano
Joseph Thalken, piano
Laurence Maslon, stage director
Mr. Gershwin Goes to Washington – 10/22/2012
Vocal Arts Society, Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Marc Kudisch as John P. Wintergreen
Anne-Carolyn Bird as Mary Turner
Lauren Worsham as Diana Devereaux
David Garrison as Horace J. Fletcher/Alexander P. Throttlebottom/Chief Justice of the Supreme Court/Comrade Kruger/Governor John P. Tweedledee/Representative of France
Carl Kasell, host and announcer
Steven Blier, piano
Joseph Thalken, piano
Laurence Maslon, stage director
NYFOS Next: Carla Kihlstedt & Friends – 11/13/2012
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
Carla Kihlstedt, host, violin/vocals
Eden MacAdam-Somer, violin/vocals
Anne-Carolyn Bird, soprano
Susan Botti, soprano
Charlotte Dobbs, soprano
Camila Parias, soprano
Nicholas Canellakis, cello
Matthais Bossi, piano and percussion
Michael Barrett, piano
Kristina Bachrach, Augusta Caso, Martha Cluver, Kimberly Hawkey, Charlotte Mundy and Caroline Shaw, additional vocals.
Women – 12/4/2012
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Corinne Winters, soprano
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Garland, baritone
Jay Campbell, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, piano
The lives of women, sung in their own words and seen through the eyes of men. Featuring world premieres by Mark Adamo, Mohammed Fairouz, and Carla Kihlstedt.
A Night at the Operetta – 1/17/2013
Alice Tully Hall
Simone Easthope, soprano
Raquel González, soprano
Virginie Verrez, mezzo-soprano
Rachael Wilson, mezzo-soprano
Kyle Bielfield, tenor
Nathan Haller, tenor
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Philip Stoddard, baritone
Davone Tines, bass-baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Michael Barrett, pinao
Andrew Stenvall, percussion
Jeanne Slater, choreographer
Mary Birnbaum, stage director
NYFOS continues its annual collaboration with The Juilliard School’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, this year touring the world of operetta—witty, charming music from England, France, Spain, Austria, and America by composers ranging from Emmerich Kálmán and Federico Moreno Torroba to Arthur Sullivan and Stephen Sondheim.
Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet – 2/19/2013
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Marie Lenormand, mezzo-soprano
Phillipe Pierce, tenor
Bill Schimmel, accordian
Greg Utzig, guitar
Steven Blier, piano
This program celebrates two of the 20th century’s greatest balladeers, the passionate social critic Jacques Brel and the endlessly imaginative Charles Trenet. Featuring both hidden gems and signature pieces, inclduing Brel’s “Ne me quitte pas” and Trenet’s “La mer.”
Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet – 2/21/2013
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD
Marie Lenormand, mezzo-soprano
Phillipe Pierce, tenor
Bill Schimmel, accordian
Greg Utzig, guitar
Steven Blier, piano
This program celebrates two of the 20th century’s greatest balladeers, the passionate social critic Jacques Brel and the endlessly imaginative Charles Trenet. Featuring both hidden gems and signature pieces, inclduing Brel’s “Ne me quitte pas” and Trenet’s “La mer.”
NYFOS Next: Kevin Puts & Friends – 2/5/2013
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
Stacey Tappan, soprano
Krysta River, mezzo-soprano
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Charles Yang, violin
Michael Barrett, Ricky Ian Gordon and Kevin Puts, piano
Song of the Midnight Sun – 3/10/2013
The Caramoor Center, Katonah, NY
Julia Bullock, soprano
Sarah Larsen, mezzo-soprano
Theo Lebow, tenor
Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone
Michael Barrett and Steven Blier, piano
Great Scandinavian songwriters, including Greig, Sibelius, Stenhammar, Nielsen, and Rautavaara, reveal a world of hidden loves, night confessions, and natural beauty. Concluding NYFOS’s fifth annual professional training residency, this concert showcases Caramoor’s Terrance W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars.
Song of the Midnight Sun – 3/12/2013
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
Julia Bullock, soprano
Sarah Larsen, mezzo-soprano
Theo Lebow, tenor
Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone
Michael Barrett and Steven Blier, piano
Great Scandinavian songwriters, including Greig, Sibelius, Stenhammar, Nielsen, and Rautavaara, reveal a world of hidden loves, night confessions, and natural beauty. Concluding NYFOS’s fifth annual professional training residency, this concert showcases Caramoor’s Terrance W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars.
NYFOS Next: Mohammed Fairouz & Friends – 4/30/2013
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
Kristina Bachrach and Fang Tao Jiang, sopranos
Samuel Levine, tenor
Adrian Rosas, baritone
Catalyst Quartet: Karla Donehew-Perez, violin; Jessie Montgomery, violin;
Christopher Jenkins, viola; Karlos Rodriguez, cello
Emily Daggett Smith, violin; Matthew Zalkind, cello; Narek Arutynian, clarinet
Michael Barrett and Michael Brown, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS @ North Fork: Off to the Island – 8/25/2013
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY
Alexandra Batsios and Meredith Lustig, sopranos
David Margulis, tenor
Tobias Greenhalgh, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS After Hours: Autumn in New York – 9/23/2013
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Corinne Winters and Lauren Worsham, sopranos
Kyle Bielfield and Ben Bliss, tenors
John Brancy and Tobias Greenhalgh, baritones
Steven Blier, pianist, arranger, and host
Ned Is Ninety – 11/1/2013
The Granoff Center Martinos Auditorium at Brown University, Providence, RI
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Garland, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Ned Is Ninety – 11/3/2013
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Garland, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Ned Is Ninety – 11/5/2013
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Garland, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Cubans in Paris, Cubans at Home – 12/3/2013
Reston Cummunity Center, Reston, VA
Corinne Winters, soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Ricardo Herrera, baritone
Danny Villanueva, percussion
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Cubans in Paris, Cubans at Home – 12/5/2013
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Corinne Winters, soprano
Jeffrey Picon, tenor
Ricardo Herrera, baritone
Leonardo Granados , percussion
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours: A Goyishe Christmas To You! – 12/16/2013
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS @ Juilliard:
The Land Where the Good Songs Go: Lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse – 1/15/2014
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Mary Feminar and Raquel González, sopranos
Hannah McDermott, mezzo-soprano
James Edgar Knight and Alex McKissick, tenors
Joseph Eletto and Benjamin Lund, baritones
Greg Utzig, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Next: Mark Adamo & Friends – 1/28/2014
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Olivia Betzen, soprano
Natalie Douglas, vocalist
Joseph Eletto, Joshua Jeremiah and Alexander Sage Oyen, baritones
Momenta Quartet: Emilie-Anne Gedron, violin; Adda Kridler, violin;
Stephanie Griffin, viola; Michael Haas, violincello
Michael Barrett, Michele Brourman, John Bucchino and Leann Osterkamp, piano
Warsaw Serenade – 2/16/2014
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Warsaw Serenade – 2/18/2014
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next: An Evening with John Musto & Friends – 3/4/2014
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Amy Burton, soprano
Vale Rideout, tenor
William Burton, baritone
John Musto, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
Ports of Call: an Itinerary of Song – 3/16/2014
Music Room, Rosen House, Caramoor Festival of the Arts, Katonah, NY
Caramoor 2014 Vocal Rising Stars: Olivia Betzen, soprano; Annie Rosen, mezzo-soprano
Miles Mykkanen, tenor; Theo Hoffman, baritone; Leann Osterkamp, piano
with Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
Ports of Call: an Itinerary of Song – 3/18/2014 and 3/19/2014
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Caramoor 2014 Vocal Rising Stars: Olivia Betzen, soprano; Annie Rosen, mezzo-soprano
Miles Mykkanen, tenor; Theo Hoffman, baritone; Leann Osterkamp, piano
with Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next: Harold Meltzer – 4/1/2014
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Justine Aronson and Elizabeth Farnum, sopranos
Mary Nessinger, mezzo-soprano
Barry Crawford and Jessica Schmitz, flute
Alan R. Kay and Jo-Ann Sternberg, clarinet
William Anderson, mandolin
Oren Fader, guitar
Michael Barrett and Thomas Sauer, piano
Spring Gala: Remembering Lenny – 4/28/2014
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Alexander, Jamie, and Nina Bernstein; Barbara Cook; Tobias Greenhalgh; Theo Hoffman; Marilyn Horne; Judy Kaye; Timothy McDevitt; Miles Mykkanen; Jessye Norman; Kurt Ollmann; Adrian Rosas; Annie Rosen; Stephen Sondheim; and Lauren Worsham with Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
Ports of Call: An Itinerary of Song – 4/7/2014
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Caramoor 2014 Vocal Rising Stars: Olivia Betzen, soprano; Annie Rosen, mezzo-soprano
Miles Mykkanen, tenor; Theo Hoffman, baritone
with Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
The Land Where Good Songs Go – 5/5/2014
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Mary Feminar, soprano
Avery Amereau and Hannah McDermott, mezzo-sopranos
James Edgar Knight and Alex McKissick, tenors
Joseph Eletto and Benjamin Lund, baritones
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@North Fork: Craigslistlieder and Other Love Songs – 8/23/14
Christ Episcopal Church, Bellport, NY
Chelsea Morris, soprano
Lauren Eberwein, mezzo-soprano
William Goforth, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@North Fork: Craigslistlieder and Other Love Songs – 8/24/14
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY
Chelsea Morris, soprano
Lauren Eberwein, mezzo-soprano
William Goforth, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
Crystal Anniversary Cabaret for HENRY’s – 10/20/2014
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Julia Bullock and Meredith Lustig, soprano
Benjamin Bliss, Theo Lebow, and Miles Mykkanen, tenors
Jonathan Estabrooks and Theo Hoffman, baritones
Steven Blier, piano
Art Song on the Couch: Lieder in Freud’s Vienna – 11/9/2014
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Janai Brugger, soprano
John Brancy, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Art Song on the Couch: Lieder in Freud’s Vienna – 11/11/2014
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Janai Brugger, soprano
John Brancy, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
CD Release Party for Canción amorosa with Corinne Winters – 11/17/2014
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Corinne Winters, soprano
Steven Blier, piano
Harlem Renaissance – 12/5/2014
Reston Community Center, Reston, VA
Julia Bullock, soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
James Martin , baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Harlem Renaissance – 12/9/2014
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Julia Bullock, soprano
Darius de Haas, tenor
James Martin, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
A Goyishe Christmas To You! – 12/15/2014
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS @ Juilliard: Great American Songwriting Teams – 1/14/2015
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Tiffany Townsend , soprano
Kelsey Lauritano and Hannah McDermott, mezzo-sopranos
James Edgar Knight and Alex McKissick, tenors
Aaron Mor and Theo Hoffman , baritones
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Next: Opening Night – 2/3/2015
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Ilana Davidson and Meredith Lustig, sopranos
Luca Padovan, boy soprano
Jonathan Estabrooks and Theo Hoffman, baritones
Michael Barrett, Steven Blier, John Musto and Leann Osterkamp, piano
NYFOS Next: Paul Moravec – 2/10/2015
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Meredith Lustig, Dominique McCormick, and Amy Owens, sopranos
Jonathan Estabrooks and Shea Owens, baritones
Charles Yang, violin
Jay Campbell, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next: Bright Sheng – 2/17/2015
OPERA America’s National Opera Center, New York, NY
Amy Owens, soprano
Annie Rosen, mezzo-soprano
Mingjei Lei, tenor
Shea Owens, baritone
Michael Barrett, Leann Osterkamp, and Bright Sheng, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
Bel Canto / Can Belto – 3/15/2015
Music Room, Rosen House, Caramoor Festival of the Arts, Katonah, NY
Caramoor’s 2015 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars: Chelsea Morris, soprano; Julia Dawson, mezzo-soprano
Alec Carlson, tenor; Shea Owens, baritone; Christopher Reynolds, piano
with Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Bel Canto / Can Belto – 3/17/2015
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Caramoor’s 2015 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars: Chelsea Morris, soprano; Julia Dawson, mezzo-soprano
Alec Carlson, tenor; Shea Owens, baritone; Christopher Reynolds, piano
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Spring Gala: Cream of the Crop! – 3/30/2015
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Julia Bullock, soprano
Annie Rosen, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby and Theo Lebow, tenors
John Brancy, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Letters from Spain: A World of Song in Spanish Poetry – 4/28/2015
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Corinne Winters, soprano
Theo Lebow, tenor
Alexey Lavrov, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Letters from Spain: A World of Song in Spanish Poetry – 4/30/2015
Vocal Arts DC, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
Corinne Winters, soprano
Theo Lebow, tenor
Alexey Lavrov, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
Great American Songwriting Teams – 5/4/2015
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Tiffany Townsend, soprano
Amanda Bottoms and Hannah McDermott, mezzo-sopranos
James Edgar Knight and Alex McKissick, tenors
Aaron Mor and Theo Hoffman , baritones
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artist:
NYFOS@North Fork: Latin Lovers – 8/22/15
Christ Episcopal Church, Bellport, NY
Anna Dugan, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Alexander McKissick, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis, baritone
Joshua Vonderheide, percussion
Steven Blier, pianist/arranger
NYFOS Emerging Artist:
NYFOS@North Fork: Latin Lovers – 8/23/15
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY
Anna Dugan, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Alexander McKissick, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis, baritone
Joshua Vonderheide, percussion
Steven Blier, pianist/arranger
NYFOS After Hours:
Fall Colors – 10/12/15
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Gerard Schneider, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritone
Joshua Vonderheide, percussion
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Tour:
From Russia to Riverside Drive: Rachmaninoff and Friends – 11/8/2015
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Shea Owens, baritone
Dalit Warshaw, theremin
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
From Russia to Riverside Drive: Rachmaninoff and Friends – 11/10/2015
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Dina Kuznetsova, soprano
Shea Owens, baritone
Dalit Warshaw, theremin
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Schubert/Beatles – 12/8/2015
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Sari Gruber, soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Andrew Garland, baritone
Theo Hoffman, baritone
Charles Yang, violin
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
A Goyishe Christmas to You! – 12/14/15
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Lauren Worsham, soprano
Alex Mansoori and Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritone
Joshua Breitzer, cantor
Alan Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, pianist/arranger
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@Juilliard: Harry, Hoagy, and Harold – 1/13/16
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School, NY
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Christine Taylor Price, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Kelsey Lauritano, mezzo-soprano
Samuel Levine, tenor
Gerard Schneider, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis, baritone
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists and Tour:
NYFOS@Juilliard: Harry, Hoagy, and Harold – 1/17/16
Five Boroughs Music Festival, Flushing Town Hall, Flushing, NY
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Kelsey Lauritano, mezzo-soprano
Samuel Levine, tenor
Gerard Schneider, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis, baritone
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
NYFOS Next:
David T. Little & Friends – 2/4/2016
OPERA America’s National Opera Center
Justine Aronson, Gelsey Bell, Kate Soper, and Brett Umlauf, sopranos
Eve Gigliotti, mezzo-soprano
Ted Hearne and Matthew Worth, baritones
Ayano Ninomiya and Danbi Um, violin
Leslie Tomkins, viola
Alice Yoo, cello
Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next:
An Evening with Manhattan School of Music – 2/11/2016
OPERA America’s National Opera Center
Justine Aronson, Susan Botti, and Amy Owens, sopranos
Matthew Worth, baritone
Ayano Nimomiya and Airi Yoshioka, violins
Ann Hung, clarinet
Michael Barrett and Leann Osterkamp, piano
NYFOS Next:
Lowell Liebermann & Friends – 2/18/2016
OPERA America’s National Opera Center
Justine Aronson, soprano
Matthew Worth, baritone
Bart Feller, flute
William Hobbs, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artist and Tour:
Ports of Call: A musical travelogue – 2/28/2016
Schwabacher Debut Recital
Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, San Fransisco, CA
Amina Edris, soprano
Edward Nelson, baritone
Brad Walker, bass-baritone
Steven Blier, pianists and host
NYFOS Emerging Artist and Tour:
At Home – 3/13/16
Caramoor, Katonah, NY
Liv Redpath, soprano
Abigail Levis, mezzo-soprano
Galeano Salas, tenor
Justin Austen, baritone
Steven Blier and William Kelley, pianists
NYFOS Mainstage:
At Home – 3/15/16
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Liv Redpath, soprano
Abigail Levis, mezzo-soprano
Galeano Salas, tenor
Justin Austen, baritone
Steven Blier and William Kelley, pianists
NYFOS Spring Gala:
Topsy-Turvy: The NYFOS Guide to Gilbert & Sullivan – 4/5/16
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
Lauren Worsham, soprano
Abigail Levis, mezzo-soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor
David Hyde Pierce, baritone
Bryce Pinkham, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Compositora: Songs by Latin American Women – 4/26/16
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
María Valdés, soprano
Efraín Solís, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
NYFOS@Juilliard: Harry, Hoagy, and Harold – 5/2/16
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Christine Taylor Price, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Kelsey Lauritano, mezzo-soprano
Samuel Levine, tenor
Gerard Schneider, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis, baritone
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artist:
NYFOS@North Fork: Killers ‘B’s – 8/21/2016
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY
Christine Taylor Price, soprano
Kelsey Lauritano, mezzo-soprano
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Schubert/Beatles – 9/1/2016
Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
Sari Gruber, soprano
Andrew Owens, tenor
Andrew Garland, baritone
Theo Hoffman, baritone and guitar
Charles Yang, violin
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Schubert/Beatles – 10/1/2016
Lyric Opera Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
Sari Gruber, soprano
Andrew Owens, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritone & guitar
Charles Yang, violin
Michael Barrett, piano
Steven Blier, arranger & piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel – 11/1/2016 and 11/3/2016
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Lauren Worsham, soprano
Mary Testa, mezzo-soprano
Hal Cazalet, tenor
John Brancy, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Next: Gabriela Lena Frank & Friends – 11/2/2016
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
Amy Owens, soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Mischa Bouvier and Andrew Garland, baritone
Momenta Quartet
Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next: Christopher Cerrone & Friends – 12/8/2016
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
Justine Aronson, soprano
Theo Bleckmann, baritone
Erin Mack, clarinet
Patrick Swodoba, bass and guitar
Robby Bowen, percussion
Timo Andres and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
A Goyishe Christmas to You! – 12/12/2016
Mikaela Bennett and Lauren Worsham, sopranos
Amanda Lynn Bottoms and Donna Breitzer, mezzo-sopranos
Joshua Breitzer and Alex Mansoori, tenor
Joshua Jeremiah, Andrew Lippa, and Thomas West, baritones
Alan R. Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Pyotr the Great: The Songs of Tchaikovsky and His Circle – 1/22/2017
Vocal Arts DC, Washington DC
Antonina Chehovska, soprano
Alexey Lavrov, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Pyotr the Great: The Songs of Tchaikovsky and His Circle – 1/24/2017
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Antonina Chehovska, soprano
Alexey Lavrov, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Picnic Cantata/ Dinner at Eight – 2/18/2017
Reston Community Center, Reston, VA
Chelsea Shephard and Amy Owens, sopranos
Amanda Lynn Bottoms and Naomi Louisa O’Connell, mezzo-sopranos
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Barry Centanni, percussion
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Picnic Cantata/ Dinner at Eight – 2/21/2017
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Chelsea Shephard and Amy Owens, sopranos
Amanda Lynn Bottoms and Naomi Louisa O’Connell, mezzo-sopranos
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Barry Centanni, percussion
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artist and Tour:
Four Islands – 3/12/2017
Caramoor, Katonah, NY
Christine Taylor Price, soprano
Hannah Dishman, mezzo-soprano
Jack Swanson, tenor
Benjamin Dickerson, baritone
Marco Granados, flute
Karen Ouzounian, cello
Steven Blier and Ho Jae Lee, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Four Islands – 3/14/2017
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
Christine Taylor Price, soprano
Hannah Dishman, mezzo-soprano
Jack Swanson, tenor
Benjamin Dickerson, baritone
Marco Granados, flute
Nan-Cheng Chen, cello
Steven Blier and Ho Jae Lee, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@Juilliard: Protest Songs – 3/31/2017
Mikaela Bennett and Christine Taylor Price, sopranos
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis and Jacob Scharfman, baritones
Andrew Munn, bass
Jack Gulielmetti, guitar
Matthew Chen, cello
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
Spring Gala: Honoring Stephen Sondheim – 4/19/2017
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Meredith Lustig, soprano
Luretta Bybee and Pamela Myers, mezzo-soprano
Theo Hoffman and Ron Raines, baritones
Greer Grimsley, bass-baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Next: Lauren Worsham, Kyle Jarrow & Sky-Pony – 5/10/2017
National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
Sky-Pony: Lauren Worsham, Kyle Jarrow, David Blasher, Eric Day, Kristin Piacentile, Perry Silver, Jessi Suzuki, Kevin Wunderlich
NYFOS Emerging Artist:
NYFOS@North Fork:
Red, White, & Blues: An Afternoon of French and American Song – 8/27/2017
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Sam Grosby, tenor
Robert Mellon, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Arias & Barcarolles and other Bernstein Songs – 10/14/2017
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
Katherine Pracht, mezzo-soprano
Matt Worth, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Take Care of This House: A Bernstein Celebration – 11/5/2017
Vocal Arts DC, Washington, DC
Chelsea Shepherd, soprano
Lucia Bradford and Annie Rosen, mezzo-sopranos
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Justin Austin, baritone
Adrian Rosas, bass-baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Barry Centanni, percussion
NYFOS Mainstage:
Take Care of This House: A Bernstein Celebration – 11/7/2017
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center
Chelsea Shepherd, soprano
Lucia Bradford and Annie Rosen, mezzo-sopranos
Miles Mykkanen, tenor
Justin Austin, baritone
Adrian Rosas, bass-baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
Barry Centanni, percussion
NYFOS Next: Leonard Bernstein’s Legacy – 12/2/2017
Baisley Powell Elebash Recital Hall at The Graduate Center, CUNY
Amy Owens, soprano
Katherine Pracht, mezzo-soprano
Vale Rideout, tenor
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Michael Barrett and Leann Osterkamp, piano
NYFOS After Hours:
A Goyishe Christmas to You! – 12/11/2017
HENRY’s Restaurant, New York, NY
Mikaela Bennett, sopranos
Lucia Bradford, Donna Breitzer, and Annie Rosen, mezzo-sopranos
Joshua Breitzer and Alex Mansoori, tenor
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Alan R. Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@Juilliard:
William Bolcom and John Corigliano: An 80th Birthday Tribute – 1/11/2018
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Kathryn Henry, soprano
Myka Murphy and Nicole Thomas, mezzo-sopranos
Matthew Pearce, tenor
Dominik Belavy and Gregory Feldmann, baritones
Jack Gulielmetti, guitar
Mary Birnbaum, stage director
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Arias & Barcarolles and other Bernstein Songs – 1/31/2018
Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Tucson, AZ
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Arias & Barcarolles and other Bernstein Songs – 2/2/2018
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Vienna, VA
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Protest – 2/27/2018
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center
Shereen Pimentel and Christine Taylor Price, sopranos
Rihab Chaieb, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis and Jacob Scharfman, baritones
Andrew Munn, bass
Jack Gulielmetti, guitar
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Protest – 3/3/2018
Hudson Hall, 327 Warren St. Hudson, NY
Shereen Pimentel and Christine Taylor Price, sopranos
Nicole Thomas, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Dimitri Katotakis and Jacob Scharfman, baritones
Andrew Munn, bass
Jack Gulielmetti, guitar
Steven Blier and Chris Reynolds, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artist/Tour:
From Lute Song to the Beatles:
Songs of the British Isles – 3/11/2018
Music Room, Rosen House, Caramoor Festival of Arts, Katonah, NY
Madison Leonard, soprano
Kayleigh Decker, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Pearce, tenor
Greg Feldmann, baritone
Steven Blier and Adam Rothenberg, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
From Lute Song to the Beatles:
Songs of the British Isles – 3/13/2018
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center
Madison Leonard, soprano
Kayleigh Decker, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Pearce, tenor
Greg Feldmann, baritone
Steven Blier and Adam Rothenberg, piano
Spring Gala: 30! – 3/26/2018
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Mikaela Bennett, soprano
Tyne Daly and Mary Testa, mezzo-soprano
Gabriel Ebert, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritones
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
A 30th Anniversary Celebration – 4/24/2018
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center
Julia Bullock, Antonina Chehovska, and Lauren Worsham, sopranos
Mary Testa, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
John Brancy and Theo Hoffman, baritones
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Next: Clarice Assad & Friends – 5/4/2018
SubCulture, New York, NY
Clarice Assad, piano and voice
Jorge Continentino, winds
João Luiz, guitar
Keita Ogawa, percussion
Shin Sakaino, bass
Lyrics by Shakespeare – 8/8/2018
Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, New York, NY
Naomi Louisa O’Connell, mezzo-soprano
Matt Boehler, bass
Kathleen Chalfant, actor
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@North Fork: The Art of Pleasure – 8/26/2018
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY
Maria Lacey, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Philippe L’Esperance, tenor
Johnathan McCullough, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Arias & Barcarolles and other Bernstein Songs – 9/21/2018
Forrestal-Bowld Music Building; Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
Katherine Pracht, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Tour:
Arias & Barcarolles and other Bernstein Songs – 9/23/2018
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Jeremiah, baritone
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
W. C. Handy & the Birth of the Blues – 11/14/2018
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
Shereen Pimentel, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Justin Austin, baritone
Scott Robinson, winds and brass
Vince Giordano, string bass, tuba and guitar
Steven Blier and Joseph Li, piano
Elliott Hurwitt, program consultant
NYFOS After Hours:
A Goyishe Christmas to You!
Boulevard Seafood Company – 12/10/2018
Mise-En-Scene Studios – 12/11/2018
Donna Breitzer, Cantor Joshua Breitzer, Joshua Jeremiah, Rebecca Jo Loeb, Alex Mansoori, and Lauren Worsham, vocalists
Alan R. Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
NYFOS@Juilliard:
Kurt Weill’s Berlin – 1/17/2019
Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School
Anneliese Klenetsky and Jaylyn Simmons, sopranos
Shaked Bar, mezzo-soprano
Chance Jonas-O’Toole, tenor
Gregory Feldmann and Jack Kay, baritones
William Socolof, bass-baritone
Jack Gulielmetti, banjo
Mary Birnbaum, stage director
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Mainstage:
Hyphenated-Americans – 2/20/2019
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
Amy Owens, soprano
Alexandra Urquiola, mezzo-soprano
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, viola
Michael Barrett, Steven Blier, and Leann Osterkamp, piano
NYFOS Mainstage/Emerging Artists:
Love at the Crossroads
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts – 3/17/2019
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center – 3/19/2019
Devony Smith, soprano
Gina Perregrino, mezzo-soprano
Philippe L’Espérance, tenor
Erik Van Heyningen, baritone
Steven Blier and Danny Zelibor, piano
Two couples enact a series of linked romantic scenarios through songs and ensemble pieces by a wide range of composers, from Sondheim and Cy Coleman to Fauré and Brahms.
NYFOS Next:
Kate Soper & Friends – 3/28/2019
DiMenna Center for Classical Music
Kate Soper, composer/vocalist
Charmaine Lee, composer/vocalist
Charlotte Mundy, soprano
Sam Pluta, composer/electronics performer
Devony Smith, soprano
James Smith, electric guitar
Laura Barger, piano
Thomas Feng, keyboard
Michael Rau, director
NYFOS Mainstage:
García Lorca: Muse & Magician – 4/24/2019
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center – 3/19/2019
Corinne Winters, soprano
Efraín Solís, baritone
Oren Fader, guitar
Leonardo Granados, percussion
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano
A portrait of the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca through songs by an international roster of composers including Poulenc, Montsalvatge, Revueltas, Billy Strayhorn, Leonard Cohen, William Bolcom, Carlos Surinach, and Manuel de Falla and the writer himself (who studied music in his youth).
NYFOS Spring Gala
George & Ira: A Celebration of the Gershwin Brothers – 5/13/2019
Racquet & Tennis Club
Laura Osnes, Shereen Pimentel, Bryce Pinkham, Lauren Worsham, Tony Yazbeck, vocalists
Kate Davis, vocals and bass
Steven Blier, piano
NYFOS Next:
Laura Kaminsky & Friends – 6/11/2019
The LGBT Center
Devony Smith, soprano
Heather Johnson, mezzo-soprano
Jorell Williams, baritone
Michael Barrett, Mila Henry, and Serene, piano
A salon of contemporary songs by LGBT-identified composers and librettists.
NYFOS Tour:
Manning the Canon
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY – 6/22/2019
The LGBT Center – 6/25/2019
Daniel McGrew and Scott Murphree, tenors
Efraín Solís, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Steven Blier, piano
A tribute to gay composers and a celebration of gay lives.
NYFOS Emerging Artists:
Ports of Call
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY – 8/25/2019
Elaine Daiber, soprano
Olivia Cosio, mezzo-soprano
Jesse Darden, tenor
Thomas West, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A musical travelogue around the globe.
NYFOS Mainstage
Lyrics by Shakespeare
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York NY – 10/16/2019
Naomi Louisa O’Connell, mezzo-soprano
Matt Boehler, bass
Steven Blier, piano
An updated revival of NYFOS’s very first program exploring the Bard’s influence on composers from Brahms to John Dankworth.
Blitzstein’s No For An Answer
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Alex Mansoori, tenor
John Brancy, baritione
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, pianists
NYFOS Mainstage
Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do: Song of Gay Harlem
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, NYC — 12/12/2019
Bryonha Marie, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Justin Austin, baritone
Steven Blier and Joseph Li, pianists
Brian Nalepka, bass and tuba
Scott Robinson, brass and reeds
Music from Harlem’s gay underground, including works by Billy Strayhorn and Porter Grainger, as well as songs popularized by Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters, Gladys Bentley, and ‘Ma’ Rainey.
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Cubans in Paris
Peter Jay Sharp Theater, The Juilliard School, NYC — 1/15/2020
Ian Castro, Shawn Chang, Olivia Cosio, Joyce Kang, Aaron Keeney
Kyle Miller, César Andrés Parreño, Santiago Pizarro, Jaylyn Simmons
Steven Blier, music director and pianist
Mary Birnbaum, stage director
Adam Cates, choreographer
Music straddling the concert hall, night club, and theater by Cuban expatriates living in Paris, including Ernesto Lecuona, Moisés Simons, and many others.
NYFOS Next
Director’s Choice
DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC — 2/13/2020
Gina Perregrino, mezzo-soprano
Mario Diaz-Moresco, baritone
Michael Barrett, pianist
NYFOS’s own Michael Barrett curates this evening featuring some of his favorite songs from NYFOS’s long history of presenting new music, including pieces by Derek Bermel, Jonathan Dove, Adam Guettel, John Harbison, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lowell Liebermann, Peter Lieberson, James Primosch, Ned Rorem, and Errollyn Wallen.
NYFOS Emerging Artist
The Art of Pleasure
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Katonah, NY — 3/15/2020
Elaine Daiber, soprano
Sienna Licht Miller, mezzo-soprano
Terrance Chin-Loy, tenor
Thomas West, baritone
Michael Barrett, Steven Blier, and Shawn Chang, pianists
A program exploring intimate moments of pleasure—the beauties of the seashore, romance, and dreams—before veering into a tour of guilty pleasures and “things you might not want your parents to know about.”
NYFOS Gala
Now Playing on Riverside Drive
Premiered on 5/4/2020
and Steven Blier and Michael Barrett
NYFOS@Home
We’ll Be Together Again
Premiered 9/30/2020
Amelie Aldner and Erin Morley, sopranos
Amanda Lynn Bottoms and Sasha Cooke, mezzo-sopranos
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Samuel Kidd and Efraín Solís, baritones
Steven Blier, Daniel Gerzenberg, Myra Huang, Joseph Li, pianists
To alleviate the stress of our long self-quarantine, a digital concert of songs about sweet reunions with loved ones.
NYFOS@Home
“Black Market” and Other Songs for Survival
Premiered 10/21/2020
Janai Brugger, soprano
Lucia Bradford, Denyce Graves, and Kate Lindsey, mezzo-sopranos
Leroy Davis and Theo Hoffman, baritones
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone
Steven Blier, Adam Nielsen, Christopher Reynolds, and JoyAnne Amani Richardson, pianists
Co-curated by baritone Theo Hoffman and NYFOS’s Steven Blier, Black Market spotlights songs that gave Americans courage during times of crisis.
NYFOS@Home
Myths to Live By
Premiered 11/18/2020
Julia Bullock and Aundi Marie Moore, sopranos
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Aaron Crouch, tenor
Elliott Carlton Hines, baritone
Steven Blier, Christian Reif, and Susan Ricci Regel, pianists
Created by soprano Julia Bullock and NYFOS’s Steven Blier, Myths To Live By delves into the archetypes, fables, and legends that drive history.
NYFOS@Home
A Goyishe Christmas to You!
Premiered on 12/14/2020
Donna Breitzer, Cantor Joshua Breitzer, Joshua Jeremiah, Rebecca Jo Loeb, Alex Mansoori, and Lauren Worsham, vocalists
Alan R. Kay, clarinet
Steven Blier, piano
Ten years after its joyous conception, NYFOS’s annual holiday program comes to your home.
NYFOS@Home
America, Come Home
Premiered 1/26/2021
Angel Riley, soprano
Amanda Lynn Bottoms and Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue and Miles Mykkanen, tenors
Justin Austin and Thomas Hampson, baritones
Laura Metcalf, cello
Steven Blier and Lucy Yates, piano
Songs by Leonard Bernstein, Paul Simon, Richard Danielpour, Mohammed Fairouz, William Grant Still, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin give us hope for the future—and close the door on 2020 once and for all.
NYFOS@Home
It’s Summer in South America
Premiered 2/23/2021
María Valdés and Corinne Winters, sopranos
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
César Parreño, tenor
Johnathan McCullough and Efraín Solís, baritone
Steven Blier and Joseph Li, pianists
Silken Kelly, dancer
The incandescent charm of songs by Chabuca Granda, Carlos Guastavino, Carlos López Buchardo, and Heitor Villa-Lobos warm our late-winter chill.
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Tour de France
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Katonah, NY — 4/1/2020
Nicoletta Berry, soprano
Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Aaron Crouch, tenor
Samuel Kidd, baritone
Steven Blier, Grace Francis and Bénédicte Jourdois, pianists
A musical voyage to the four corners of France before a deluxe stay in Paris, the City of Light.
NYFOS Next/NYFOS@Home
Mark Campbell: New Work
Premiered 4/14/2021
Jessica Fishenfeld, soprano
Olivia Cosio, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Brian James Myer, baritone
Danny Zelibor, piano
For the first time in NYFOS Next‘s history, an entire program spotlights the work of a lyricist. Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winning librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell will preview his new work—most of which has not been premiered before—in this virtual concert.
NYFOS Next/NYFOS@Home
Define: Woman
Premiered 4/28/2021
Elaine Daiber and Aundi Marie Moore, soprano
Lucia Bradford and Devony Smith, mezzo-sopranos
Bradley Moore and Susan Ricci Rogel, pianists
A program of new music inspired by the centenary of women’s suffrage in the US, centered around the work of women composers.
NYFOS Gala
How About Those Mezzos!
Premiered — 5/11/2021
Raehann Bryce-Davis, Sasha Cooke, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Denyce Graves, Isabel Leonard, Kate Lindsey, Rebecca Jo Loeb, Frederica von Stade with pianists Steven Blier, JoyAnne Amani Richardson
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Tour de France
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY — 8/1/2021
Nicoletta Berry, soprano
Samuel Kidd, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A musical voyage to the four corners of France before a deluxe stay in Paris, the City of Light.
NYFOS on Tour
TAIN’T NOBODY’S BUSINESS IF I DO: Songs of Gay Harlem
The Amph at Little Island, New York City — 8/29/2021
Shereen Pimentel, soprano
Justin Austin, baritone
Chaz’men Williams-Ali, tenor
Steven Blier and Joseph Li, pianists
Vince Giordano, bass and tuba
NYFOS@Home
Heroes
Premiered 10/12/2021
Kara Dugan, mezzo-soprano
John Brancy, baritone
Charles Yang, violinist and vocalist
Peter Dugan, pianist
Steven Blier, pianist
A video concert that explores what it means to be a hero in the year 2021.
NYFOS Emerging Artists/NYFOS@Juilliard:
Ports of Call
Premiered 10/14/2021
Chea Young Kang and Deborah Love, Sopranos
Maggie Reneé and Jasmin White, Mezzo-Sopranos
Cesar Andres Parreño and Santiago Pizarro, Tenors
Kyle Miller and Jarrett Porter, Baritones
Joseph Parrish, Bass-Baritone
Steven Blier, Pianist, Arranger, and Artistic Director of NYFOS
Mary Birnbaum, Stage Director
Shawn Chang, Assistant Pianist
Jonathan Estabrooks, Video Producer
Our musical travelogue around the globe on video.
NYFOS Next
9 UNDER 34
Ann Goodman Recital Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 10/22/2021
Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Gregory Feldman, baritone
Rupert Boyd, guitar
Thapelo Masita, cello
Shawn Chang and Nathaniel LaNasa, pianists
A fascinating compendium of songs by brilliant composers born after NYFOS’s first program in 1988. Featured composers include Jake Landau, Sato Matsui, Shawn Chang, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, David Clay Mettens, Emily Cooley, Tariq al-Sabir, Curtis Stewart, and Molly Joyce.
NYFOS Next
A Tribute to James Primosch
Ann Goodman Recital Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 11/1/2021
Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano
Daniel McGrew, tenor
Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, pianist
Vocal music by the late American master, curated and performed by one of his premiere interpreters, soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon.
NYFOS Mainstage
And…We’re Back!
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 11/16/2021
Amanda Lynn Bottoms, mezzo-soprano
Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano
Maggie Reneé, mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby, tenor
Johnathan McCullough, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
A reunion with our New York audience, whom we last saw 20 months ago. The program includes songs that got us through the pandemic, along with songs that celebrate being together again, from Schubert to Jobim.
Special Event
A Goyishe Christmas to You!
Merkin Hall lobby at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 12/6/2021
NYFOS’s beloved holiday tradition: Yuletide songs by Jewish composers. Featuring Donna Breitzer, Cantor Joshua Breitzer, Joshua Jeremiah, Rebecca Jo Loeb, Alex Mansoori, Lauren Worsham, with Alan R. Kay on clarinet and Steven Blier at the keyboard.
NYFOS@Home
A Goyishe Christmas to You! — 12/15/2021
Enjoy a one-night-only digital performance of last year’s A Goyishe Christmas to You! video, with all your favorite holiday songs by Jewish composers from the comfort of your own home. Light a fire, make some eggnog, and be, as songwriting team Marc Miller and Howard Levitsky put it, “a Christmas Jew!” Same cast as 12/6/21.
NYFOS@Home
And…We’re Back!
Premiered on 2/1/2022
Selections from the reunion at Merkin Hall with our New York audience after 20 months apart. The program includes songs that got us through the pandemic as well as songs that celebrate being together again. The premiere was followed by a live Q&A with the artists. Same cast as 11/16/2021.
NYFOS Mainstage
Buenos Aires: Then and Now
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 2/15/2022
Nicoletta Berry, soprano
Raquel González, soprano
Federico De Michelis, bass-baritone
Jainardo Batista, percussion
Steven Blier, piano
Shawn Chang, piano
A tribute to the diverse musical culture of Buenos Aires, with music from its iconic masters (Guastavino, Ginastera, López Buchardo, Piazzolla, Ramírez) and two of its contemporary voices, Esteban Benzecry and Ezequiel Viñao. Created in collaboration with Opera Hispánica, with the assistance of Jorge Parodi.
NYFOS@Home
UNDER 34: Composers Younger Than NYFOS
Premiered 3/6/2022
A fascinating compendium of songs by brilliant composers born after NYFOS’s first program . Co-curated by baritone Gregory Feldmann, and performed by Feldmann and mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, with Nathaniel LaNasa and Shawn Chang at the piano, guitarist Rupert Boyd, and cellist Thapelo Masita. Featured composers include Jake Landau, Sato Matsui, Shawn Chang, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, David Clay Mettens, Emily Cooley, Curtis Stewart, and Molly Joyce. The premiere was followed by a conversation with some of the artists.
NYFOS Mainstage
Love Songs in 176 Keys: 4 voices, 4 hands, 4 countries
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 3/15/2022
Meredith Wohlgemuth, soprano
Natalie Lewis, mezzo-soprano
Cesar Andres Parreño, tenor
Seonho Yu, baritone
Francesco Barfoed, piano
Steven Blier, piano
Bénédicte Jourdois, piano
Caramoor’s 2022 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars perform love songs from Spain, Germany, France, and America; each chapter begins with a virtuoso duo-piano overture. Music by Granados, Brahms, Fauré, Milhaud, Gershwin, and many others.
NYFOS@Home
Buenos Aires: Then and Now
Premiered 4/6/2022
A tribute to the diverse musical culture of Buenos Aires, with music from its iconic masters (Guastavino, Ginastera, López Buchardo, Piazzolla, Ramírez) and two of its contemporary voices, Esteban Benzecry and Ezequiel Viñao. Created in collaboration with Opera Hispánica, with the assistance of Jorge Parodi. The premiere was followed by a live Q&A with the artists. Same cast as 2/15/2022.
NYFOS Mainstage
The Wider View: Songs by Black Composers
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 4/13/2022
Keratin Piper Brown, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Jorell Williams, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Nathaniel LaNasa, piano
Music by Hale Smith, Margaret Bonds, Adolphus C. Hailstork, H. Leslie Adams, Robert Owens, William Grant Still, and Harry Burleigh.
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Rodgers, Rodgers, & Guettel
The Ellen and James S Marcus Studio at The Juilliard School — 4/30/2022 & 5/1/2022
The young talents of Juilliard’s Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts celebrate three generations of Broadway legends from one family: Richard Rodgers, Mary Rodgers and Adam Guettel.
Spring Gala
Still in Love
A private club in New York, NY — 5/17/2022
Shereen Pimentel, soprano
Justin Austin, baritone
Sasha Cooke, host
Steven Blier, host and piano
Jason Yeager, piano
NYFOS celebrates the classic songs of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with a gala fundraiser, featuring cocktails, dinner, and performances at a landmark private club on Park Avenue.
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Gracias a la vida
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY — 8/28/2022
Shelén Hughs, soprano
César Andrés Parreño, tenor
Steven Blier, piano
Featuring songs by Guastavino, Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Nazareth, Jorge Anckermann, Chabuca Granda, Violeta Parra, and others.
NYFOS Mainstage
Heroes
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 9/28/2022
Kara Dugan, mezzo-soprano
John Brancy, baritone
Charles Yang, violinist & vocalist
Steven Blier, piano
A vibrant and eclectic tribute to the men and women who inspire us, with music by Schubert, Gluck, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and others.
NYFOS Next
Songs of Errollyn Wallen
Rubin Museum of Art – 10/16/2022
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Leah Wool, mezzo-soprano
Nathaniel LaNasa, piano
Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen is most well-known for her large ensemble pieces. Wallen’s songs – many of which she performs herself – demonstrate an intimate side of her compositions. The lyrics, also by Wallen, examine our quickly changing world, using mythology, mystery, and even a modern household appliance to communicate both soulful and humorous bafflement about how we manage, and also fail to connect.
NYFOS Next
The Threefold Terror of Love
Rubin Museum of Art – 11/13/2022
Robin Steitz, soprano
Dominik Belavy, baritone
Nathaniel LaNasa, piano
This concert features music by Matthew Ricketts, Thomas Adès, Katie Balch, Jake Landau, Shawn Jaeger, Tonia Ko, and others. The title of the program, taken from one of Matthew Ricketts’ pieces, inspired Mr. LaNasa to explore intimacy’s push and pull with this concert’s programming. Asserting vulnerability as a superpower, Mr. LaNasa notes that this is a time when many have had to learn how to be closer to one another again, saying, “it’s amazing how sweetly tender life feels when we are open to the possibility of pain.”
NYFOS Mainstage
Kabarett
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 11/16/2022
Sari Gruber, soprano
Naomi Louisa O’Connell, mezzo-soprano
Justin Austin, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Songs from Berlin’s fabled Weimar era nightspots, including music by Friedrich Hollaender, Mischa Spoliansky, Olaf Bienert, and Kurt Tucholsky.
NYFOS Mainstage
Amor
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 2/15/2023
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano
Federico De Michelis, bass-baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Celebrating his fiftieth anniversary onstage, Steven Blier offers songs by Astor Piazzolla, Kurt Weill, Gabriel Fauré, Fats Waller, and many others.
NYFOS Mainstage/Emerging Artists
Mediterranean
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts – 3/12/2023
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 3/14/2023
Caramoor’s 2023 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars:
Shelén Hughs, soprano
Maggie Reneé, mezzo-soprano
Colin Aikins, tenor
Joseph Parris, bass-baritone
Yihao Zhou, piano
Steven Blier, piano, co-director
Bénédicte Jourdois, piano, co-director
A musical voyage around the Mediterranean Sea, with stops in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, and Tunisia.
NYFOS@Juilliard
5/3 & 5/4/2022
Night & Day/USA
Night & Day/USA will take audiences through a whirlwind of a day — 24 hours — somewhere, or maybe anywhere, in the United States. The program explores how people’s work lives measure up — or don’t — with their dreams. It is the chronicle of a workday in America told in song: five characters who get up in the morning, go to a variety of jobs, daydream about love, worry about money, and eventually find their way through the night — alone or in company. Featuring students in the Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts at The Juilliard School with Steven Blier as pianist and host.
Spring Gala
Feelin’ Groovy
Racquet & Tennis Club, New York, NY — 5/15/2023
Julie Benko, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Daniel McGrew, tenor
Steven Blier, host and piano
Jason Yeager, piano
NYFOS puts on a groovy performance featuring songs by Laura Nyro, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell and the Beatles, along with some Motown hits and—who knows?—maybe even a tune from Hair.
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Broadway Love
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY — 8/27/2023
Kerrigan Bigelow, soprano
Sophia Baete, mezzo-soprano
Shavon Lloyd, baritone
Steven Blier, piano
Featuring a century of love songs—including some out-of-love songs—from the great American composers.
NYFOS Mainstage
Perennials: Songs for Every Season
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 9/28/2023
Raquel González, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Samuel Kidd, baritone
Wm. Clay Thompson, bass
Steven Blier, piano & co-host
Peter Dugan, piano & co-host
Perennials celebrates the steadying power of music to guide us through the year with works by Schubert, Strauss, Toldrà, Sondheim, Carole King, and others.
NYFOS Next
Lost in Translation
Rubin Museum of Art – 10/15/2023
Robin Steitz, soprano
Paulina Swierczek, soprano
Gregory Feldmann, baritone
Nathaniel LaNasa, pianist & curator
NYFOS features the world premiere performance of We Two, a song cycle by British composer Iain Bell with text by Walt Whitman, Reena Esmail’s Rosa de Sal with text by Pablo Neruda, Andrew Cheung’s 2017 All thorn, but cousin to your rose with texts by Vladimir Nabokov, and additional songs by Gity Razaz, Hilary Purrington, Arlene Elizabeth Sierra, and Nkeiru Okoye.
NYFOS Next
In Her Own Words
Rubin Museum of Art – 11/19/2023
Lucy Dhegrae
Dicky Dutton
Molly Joyce
Nathaniel LaNasa, pianist & curator
A spotlight on singer-songwriters who emerged from the classical tradition. Featuring performer-composers Molly Joyce, Dicky Dutton, and Lucy Dhegrae.
NYFOS Mainstage
Gracias a la vida
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 12/5/2023
Shelén Hughes, soprano
César Andrés Parreño, tenor
Steven Blier, piano & host
A musical tour of South America, with songs from Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.
NYFOS Mainstage
All Together Now
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 2/21/2024
Chelsea Guo, soprano & pianist
Megan Moore, mezzo-soprano
Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Daniel McGrew, tenor
Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone
Francesco Barfoed, pianist
Steven Blier, pianist & host
The program travels through six centuries of vocal ensembles, from the Renaissance to present day with music by Mozart, Chabrier, Libby Larsen, the Bobs, and many others.
NYFOS Mainstage/Emerging Artists
Eros & Co.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts – 3/17/2024
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 3/19/2024
Caramoor’s 2024 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars:
Shan Hai, soprano
Sophia Baete, mezzo-soprano
Scott Rubén La Marca, tenor
Michael Hawk, baritone
Amber Scherer, piano
Steven Blier, piano, co-director
Bénédicte Jourdois, piano, co-director
Songs by Saint-Saëns, Granados, Serge Gainsbourg, Sondheim, and many others refract the chaos and the delight of Cupid’s arrow.
Spring Gala
100 Years of Broadway Love
Racquet & Tennis Club, New York, NY — 5/13/2024
Shereen Pimentel
Mary Testa
Tony Yazbeck
Shavon Lloyd
Steven Blier, host and piano
Jason Yeager, piano
NYFOS presents an evening of cocktails, dinner, and performances covering a century of love songs–including some out-of-love songs–from Kern to Sondheim.
NYFOS Emerging Artists
Happily Ever After: A Modern Person’s Guide to Operetta
Poquatuck Hall, Orient, NY — 8/25/2024
Adriana Stepien, soprano
Scott Rubén La Marca, tenor
Philip Stoddard, baritone
Katherin M. Carter, stage director
Steven Blier, piano
For decades, operetta charmed audiences across the globe with the promise of happy endings and the allure of sweet melodies. Its perfume is still potent – and surprisingly varied, from the wit of Gilbert & Sullivan, to the opulence of Lehár, to the grit of masters like Sondheim, Kurt Weill, and Astor Piazzolla. Happily Ever After is not just a feast for the ears but also a bracing exploration of popular culture from eight countries.
NYFOS Next
Learning, Fast and Slow
Rubin Museum of Art – 9/29/2024
Blythe Gaissert
Britt Hewitt
Steven Palacio
Nathaniel LaNasa, pianist & curator
Learning, Fast and Slow, features soprano Britt Hewitt and mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert, with Steven Palacio on bassoon and Nathaniel LaNasa on piano performing works by Kamala Sankaram, Theo Chandler, Karim Al-Zand, and LJ White, including White’s recent Music Library Love Song for soprano and piano, and the premiere of Timo Andres’s On My Fortieth Birthday.
Curator Nathaniel LaNasa on the concert — “In programming this recital, I wanted to explore time’s passing and life lessons that come only in their own time. Kamala Sankaram’s meditations on aging, Theo Chandler’s explorations of repetition, and a birthday song premiere by Timo Andres join two occasions of queer discovery by LJ White. These songs celebrate flux, flashes of inspiration, moments of instruction: twinkles in which I am no longer who I was, but am not yet who I will be.”
NYFOS Next
A Space to Make
Rubin Museum of Art – 11/3/2024
Gregory Feldmann, baritone
Theo Hayes, mezzo-soprano
Robin Steitz, soprano
Eric Sedgwick, pianist
Nathaniel LaNasa, pianist & curator
A program tracing ways we create our spaces and ways they create us. Soprano Robin Steitz, mezzo-soprano Theo Hayes, and baritone Greg Feldmann come together with pianist Nathaniel LaNasa to present songs by Hannah Kendall, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Isabella Gellis, and Joe Rubinstein, as well as the premiere of Iván Rodriguez’s Mother of Exiles, a towering rhapsody on Emma Lazaruz’s “The New Colossus.”
NYFOS Mainstage
My Brother’s Keeper
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 11/19/2024
Joshua Blue, tenor
Will Liverman, baritone
Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone
Alan Williams, bass-baritone
Jorell Williams, baritone
Chaz’men Williams-Ali, tenor
A story of brotherly love, caretaking, and community among Black men in America told through art song, soul, gospel, and opera, My Brother’s Keeper features a stellar team of Black American male singers, including tenor Joshua Blue, baritone Will Liverman, bass-baritone Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone Alan Williams, baritone Jorell Williams, and tenor Chaz’men Williams-Ali, alongside NYFOS’s own Steven Blier. Conceived and co-artistic directed by long-time NYFOS artist Justin Austin.
NYFOS@Juilliard
Take Care of This House: Songs for America
Peter J Sharp Theater at the Juilliard School – 1/15/2025
Take Care of This House: Songs for America is a musical exploration of our country: its glories, its perils, and most importantly its many cultures. The program ranges through theater music by Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, popular songs by Paul Simon and Cab Calloway, a Cherokee hymn, a hit song from a Yiddish movie, and an evocative Chinese folk song. Celebrating America’s enormous diversity with a superb cast of singers from Juilliard’s Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, Take Care of This House examines where we are and searches for ways forward to a brighter future.
NYFOS Mainstage
Le Tour de France
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 2/26/2025
Nicoletta Berry, soprano
Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano
Daniel McGrew, tenor
Theo Hoffman, baritone
Bénédicte Jourdois, pianist
Steven Blier, pianist
A musical voyage to the four corners of France from Brittany to the Riviera, ending with a deluxe stay in Paris. The program includes songs by Francis Poulenc, Joseph Canteloube, André Caplet, Gustav Mahler, Michel Legrand, Charles Trénet, and others.
NYFOS Mainstage/Emerging Artists
Beginner’s Luck
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts – 3/17/2024
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY — 3/19/2024
Caramoor’s 2024 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars:
Chea Kang, soprano
Kate Morton, mezzo-soprano
Reed Gnepper, tenor
Jamal Al Titi, baritone
Zoey Zhou, piano
Steven Blier, piano, co-director
Bénédicte Jourdois, piano, co-director
Beginner’s Luck takes a wide-angle view of early adulthood—an apt subject for a super-talented quintet of artists in their twenties.The music ranges through art song (Grieg and Fauré) to theater song (Gershwin and Jason Robert Brown) as it explores first loves, the thrill of leaving home, the early steps of a career in the arts, and the dizzying promise (and peril) of everything that life can bring.