http://kaufman-center.org/news/ Kaufman Center News and Articles from the In Harmony Newsletter en info@kaufman-center.org Copyright 2010 2010-08-20T18:15:52+00:00 http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/announcing-merkin-concert-halls-2010-11-season/ http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/announcing-merkin-concert-halls-2010-11-season/#When:18:15:52Z Welcome to Merkin Concert Hall's 2010-11 season! Check out the new Ecstatic Music Festival and your returning favorites: New Sounds Live, Broadway Close Up, Tuesday Matinees, New York Festival of Song and the family-friendly Broadway Playhouse and Poppy Seed Players! What's New at Kaufman Center, Home Page Headlines, News Blog, Merkin Concert Hall News 2010-08-20T18:15:52+00:00 http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/photos-from-lucy-moses-schools-summer-string-fest-2010/ http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/photos-from-lucy-moses-schools-summer-string-fest-2010/#When:19:33:53Z Lucy Moses School's second annual Summer String Fest wrapped up on August 13, 2010, with a performance in Merkin Concert Hall of works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Kodaly, Jenkins and LeClair. Coordinated by Lynelle Smith, the week-long Summer String Fest gave young participants the opportunity to take part in individual lessons, art activities, student and faculty rehearsals and chamber ensemble rehearsals with conductor Richard Stout. See a photo slide show: Final perfomance in Merkin Concert Hall on 8/13/10: J.S. Bach's Brandenberg Concerto No. 3 Final perfomance in Merkin Concert Hall on 8/13/10: Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile for String Orchestra Final perfomance in Merkin Concert Hall on 8/13/10: Karl Jenkins's Palladio (Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra) What's New at Kaufman Center, Home Page Headlines, News Blog, Lucy Moses School News, LMS Student News 2010-08-16T19:33:53+00:00 #When:20:23:21Z test Ecstatic Music Festival Video 2010-08-03T20:23:21+00:00 #When:19:50:28Z Ecstatic Music Festival Video 2010-08-03T19:50:28+00:00 http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/special-music-school-is-a-top-scoring-school/ http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/special-music-school-is-a-top-scoring-school/#When:13:47:43Z Kaufman Center's Special Music School ranked number seven on the top ten list of highest-scoring New York City schools, with 96.6% of students achieving proficient scores on state tests in math and English. What's New at Kaufman Center, Home Page Headlines, News Blog, Special Music School News 2010-08-02T13:47:43+00:00 http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/july-31-is-national-dance-day/ http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/july-31-is-national-dance-day/#When:16:59:21Z It’s official – Congress has passed a resolution making July 31 National Dance Day. Events are planned across the country, including National Dance Day flash mob at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. hosted by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Nigel Lythgoe, celebrity judge of So You Think You Can Dance. Whether you’re six or 60, get in on the action! Sign up for a dance class at Lucy Moses School today! What's New at Kaufman Center, Home Page Headlines, News Blog, Lucy Moses School News 2010-07-30T16:59:21+00:00 #When:16:38:44Z Broadway Playhouse & Musical Adventures with the Poppy Seed Players Six Musical Plays for Children and Families Celebrate Classic Broadway Shows and the Jewish Heritage New York, July 6, 2010—Merkin’s Family Matinees for children ages four to 11 continue in 2010-11 with six family-friendly productions of Broadway Playhouse, concerts celebrating Broadway’s greatest musicals, and Musical Adventures with the Poppy Seed Players, musical plays for children about the Jewish heritage. Broadway Playhouse The 2011 series celebrates some of Broadway's greatest composers and lyricists: Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein (Oklahoma!, South Pacific), Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard) and Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, 110 in the Shade). Directed by Sean Hartley, the concerts introduce children ages 4-11 to classic musicals through captivating medleys, rousing sing-alongs, lively games in which audience members participate, and mini-musicals. Children and their families can also learn the stories behind the making of some of the greatest musicals of all time. The cast includes Jason Robinson, Kathryn Markey, Steve Pacek and Christina Bianco along with Mr. Hartley, who will host. Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 11 am Rodgers & Hammerstein Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium. Five of their shows—Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music—were outstanding successes. Their shows (and their film versions) garnered 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize. Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 11 am Andrew Lloyd Webber The composer of enduringly popular musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Lloyd Webber has won seven Tonys, three Grammys, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, two International Emmys and the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre. Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 11 am Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt Lyricist Jones and composer Schmidt wrote the longest-running musical in history, The Fantasticks, as well as 110 in the Shade and I Do! I Do! They received an OBIE Award and the 1992 Special Tony Award for The Fantasticks. Musical Adventures with the Poppy Seed Players Now celebrating their 21st season, the Poppy Seed Players perform musical plays for children about the Jewish heritage and life in New York City. They’re joined by the Kaufman Kids, a troupe of young performers from Kaufman Center’s Lucy Moses School and Special Music School. The Poppy Seed Players include Jason Robinson, Kathryn Markey, Stephen Brennan, Christina Bianco, Jonathan Todd Ross and Leslie Blumenthal. Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 11 am Latkes & Applesauce Merkin Concert Hall’s annual family Hanukkah revue celebrates Hanukkah in the city. This joyous, family-friendly musical play includes songs and scenes by some of New York's funniest writers, including a Hanukkah version of A Christmas Carol, a mother and daughter making latkes together, a parody of “American Idol,” the story of "Thomas, the Shammus" and the rousing klezmer-inspired title tune. Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 11 am A Poppy Seed Purim Help! The Jews of Shushan are in danger. Good thing Queen Esther is around to save the day! Directed by Sean Hartley, this family musical takes a lighthearted look at the ancient Biblical story of Esther, bringing together delightfully vibrant characters, hilarious comedy and a catchy melodic score. Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 11 am Shlemiel Crooks World Premiere! In this modern-day Passover musical based on two books by Anna Olswanger, the ghost of Pharaoh tries to sabotage Passover by stealing the wine from Reb Elias’s kosher wine store. Narrated by Jerry, the family dog, and featuring a couple of dimwitted crooks named Burt and Ernie, this hilarious but warm-hearted new musical about the importance of family loyalty and the need to follow your dream features songs by Scott Ethier and Clay Zambo and a script by Sean Hartley and Bob Kolsby. Ticket Information: 3-concert Broadway Playhouse OR Poppy Seed Players series subscription: $48 Single tickets (available July 1): $20 Merkin Concert Hall 129 West 67th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam) Tickets at 212 501 3330 or www.kaufman-center.org Press Only: Hi-res photos for download at http://kaufman-center.org/press/image-library Kaufman Center: New York’s creative home for listeners, learners and performers Kaufman Center is one of New York City's most vibrant cultural organizations, combining the finest in music education for all ages with world class performance in the acoustically superior Merkin Concert Hall. Founded in 1952 as a community school for pre-conservatory music training, today's Kaufman Center provides entertainment, education and inspiration for more than 75,000 New Yorkers each year. In addition to Merkin Concert Hall, it is home to Lucy Moses School, New York’s largest community arts school, and the Special Music School, New York’s only public school for musically gifted children. Poppy Seed Players performances are made possible, in part, with support from The Fink Foundation and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and additional support from Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Special thanks to the friends and supporters of the Kaufman Center’s Theater Wing. Merkin Concert Hall is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Broadway Playhouse presentations are made possible, in part, by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Edith Meiser Foundation, The Janis and Alan Menken Foundation and The Rodgers and Hammerstein Foundation. Additional support for Merkin Hall presentations is provided by The Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. These programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation through the good offices of Senator Tom Duane. Special thanks to Helene Blue, Andrea Brown, Roy Neiderhoffer, Kara Unterberg, and David Shaw and Beth Kobliner Shaw. 2010-07-06T16:38:44+00:00 #When:16:15:35Z 2010 Concerts Celebrate Off-Broadway Musicals, Show Boat Composer Jerome Kern & the 10th Anniversary of Bound for Broadway with Liz Callaway Performers include Liz Callaway, Heidi Blickenstaff, Rebecca Luker, Kate Baldwin & Bill Finn New York, July 6, 2010—For 10 years, Merkin Concert Hall's Broadway Close Up series has been taking audiences behind the scenes of classic musicals old and new and giving them sneak peeks at some of the best new shows in production. The 10th anniversary season kicks off with two special events on September 20 and October 4 and runs through December 8. 2010 Broadway Close Up Schedule: Monday, October 25, 2010 at 8 pm Off-Broadway Close Up 2010 Pulitzer winner Next to Normal, Avenue Q, Rent and Hair are just four examples of Broadway hits that had to be nurtured and developed off-Broadway before anyone was willing to take the risk of sending them to a bigger theater. But Off-Broadway is more than just a place to develop shows for bigger houses, it’s also a destination—an adventurous, up-close and intimate theater experience and a place to see new artists break new ground and find their voices. Join Tom Jones, Josh Grisetti, Bobby Steggert, Jeffry Denman, Donna English, Susan Blackwell, Christine Pedi, Jason Robinson, Christopher Sieber and others for a lively overview of the great legacy of Off-Broadway musicals, including The Fantasticks, Jacques Brel …, Dames At Sea, Godspell and Little Shop of Horrors as well as more recent shows like The Last Five Years, The Kid and Yank! Monday, November 15, 2010 at 8 pm All the Things You Are: Jerome Kern Celebrate the work of one of the greatest of all theater and film composers, Jerome Kern (1885-1945), composer of Show Boat and Roberta. His classic songs include "A Fine Romance," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "All the Things You Are" and the Academy Award winning "The Way You Look Tonight." Hear some of Kern's earlier songs in sparkling and inventive new arrangements by the great Broadway arranger David Loud. The cast includes Tony nominees Rebecca Luker and Kate Baldwin along with Matthew Scott and Graham Rowat. Monday, December 6, 2010 at 8 pm Bound for Broadway X: 10th Anniversary Celebration Hosted by Liz Callaway For a decade, Bound for Broadway has been letting audiences know about some of the best new shows coming down the great white way in various stages of production. This 10th Anniversary Celebration will feature two new musicals and then revisit some of the great shows featured over the past 10 years, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Next to Normal, Avenue Q, Musical of Musicals, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Hosted by the incomparable Liz Callaway, the show features Bobby Lopez, Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison, Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey, Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell. The concert will be followed by a champagne and cake reception. Broadway Close Up Special Events: Monday, September 20, 2010 at 8 pm RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED: Songs by Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don’t Know but Should Hosted by Tony Award Winner Bill Finn Hear a lively sampling of the most original work by some of the hottest new composers and lyricists working in the theater today. Hosted by Tony Award winning composer Bill Finn, a faculty member at New York University’s prestigious musical theater program at the Tisch School of the Arts and beloved mentor to many of the best new theater writers today, this show features a stellar cast that includes Sally Wilfert, Celisse Henderson, Wilson Bridges and Katya Sanislavskaya. Monday, October 4, 2010 at 8 pm Fire and Rain: The Songs of James Taylor Heidi Blickenstaff, Michael Winther, Will Chase and Aaron Lazar sing through the James Taylor songbook, reinventing such classics as “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire And Rain,” “Shower The People” and “How Sweet It Is.” Ticket Information: 3-concert Broadway Close Up subscription (10/25, 11/15, 12/6): $100 (Subscribers may purchase discounted $25 tickets to special events on 9/20 & 10/4) Single tickets: $40 Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center 129 West 67th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam) Tickets at 212 501 3330 or http://www.kaufman-center.org Hi-res photos for download at http://kaufman-center.org/press/image-library Kaufman Center: New York’s creative home for listeners, learners and performers Kaufman Center is one of New York City's most vibrant cultural organizations, combining the finest in music education for all ages with world class performance in the acoustically superior Merkin Concert Hall. Founded in 1952 as a community school for pre-conservatory music training, today's Kaufman Center provides entertainment, education and inspiration for more than 75,000 New Yorkers each year. In addition to Merkin Concert Hall, it is home to Lucy Moses School, New York’s largest community arts school, and the Special Music School, New York’s only public school for musically gifted children. Broadway Close Up presentations are made possible, in part, with support from Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, BMI Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. 2010-07-06T16:15:35+00:00 #When:15:56:04Z Featuring Some of the Best Young Classical Stars from Around the World: Benjamin Moser, piano; Afiara String Quartet; Sebastian Bäverstam, cello; A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra; Bella Hristova, violin; Elena Urioste, violin; and Nansong Huang, piano New York, July 6, 2010—Kaufman Center’s 2010-11 Tuesday Matinees series at Merkin Concert Hall – the longest running series at the hall – presents some of the brightest young classical stars from around the world in the early stages of what are sure to be long and successful careers. These afternoon concerts, which feature pianists, violinists, string quartets, cellists and other classical musicians, kick off on Tuesday, Oct. 12 and run through May 2011. 2010-11 Tuesday Matinees concerts: Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 2 pm Benjamin Moser, Piano Works by Chopin, Debussy and Ravel A “master of color, atmosphere and delicate nuance” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), German pianist Benjamin won the Sander Buchman Memorial First Prize of the 2007 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and multiple awards at the 13th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow among many other international prizes. He’s performed in the U.S. at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and the Kennedy Center and has appeared as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Symphony Orchestra and the Northwest German Philharmonic. Oehms Classics recently released Mr. Moser’s first, extraordinary CD of Russian Piano Music by Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Medtner, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev. Young Concert Artists Celebrates its 50th Anniversary this season. Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 2 pm Afiara String Quartet Works by Haydn, John Halle, Dan Becker and Mendelssohn Winner of the 2008 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and the prestigious Munich ARD International Music Competition, the Afiara String Quartet has been praised as “a terrifically unified, versatile, and moving ensemble” with “startling intensity” and a “powerful, keen-edged collective sound” (San Francisco Classical Voice). David Harrington of the Kronos Quartet has complimented this all-Canadian group for its “energy, style and pizzazz.” The Afiara Quartet has recently appeared at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and enjoys return engagements with the Montreal and Ottawa International Chamber Music Festivals. Formed in 2006, the ensemble takes its name from the Spanish fiar, meaning “to trust,” a basic element vital to the depth and joy of its music-making, which bridges the gap between Haydn and hip-hop. Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 2 pm Sebastian Bäverstam, Cello Pianist Constantine Finehouse Works by Brahms, Debussy and Kodaly A 20-year old Swedish cellist with a “powerfully expressive style” (The Strad), Bäverstam won the 2009 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition. Praised for his “insightful musicianship and poetic feeling” (Cape Cod Times), he has toured as a soloist with orchestra in China, Venezuela and Brazil, offered a concert of the complete Bach Cello Suites at Willliams College, and appeared multiple times on the nationally syndicated radio show From the Top. Tuesday, January 11, 2011, 2 pm A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra Works by Mozart, Elgar and Bartók Founded just three years ago by 17 young musicians bent on making music according to their own rules the self-conducted string orchestra, A Far Cry has enjoyed a heady ascent toward the highest ranks of the new generation of classical ensembles. The “Criers” consistently receive rave reviews from critics and audiences across the country. In their hometown, the Boston Globe writes, “The musicians appeared to be having a ball on stage, smiles darting between sections like 16th notes.” The New England Classical Voice calls them, “phenomenally talented . . . To say A Far Cry is a group to watch is an understatement. They are a group one must see.” Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 2 pm Bella Hristova, Violin Works by Beethoven, Bach, Ysaÿe, Schoenberg and Schubert Hristova “has an innate musicality that makes musical sense of each phrase she plays,” says The Strad. “Every sound she draws from her 1655 Amati is superb.” First Prize winner in the 2008-09 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and recipient of many other prizes, the Bulgarian-born violinist has recently performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia and has appeared as soloist with the Owensboro (KY), Johnstown (PA), DuPage (IL) and Indianapolis Symphonies. She performs as a new member of Chamber Music Society Two at Lincoln Center this season and has recorded a CD of solo violin works by the Belgian virtuoso Charles de Bériot for the Naxos label. Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 2 pm Elena Urioste, Violin Works by Brahms, Janácek, and Amy Beach Selected by Symphony Magazine as an emerging artist to watch, Urioste has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for her rich tone, the nuanced lyricism of her playing, and her commanding stage presence. Since making her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 13 as winner of the Greenfield Competition, she has appeared as soloist with major orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra; Boston Pops; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Buffalo Philharmonic; National Symphony Orchestra; Hungary's Orchestra Dohnanyi Budafok; and the Atlanta, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New Mexico, and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in 2009. She has been featured in the Emmy award winning documentary Breaking the Sound Barrier. Her first CD was recently released on the White Pine label. Tuesday, May 3, 2011, 2 pm Nansong Huang, Piano Works by Schubert, Liszt and others One of the best of the new generation of young Chinese performers, Huang won First Prize in the 5th Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Moscow and First Prize in the 6th International Tchaikovsky Competition in South Korea. He has performed with 19 orchestras all over the world, including the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. A Juilliard student, he has given solo recitals in Japan, China, Germany Canada, Russia, France and throughout the U.S. His recording of the complete Transcendental Etudes by Liszt has won high praise. Free Bonus Concert Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 2:15 pm Henry Schneider Scholarship Concert Featuring some of the best young artists from Kaufman Center’s Lucy Moses School Ticket Information: 7-concert subscription: $87 4-concert mini-subscription: $54 Single tickets: $16 Group discounts and half-price student tickets are available; call the box office at 212 501 3330 for details. Merkin Concert Hall 129 West 67th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam) Tickets at 212 501 3330 or http://www.kaufman-center.org Press Only: Hi-res photos for download at http://kaufman-center.org/press/image-library Kaufman Center: New York’s creative home for listeners, learners and performers Kaufman Center is one of New York City's most vibrant cultural organizations, combining the finest in music education for all ages with world class performance in the acoustically superior Merkin Concert Hall. Founded in 1952 as a community school for pre-conservatory music training, today's Kaufman Center provides entertainment, education and inspiration for more than 75,000 New Yorkers each year. In addition to Merkin Concert Hall, it is home to Lucy Moses School, New York’s largest community arts school, and the Special Music School, New York’s only public school for musically gifted children. This presentation of Tuesday Matinees is made possible, in part, with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation, Herman Goldman Foundation and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. 2010-07-06T15:56:04+00:00 http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/very-young-musicians-try-instruments-at-discovery-day/ http://kaufman-center.org/news/blog/very-young-musicians-try-instruments-at-discovery-day/#When:21:15:57Z Merkin Concert Hall was THE place for kids and families to be on June 16, when more than 300 visitors showed up for Lucy Moses School’s annual Discovery Day. With the help of LMS faculty members, kids were able to try out the violin, cello, flute, guitar, clarinet, recorder, saxophone, oboe, bassoon and trumpet as well as a sample Dalcroze class. Some of LMS’s talented young students gave impressive performances. See photos here! What's New at Kaufman Center, Home Page Headlines, News Blog, Lucy Moses School News 2010-06-17T21:15:57+00:00