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In this 3-part series, we take you inside the creation of Empire Central. From the unique songwriting process to the rehearsals, where the band performs songs for the first time without music sheets, to the recording process and final song selection, you’ll get an unforgettable look inside the creative process of one of the world’s most renowned jazz super groups.

New York’s Longest Running Jazz Concert Series



Highlights in Jazz Celebrates 50 Years with Gala Concert!

Longest-running Jazz Concert Series Marks Golden Anniversary Feb. 23, 2023 8 PM

Producer Jack Kleinsinger Presents All-Star Lineup at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center

NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan, guitarists Gene Bertoncini and Russell Malone, bassist Jay Leonhart and many more jazz greats to be on hand for historic concert

Plus, a Surprise Special Guest

Legendary impresario Kleinsinger wraps up a half century of Highlights in Jazz



Highlights in Jazz returns to BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center for a festive 50th anniversary concert on Feb. 23, 2023 8 PM. Jack Kleinsinger, the founder and producer of the highly regarded landmark jazz series, has put together an exciting, generation-crossing all-star concert lineup to mark the occasion.

Taking to the BMCC stage on Feb. 23 will be the NEA Jazz Master vocalist Sheila Jordan; guitarists Gene Bertoncini, Russell Malone and Roni Ben-Hur; bassists Jay Leonhart and Harvie S; drummer Danny Gottlieb; pianist Dylan Meek; and tenor saxophonist Steve Frieder. In keeping with the long-running HIJ tradition, keep an ear out for surprise special guests!

This milestone event has been a long-time coming, due to delays linked to the covid-19 pandemic. “I was sure I’d celebrate this anniversary, though I wasn’t sure it would happen in 2023,” says producer Kleinsinger. “I was determined to do a 50th concert somehow. And here I am, at it again,” he notes with a laugh.

The Highlights in Jazz series has been popular with audiences and musicians since its inception in the early 1970s, with many returning over the years for repeat performances. The 2023 event is no exception. “I must be there,” declared Sheila Jordan, as soon as she heard the golden anniversary concert was in the works. It will be a return HIJ appearance for the renowned NEA Jazz Master, who sang at the last HIJ concert, March 22, 2022. “Sheila lives by Sheila’s laws, she blows my mind,” declares fellow musician Art Baron. He should know: Not only did the two appear together at the 2022 HIJ concert, they have known each other since the 1980s, playing together with Roswell Rudd, George Gruntz, and others. The nonagenarian singer (Sheila was born Nov. 18, 1928) is bebop to the bone, citing Charlie Parker as her first great influence, but she is comfortable expressing herself in any musical setting. “You gotta stay that way, baby—it’s jazz, whatever the style, you take it in stride,” she points out.

Sheila studied with Lennie Tristano in the early 1950s, and counts among her early recordings “The Outer View,” with the renowned jazz polymath George Russell. Check out her contributions to albums from Carla Bley, Steve Kuhn, Bob Moses, Lee Konitz, Jane Bunnett, the Royal Bopsters and more. A pioneer of vocal-bass duos, Sheila has often collaborated with Harvie S, who also appears on the 2023 Highlights in Jazz lineup.

Jack Kleinsinger recalls that bassist Harvie S played at Highlights in Jazz events at the start of his long and distinguished career. Since those early days, the ever-in-demand Mr. S has toured as a U.S. Jazz Ambassador and appeared on countless recordings across a gamut of styles. Just a few examples of his bass clef expertise include releases with Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, the Manhattan Transfer, Chico O’Farrill, Maria Schneider, James Moody, Chet Baker, Anat Cohen, Chick Corea, Tony Bennett, Kenny Barron and Yusef Lateef. And don’t overlook the fine work Mr. S has done as leader or co-leader: In 2022 alone, Harvie released Live at Mezzrow, a duo with Sheila Jordan (their 10th album); Wondering, with Roni Ben-Hur and Sylvia Cuenca; and You’ve Been Warned, with Roberta Piket and Billy Mintz.

Drummer Danny Gottlieb is another player who cut his teeth performing at Kleinsinger-produced events in the 1970s. He was also instrumental in bringing the Highlights in Jazz archives to the University of North Florida (https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/kleinsinger/), comprising thousands of pieces of memorabilia and hundreds of hours of concert and interview recordings. Perhaps best known as the drummer with the original Pat Metheny Group, Danny has played on more than 300 albums, which landed numerous Grammys. Gil Evans, Bobby McFerrin, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, David Byrne, Sting, Clark Terry, Mike Stern and Dr. John are just a few of the icons with whom he’s shared stages and studios. Danny has also been recognized as an educator (University of North Florida) and author (The Evolution of Jazz Drumming).

This year marks a break in Highlights in Jazz tradition, according to Jack Kleinsinger. “Since the start, we saluted a living jazz artist every year. I believe in doing it while they’re alive and it means something, that’s part of our tradition. Lionel Hampton was the first living legend we saluted and it became an annual tradition.” There won’t be a living legend concert this time around because of 2023’s abbreviated schedule. However, two previous living legend honorees are part of the 50th anniversary lineup: Both bassist Jay Leonhart and guitarist Russell Malone have been feted at past events saluting living legends of jazz.

If there were an award for musician who has most frequently graced the Highlights in Jazz stage, Jay Leonhart would have no competition. Kleinsinger estimates that Jay has appeared in well over 30 HIJ events. “Jay is so flexible: He plays bass, he’s a singer, a song writer, he’s even written as tune about me,” the producer points out with a laugh. In that song, the versatile Mr. Leonhart anoints Kleinsinger as “half Mahatma Gandhi and half Jerry Springer.”

Jay himself has been dubbed “the Fred Astaire of jazz” by the L.A. Times’ Don Heckman. The noted critic described Jay as “a craftsman so seamlessly smooth that casual observers often fail to grasp the immensity of his talent.” Jay has kept good musical company over the years, having performed with Duke Ellington, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Jim Hall, Buddy Rich and Roy Eldridge, among other icons. The bassist is also recognized for his singing, composing, and witty lyrics. Though one of Jay’s best-known tunes is called “It’s Impossible to Sing and Play the Bass,” he does both with great skill, much to the delight of his audiences.

Six-string master Russell Malone, another Highlights in Jazz mainstay and living legend honoree, credits Wes Montgomery and George Benson as early influences. However, he has such a distinctive style you’d never mistake him for anyone but himself. With more than a dozen albums as a leader, Russell has more than shown he knows his way around standards and originals. Critics have called him “the gifted torch-bearer” of jazz guitar, and cited him for as an exemplary player of “irrepressible charisma” and “underrated artistry.” Russell has enjoyed long associations with musicians as varied as Jimmy Smith, Harry Connick Jr., and Diana Krall, appearing on three of her Grammy-nominated albums. This versatile guitarist has frequently collaborated with pianist Benny Green, and shared stages and/or studios with Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, Jack McDuff, Ron Carter, Sonny Rollins, and more than one Marsalis brother.

Gene Bertoncini is “the first musician I ever brought onstage,” Kleinsinger recalls. “Bucky Pizzarelli was booked for the original Highlights in Jazz event in 1973. Bucky couldn’t make the first set—he was tied up taping the Tonight Show—so he sent Gene as a sub.” Gene and Jack clearly hit it off, as the guitarist has appeared at numerous Kleinsinger-produced events.

Sometimes referred to as “the Segovia of jazz,” Gene’s concerts and recordings are regularly spotted on the top 10 lists of publications from the Washington Post to Jazziz magazine. The New Yorker magazine too has sung his praises. Versatile enough to play with the Tonight Show band and the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, Gene’s jazz credentials comprise collaborations with the likes of Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Wayne Shorter, Hubert Laws, Paul Desmond, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, and Nancy Wilson.

Rounding out HIJ’s 50th anniversary concert’s line up of guitarists is Roni Ben-Hur. Early on, he admired the styles of a variety of six-string mavens such as Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell. Roni is known for his flair in playing both straight-ahead jazz as well as Brazilian music. Listeners have discovered that he’s equally comfortable performing with legends of both genres, such as his early mentor Barry Harris, Frank Wess, Duduka da Fonseca and Leny Andrade, and for his skill in interpreting the music of Baden Powell or Billy Strayhorn and a genre-crossing host of others.

In keeping with the Highlights in Jazz tradition of cross-generational collaboration, the golden anniversary lineup includes pianist Dylan Meek and tenor saxophonist Steve Frieder. A New School graduate, Dylan is comfortable in any musical setting, from stride to hip-hop to jazz to funk to country. He has performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Post Malone, David Amram, the Grant AME Gospel Choir, Victor Jones, Alex Blake and scores of others.

Also a New School grad, Steve has made himself at home at a variety of venues, from Birdland to the Bern Jazz Festival to the 2021 World Series. Besides leading his own quintet, his credits include stints with Milo Z, Joe Lovano, Bria Skonberg, Jerome Jennings, Alvester Garnett, Billy Mintz and more.

Kleinsinger is a hand-on producer and has conceptualized the February 23 concert in four parts, mixing and matching the artists, with veterans and relative newbies sharing the stage in multiple configurations. Keep an eye out for unadvertised special guests, another HIJ tradition. Kleinsinger has always made a practice of welcoming artists to sit in. He’s not anticipating any musicians unexpectedly showing up to participate. “There will be surprises for the audience, but not for me this time. It could happen but it’s not expected,” he says.

“This may be the last concert I ever do,” muses producer Kleinsinger. “It’s bittersweet, because there have been so many losses to covid. I’m ready to pack it in. I’m doing one concert, I’m not ready to do a whole season, that’s a lot of work.” With that said, Jack goes on to talk about the possibility of producing future events, everywhere from jazz international festivals looking to honor the long-running HIJ series to local libraries, spreading the word about jazz. “I like putting together the all-star groups. I like doing the talking as MC,” he admits. “I’m a ham!”

Whether the Highlights in Jazz 50th anniversary is Jack’s last hurrah or the start of a new chapter (perhaps standup comedy or a one-man show based on his life experiences?), count on Kleinsinger to continue supporting the music and the musicians so dear to him.

All lineups are subject to change without notice.

The Highlights in Jazz 50th Anniversary Gala takes place on Feb. 23, 2023 8 PM, at:

BMCC TRIBECA Performing Arts Center
Borough of Manhattan Community College
199 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007
http://tribecapac.org
By car take FDR Drive south to end, through underpass onto West Street,
north to Chambers.
By Subway take 1, 2, 3, 9, A, C, E, J or M train to Chambers or N, R to City Hall stop. Walk west on Chambers.
Box Office 212-220-1460

Ticket Prices
$50.00
$45.00 (student rate)

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the box office and by mail order.

You are now able to use your credit card at the Tribeca PAC Box Office located on 199 Chambers Street, or by calling (212) 220-1460 and now online at Tickets.Tribecapac.org
Please send a check made payable to: Highlights In Jazz

Please mail orders to:
Highlights In Jazz


7 Peter Cooper Road, Apt. 11E, New York, NY 10010
(Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope)
http://www.highlightsinjazz.org


Highlights in Jazz Media Contact
Jim Eigo
Jazz Promo Services
272 State Route 94 South #1
Warwick, NY 10990-3363
Ph: 845-986-1677 / Fax: 845-986-1699
Cell / text: 917-755-8960
Skype: jazzpromo
jim@jazzpromoservices.com
www.jazzpromoservices.com

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The Calvin Hill Group will be performing the initial concert in the Englewood Public Library's 10th annual Summer Jazz Concert Series - "Jazz Under the Stars". This acclaimed series will be take place every Thursday evening at 7:30 from June 23 through August 25 on the library's front plaza. The concert series is free and open to the public. No registration is needed, but library parking is very limited.
In case of inclement weather, the concerts will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church one block north at 113 Engle St.
Bassist, Composer, Arranger, and Educator Calvin Hill was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and started the study of music at 10 years of age. Hill played trumpet, trombone, and saxophone in school bands, and switched to bass his last year of high school. Mr. Hill received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Berklee College of Music. He has also received a Master of Special Education from Hunter College.
Calvin's first musical experiences were on the Boston music scene, where he became the regular bassist in the area's nightclubs. This enabled him to perform with a wide variety of artists, everyone from Billy Eckstine, Mel Torme, Mose Allison to John Lee Hooker the Kirby Stone Four and Matt Monroe. While in Boston, Calvin met and played with Joanne Brackeen, whom he continues to play with today.
Hill moved to New York in 1969. His first big gig was with the McCoy Tyner Quartet. Calvin recorded Sahara with the group. The record was voted Album of the Year by the critics at Downbeat magazine.
Calvin has been a member of the groups of Pharaoh Sanders, Betty Carter, George Coleman, James Moody, Chet Baker, Junior Mance and Max Roach. Hill is still an active studio musician and also tours and works with various artists, including the Spirit of Life Ensemble, as well as his own Quartet or Quintet.
Hill's own 2005 CD release I Can't Give You Anything But Love was a critical success and is available in the Englewood Library through the BCCLS system.
For further information, visit the Library’s website at www.englewoodlibrary.org.
The lineup for the rest of the jazz series is as follows:
June 30-- The Darryl Yokley Band
July 7--Richard Barrata: The 3 B’s +2
July 14-- Bill Saxton
July 21-- Frank Noviello
July 28--Camille Thurman & Darrell Green
August 4—The Vince Ector Group
August 11--Mark Gross
August 18--Chris Beck
August 25--Sharp Radway

For further information, visit the Library’s website at www.englewoodlibrary.org.The Englewood Library is located at 31 Engle St., Englewood, N.J.

Dave Liebman -soprano sax
Adam Rudolph -percussion
Tyshawn Sorey -drums

With New Now, percussionist Adam Rudolph, soprano sax player Dave Liebman and drummer Tyshawn Sorey present powerful and innovative music recorded live at New York City’s iconic Jazz Gallery in the fall of 2021. Due out December 2, 2022 via Rudolph’s Meta Records, and Sorey’s Yeros7 record label, the CD marks the third in a series of trio recordings that Liebman and Rudolph have released.

The genesis of this threesome coming together seemed to be a quite natural one. Liebman and Rudolph began playing duo in 2016 and Sorey and Rudolph began performing as a percussion duet in 2018. Sorey states “we seemed so in sync with each other, in part, perhaps, because we are both composers as well as percussionists.”

When the opportunity arose to present a trio concept it seemed a natural step for these three artists of different generations to perform together. NEW NOW is the recorded document of that concert. Liebman, Sorey & Rudolph brought their unique and evolved rhythm and sonic languages to the fore, through inspired and spirited dialogue. The music flows as one complete piece with several movements or sections.

This music exists on its own terms reflecting the wonderful alchemy of these artists as they spontaneously created dialogues, orchestrations and sonic moods. According to Liebman, “For a “maiden voyage” meeting, the three of us were committed to open our ears and hearts. The results were magical.”

As Rudolph concurs, “You have to come to a creative situation like this with open ears, an open heart, and free-flowing imagination. The preparation is also years of practice, composing and performance so that we can be free to play anything we can imagine to play.”


From the liner notes by Adam Rudolph:
Even while receiving ancestral codes from the ancient aboriginal past and generating thought/feeling patterns which point to the multi-dimensional future unknown, this music resides completely in the present moment. The now is always new and sounds have their own reason for being. The music manifests the latency of the spiritual (wonderment) and takes on its meaning through the collective experience of all who played and witnessed it, as well as you, dear listener, who hear it now.

Sets at 7.30pm + 9.30pm ET

Pianist, composer, and writer Ethan Iverson was a founding member of The Bad Plus, a game-changing collective with Reid Anderson and David King. The New York Times called TBP “Better than anyone at melding the sensibilities of post-60’s jazz and indie rock.” During his 17-year tenure, TBP performed in venues as diverse as the Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall, and Bonnaroo; collaborated with Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, and the Mark Morris Dance Group; and created a faithful arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and a radical reinvention of Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction.

American Lyric Theater (ALT) announced today InsightALT: Opera in Eden, a performance featuring three new one-act operas on themes of temptation developed by Resident Artists in the company's nationally acclaimed Composer Librettist Development Program. ALT's current Resident Artists (Composers Jasmine Barnes, Johanny Navarro, and Alex Weiser; and Librettists Joshua Banbury, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, and Marcus Yi) were selected from over 200 applicants to join the CLDP this season. Opera in Eden, which is the culminating event of the first year of these artists' residency, will take place at National Sawdust in Brooklyn on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 at 7:00pm. Tickets are $30 in advance; and $35 at the door. For more information, and to purchase tickets to InsightALT: Opera in Eden, please visit https://www.altnyc.org/public-events The three one-act operas to be featured on the program have been developed through a workshop taught by composer/librettist Mark Adamo. "For this project, the three writing teams are all provided with the same structural outline that serves as a thematic scaffold upon which the writers develop their operas – but the stories for each opera are completely up to the artists," explained ALT's Artistic & General Director, Lawrence Edelson. "The structural outline is designed to encourage architectural and motivic thinking by librettists and composers alike. This project has been a core element of the CLDP since the program's inception and has proven invaluable in fostering collaboration throughout the writing process – from a work's early outline – through the development of the libretto – to the composition of the score. Over the past fifteen years, this project has not only strengthened composers and librettists' dramaturgical skills, but has also yielded a wide array of exciting one-act operas, many of which have gone on to full production." The three operas to be featured in concert as part of Opera in Eden are: I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK Composer: Jasmine Barnes; Librettist: Marcus Yi Featuring: Brittany Logan, Cierra Byrd and Vladyslav Buialskyi THE MAGIC CABBAGE Composer: Johanny Navarro; Librettist: Joshua Banbury Featuring: Cierra Byrd, Jonah Hoskins, and Samson Setu THE FOREST OF SECRETS Composer: Alex Weiser; Librettist: Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton Featuring: Sylvia D'Eramo, Siphokazi Molteno, and Jonah Hoskins This year marks the first season during which ALT is collaborating with the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Development Artist Program on this project. "We are thrilled to be able to partner with the Lindemann Young Artist Program, and to have such an extraordinary group of singers join us to collaborate with our Resident Artists this season," said Kelly Kuo, ALT's Associate Artistic Director, who will conduct the performance. "Experiencing what outstanding creative interpreters can contribute to bringing an opera to life is a vital part of the learning process for our Resident Artists as they continue to hone their craft."   Launched in 2007, ALT's Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP) is the most intensive mentorship initiative for opera composers and librettists in the country, with a highly-credentialed faculty and proven track record for developing the skills of gifted artists, incubating successful operas, and fostering lasting collaborations. The CLDP has served as a model of innovation for other training and new works initiatives around the country, but remains the only full-time training program for both opera composers and librettists in the country. At the center of the CLDP is ALT's core-curriculum, which consists of classroom training and hands-on workshops with some of the country's leading working artists. This season, artist mentors have included composer/librettist Mark Adamo; librettist Mark Campbell; director and ALT's founder Lawrence Edelson; dramaturg Cori Ellison; composer Ricky Ian Gordon; librettist Michael Korie; conductor and ALT's Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo; composer Scott Davenport Richards; and mezzo soprano Adriana Zabala. American Lyric Theater's mentorship programs for composers, librettists and dramaturgs are made possible by generous lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation, The Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, OPERA America's Innovation Grants / The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, the Amphion Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University. ABOUT AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER'S NEW RESIDENT ARTISTS COMPOSERS JASMINE ARIELLE BARNES (she/her) Jasmine Barnes is a composer and vocalist whose music is performed all over the world. Barnes most recently has held residencies as a composer fellow at Chautauqua Opera and at All Classical Portland. She has been commissioned by numerous organizations including the Kennedy Center / Washington National Opera (in celebration of the Kennedy Center's 50th year anniversary), Bare Opera, Resonance Ensemble, Tapestry Choir, City Works Cleveland, LyricFest Philadelphia, Baltimore Choral Arts, Burleigh Music Festival, Symphony Number One, Baltimore Musicales, The Voic(ed) Project, among others. Her 10-minute opera entitled The Late Walk, commissioned by Bare Opera as part of the Decameron Opera Coalition, has been archived in the Library of Congress. She was named a winner of the Black Brilliance award by The Pleiades Project, recognized as the Gwendolyn J Brinkley Fine Arts First Place Award Winner of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. South Central Region 2021, and named a finalist of All Classical Portland's Recording Inclusivity Initiative. Beyond her commissions, her work has been performed by Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra, Portland Opera, Tulsa Opera, Hampsong Foundation (at the Elbphilharmonie), Tennessee State University Meistersingers, University of North Iowa, University of Memphis, Indiana University (graduate song literature class), and championed by singers including Karen Slack, Leah Hawkins, Leona Mitchell, Marquita Lister, Gabrielle Gilliam, Alexandria Crichlow, Christian Simmons. Jasmine has also held the position of Head of Compositional Studies and Jazz Voice Studies at Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, TX, and holds her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Music from Morgan State University. ​ JOHANNY NAVARRO (she/her) Johanny Navarro's exciting catalog of works is rich in variety and deeply rooted in Caribbean musical aesthetics and Puerto Rican musical culture. Her work has been presented in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, United States, Spain, and France. She has been commissioned by celebrated soloists Elisa Torres, Luis Miguel Rojas, and Andrea González Caballero; various ensembles including The Catholic University of America Symphony Orchestra, the American Harp Society Inc., Coralia from the University of Puerto Rico, the Victory Players, the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, and the New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy. Chosen by The Arts Club of Washington D.C. for its centennial celebration, her piece Celebration for Piano Trio (2016) was presented as a commemorative musical piece. Videntes Stellam for Choir and Orchestra (2016) premiered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. and was televised by the Catholic Television Network, EWTN. With this majestic and colorful work, the composer also made her debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Roselín Pabón at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. Produced by the composer, her first chamber opera Frenesí (2017) premiered in Washington D.C. and later in Puerto Rico. Navarro was chosen to participate in the Puccini International Opera Composition Course in Luca, Italia, mentored by composer and director Giralomo Deraco. Her chamber opera Redención (2019) was premiered at the Puccini Chamber Opera Festival 2021 in Italy. Currently, Navarro is composing her opera ¿Y los Pasteles? Ópera Jíbara in two acts which was awarded a 2020 Discovery Grant for Female Composers by OPERA America. ALEX WEISER (he/him) Broad gestures and rich textures are hallmarks of the "compelling" (The New York Times), "deliciously wistful" (San Francisco Classical Voice), "personal, expressive, and bold," (I Care If You Listen) music of composer Alex Weiser. Born and raised in New York City, Weiser creates acutely cosmopolitan music combining a deeply felt historical perspective with a vibrant forward-looking creativity. Weiser's debut album, and all the days were purple, was named a 2020 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Music. Released by Cantaloupe Music in April 2019, the album includes songs in Yiddish and English and has been praised as "ravishing" (The New Yorker) and "utterly original and exquisitely unsettling... pitch-perfect." (In Geveb). Weiser recently completed an opera with librettist Ben Kaplan called State of the Jews. Hailed as "stunning, heavenly, marvelous" by Israeli National Public Radio, the opera is based on the life of Theodor Herzl and juxtaposes a historical narrative with the story of Theodor's conflicted relationship with his wife, Julie Herzl, and the toll his political views and activities took on their family life. Developed as a part of fellowships and residencies with The American Opera Project, LABA, Roulette, and Exploring the Metropolis, the opera received a series of preview performances at the 14th Street Y in December 2019 and awaits a premiere production. An energetic advocate for contemporary classical music, Weiser co-founded and directs Kettle Corn New Music, and was a director of the MATA Festival for nearly 5 years. Weiser is now the Director of Public Programs at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research where he curates programs that explore Jewish history and culture with an eye toward influential Jewish contributions to contemporary culture. LIBRETTISTS JOSHUA BANBURY (he/him) Joshua Banbury enjoys a career as a classically trained singer and librettist. Originally from Austin, Texas, Joshua graduated with honors from The New School, receiving an interdisciplinary education in opera performance, vocal jazz, creative writing, and arts administration. Most recently, Joshua recorded a jazz song cycle entitled Children of Bronzeville, based on the book by Gwendolyn Brooks, composed by Patrick Zimmerli, in collaboration with Aaron Diehl, Helen Sung, Vanisha Gould, and Samara Joy. He has sung at venues including The George Washington Carver Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Sawdust, Glimmerglass Opera, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Minton's Playhouse. Joshua has received commissions from The New School, The National YoungArts Foundation, Google NYC, Havre de Grace Jazz Festival, The George Washington Carver Museum, and the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts. In 2020 his first opera, The Illustrator was selected for Fort Worth Opera's Librettist Workshop. Most recently, he was commissioned by The Kennedy Center and the Washington National Opera to write an original ten-minute libretto for the company's 50th anniversary season. Joshua, twenty-six years old, resides in Austin and NYC and continues to perform across the country. In December 2021, he will make his Kennedy Center Millennium Stage debut with his trio. DEBORAH D.E.E.P MOUTON (she/her)  Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an internationally known writer, educator, activist, performer, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, Texas. Formerly ranked the #2 Best Female Performance Poet in the World, her recent poetry collection, Newsworthy, garnered her a Pushcart nomination, was named a finalist for the 2019 Writer's League of Texas Book Award, and received honorable mention for the Summerlee Book Prize. Its German translation, under the title "Berichtenswert," is set to be released in Summer 2021 by Elif Verlag. The opera, Marian's Song, for which she wrote the libretto for HGOCo, debuted in 2020 to roaring reviews. Honored by Houston Business Journal as a part of their 2021 40 Under 40 class, D.E.E.P. has been a finalist for Texas State Poet Laureate, a Kennedy Center Citizen fellowship, and the prestigious Breadloaf Retreat. Her work has been highlighted and studied in Canada, England, New Zealand, and Germany. She recently performed as a part of the Kennedy Center's Arts Across America virtual performance and was named a Houston Artist Commissioning Project award winner by the Society for the Performing Arts Houston. Her second book, Black Chameleon is set to release in 2023 by Henry Holt & Co. A storybook opera, entitled Lula, the Mighty Griot, which reinterprets one of the stories from Black Chameleon is set to debut in Fall 2021 with Houston Grand Opera's HGOCo educational touring division. She lives and creates in Houston, TX.  MARCUS YI (he/him) Marcus Yi is an award-winning theater writer/composer/director and performer based in New York. He has created work in Singapore, Atlanta and New York and is the artistic director of Morbid Dumpling Productions. He has worked on over 100 productions and his recently created work include Micro Shrimp The Musical (Winner of 11th Annual NJ Playwrights Contest), 29x/y (WIld Project, Paradise Factory), Pretty Little Mouth (Roy Arias), The Procedure (Gene Frankel Theater), The Ephemeral Lightness of Dreams: the dream plays (Lynn Redgrave Theatre), Thicker Than Water: the blood plays and Baby Baby!. His work has been produced by the National Asian Artists Project, Yangtze Rep, Prospect Theater, Pan Asian Rep, Asian American Film Lab, The Secret Theatre, New Jersey Playwrights Contest, Ingenue Theater, Modern Griot Theatre, Ticket2eternity Productions, Queens Players, Rising Solo, POPLAB, URNetworkAlliance, NYC Actors and Playwrights Collective, All Out Arts, Short Play Lab, Angry Head Productions and Living Room Theater. His work has been seen at the New York Times Center, Green Room 42, The Duplex, National Opera Center, Midtown International Theater Festival, Planet Connections Theater Festivity, Fresh Fruit Festival and the Midwinter Madness Theater Festival. Marcus was named one of Indie Theater Now's 2014 People of the Year, is an Indie Theater Now Playwright, and an inaugural member of the 92nd Street Y Musical Theater Development Lab Collective. ABOUT AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER (ALT) Great Operas Don't Just Happen. American Lyric Theater (ALT) was founded in 2005 by Lawrence Edelson to build a new body of operatic repertoire by nurturing composers and librettists, providing an incubator for their collaborations, and contributing new works to the national canon. Many opera companies commission and perform new works; but ALT is the only company in the United States that offers extensive, full-time mentorship for emerging operatic writers. While the traditional company model focuses on producing a season, ALT's focus is on serving the needs of composers and librettists, developing new works, and collaborating with larger producing companies to help usher those works into the repertoire. In 2012, ALT was the first company dedicated to artist mentorship rather than operatic production to be recognized by OPERA America as a Professional Company Member – a testament to ALT's service to the field. In 2020, ALT reinforced its commitment to racial justice and equity through the creation of the Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative (OWDARI), the goal of which is to increase participation in the CLDP by BIPOC artists; and ultimately, increase BIPOC artists' contributions to the national canon of new operas. Through discussions catalyzed by the OWDARI, ALT has transitioned to a shared leadership model through which ALT's founder Lawrence Edelson now shares artistic and curatorial responsibilities with the company's recently appointed Associate Artistic Director, conductor Kelly Kuo. Working together with ALT's board of directors and artistic staff, Lawrence and Kelly are leading the company's efforts to create more equitable opportunities for BIPOC artists through all of the company's programs. ALT is home to the Composer Librettist Development Program, the only full-time, multi-year program in the country for emerging opera composers, librettists, and dramaturgs, with a proven track record for developing the skills of gifted artists, incubating successful operas, and fostering lasting collaborations. Prominent alumni of the CLDP include composers Clarice Assad, Jeremy Howard Beck, Christopher Cerrone, Justine F. Chen, Theo Popov, Kamala Sankaram, Jorge Sosa, and Aleksandra Vrebalov; and librettists Tony Asaro, Deborah Brevoort, Stephanie Fleischmann, David Johnston, E.M. Lewis, Lila Palmer, David Simpatico, and Royce Vavrek. Audiences around the country are enjoying operas developed through the CLDP and by CLDP alumni at a wide variety of venues, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Saratoga, Utah Opera, The PROTOTYPE Festival, and many more. For more information about American Lyric Theater, please visit www.altnyc.org ABOUT THE LINDEMANN YOUNG ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program was created in 1980 to identify and develop extraordinarily talented young artists in the realm of opera. The program has trained a new generation of celebrated American and international opera singers, as well as coaches and pianists, who perform at the highest standards in productions at the Met and opera houses around the world. In recognition and gratitude for their leadership and generous support, the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program has been named after Mr. and Mrs. George Lindemann. While many opera companies across the country conduct young artist training programs, the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program is unparalleled for the quality and scope of resources available to its participants. Throughout their instruction, young artists draw upon the vast pool of world–renowned talent available at the Met, including current and former Met artists, internationally recognized coaches, and master teachers. Program participants have access to daily rehearsals and practice sessions, where they can observe opera's great singers preparing their roles for the current Met repertory. They are also presented with the opportunity to participate in Met productions, as many singers perform supporting roles and pianists serve as assistant conductors. For biographies of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program singers, please visit: https://www.metopera.org/about/auditions/lindemann-young-artist-development-program/2021-22-roster/

This year supplied no shortage of notable and often inspiring music — sounds that flirt in and outside jazz. Here are a few you should listen to.The…