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  • Watch a conversation between Mark and NPR's Jerusalem Truth about the making of Three Dimensions Deep, live from NPR Music's 15th anniversary celebration at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
  • Vibraphonist Mark Sherman's latest release is Gary Walker's latest New Day New Play feature
  • Devo is back. Mark Mothersbaugh, lead singer of the seminal '80s New Wave band, talks about the group's new album and tour. He's also been busy with soundtracks for movies like Happy Gilmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic.
  • NYC Marks Progress With Coronavirus
  • Ashoura, the holiest day on the Shiite Muslim calendar, is marred by violence aimed at Shiites marking the holiday. Tens of thousands march in a traditional procession to Karbala despite attacks that left at least 11 more dead. Suicide bombings took 35 lives in Iraq on Friday.
  • Guitarist Mark Whitfield’s skillset is so varied. He’s been on the road with Brother Jack McDuff, Dizzy Gillespie, Carmen McRae and Chris Botti. He’s…
  • Both legends in their own right, guitarist Mark Knopfler and vocalist Emmylou Harris spent seven years recording All the Roadrunning, which was released in 2006. They talk with David Dye about working together as writers and vocalists and singing "courting songs."
  • Opera Saratoga announces a return to large scale performances this summer with a new Festival model that embraces partnerships with multiple venues across the region, including Proctors in Schenectady; The Egg in Albany; The Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs; The Round Lake Auditorium in Round Lake Village; The Barn at French Mountain in Lake George Village; and The Mansion Inn in Rock City Falls. At the heart of the 2022 Summer Festival will be performances of Rossini's bel canto comedy The Barber of Seville on Proctors MainStage, as well as his exquisite Petite Messe Solennelle at The Round Lake Auditorium; the deeply moving Sky on Swings by Lembit Beecher and Hannah Moscovitch at The Egg, which explores the journey of two women living with Alzheimer's disease; and Stephen Sondheim's Broadway masterpiece, Sweeney Todd, on the Amphitheater Stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  Additional events will include A Broadway Cabaret at The Mansion Inn; A Juneteenth Celebration at Proctors' GE Theater; and a series of master classes featuring members of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program, to be announced. In addition, the 2022 Opera Gala will take place on Sunday June 5th at The Barn at French Mountain, in Lake George Village. Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson explains that, "while our decision to expand our geographic footprint this summer was catalyzed by the need for renovations at The Spa Little Theater, where we have been performing since 1998, it has also been inspired by our increased activity across the region throughout the year. Our education programs now serve over 20,000 children across 7 counties in the Capital and Lower Adirondack region, and our new music therapy program is similarly structured to enhance the lives of those living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by bringing interactive therapeutic programs directly to them. We began asking, with so many remarkable theaters in our region, might we be able to better serve our mission by reconceiving our Summer Festival in a way that doesn't limit us to a single venue? While we remain committed to producing in Saratoga Springs, as the opera company of the Capital Region, our goal is to provide access to our Summer Festival programming in the same way we are able to do with our year-round programs. We are incredibly excited by the opportunities of this expanded Festival model, and grateful for the opportunity to partner with so many like-minded organizations across the region to make it possible." Tickets for the 2022 Summer Festival will be available through Festival Passes and Single Tickets. Festival Passes, which provide a 20% discount on single ticket prices and priority seating for all productions and events, will be available beginning February 1st. Single Tickets will go on sale March 15th. Audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for all performances, and masks will be required based on prevailing conditions at the time of the Festival. All policies may be adjusted in response to changing conditions, and based on the specific requirements of each venue. Additional details about ticketing and safety policies may be found at www.operasaratoga.org  Opera Saratoga's 2022 Summer Festival is made possible in part with support the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.  PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE June 2 and June 3 @ 7:30pm Presented by Opera Saratoga in partnership with The Round Lake Auditorium Music by Gioachino Rossini Rossini is remembered primarily for his extraordinary contribution to the Italian operatic repertoire, but he also wrote important pieces of sacred music that are notable, among other things, for their overtly operatic style. The Petite Messe Solennelle, written near the end of Rossini's life, is scored for four soloists and a chamber chorus, with harmonium and piano accompaniment. It was not heard in public until 1869, the year after his death. The work's title is misleading, since the Petite Messe Solennelle is neither petite nor particularly solemn. The music ranges from hushed intensity to boisterous high spirits, and the memorable tunes and rhythmic vitality for which Rossini became justly famous are abundant throughout the work. Festival Artists from Opera Saratoga's nationally acclaimed Young Artist Program will be featured in these special performances, conducted by Laurie Rogers, at the Round Lake Auditorium. The centerpiece of the Auditorium is the historic, 1,900–pipe Ferris Tracker organ. Built in 1847, what was the second largest organ in New York City is now the oldest, largest and unaltered organ of its kind in the United States. In place of the traditionally used harmonium – a smaller scale pump organ – Opera Saratoga's performances of the Petite Messe Solennelle will feature the extraordinary Ferris Tracker organ, making these concerts a truly unique and not-to-be missed occasion.  Two performances are scheduled at The Round Lake Auditorium in Round Lake Village, on Thursday, June 2nd and Friday, June 3rd at 7:30pm. A BROADWAY CABARET June 12 @ 2pm and 7pm Presented by Opera Saratoga in partnership with The Mansion Inn Opera Saratoga returns to The Mansion Inn for A Broadway Cabaret, featuring musical theater favorites from the 1920s to present day. Under the musical direction of Broadway conductor Laura Bergquist, the program will also include a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, who passed away at the age of 91 in December. The Mansion Inn features cabaret style table seating, with a delicious menu of Broadway inspired bistro food and drink available for purchase from Cordon Bleu trained Executive Chef Rick Bieber.   Two performances are scheduled at The Mansion Inn in Rock City Falls on Sunday, June 12th, at 2pm and 7pm. A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WITH SIDNEY OUTLAW JUNE 19 @ 2:30pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with Proctors  Opera Saratoga's second annual Juneteenth concert features baritone Sidney Outlaw, who makes his opera debut with the company later in the season as Figaro in The Barber of Seville. Sidney was the Grand Prize winner of the Concurso Internacional de Canto Montserrat Caballé in 2010 and continues to delight audiences in the U.S. and abroad with his rich and versatile baritone and engaging stage presence. His recital debut with Opera Saratoga on Juneteenth will celebrate the legacy of Black composers and writers in American song, with a program including works by Langston Hughes, Robert Owens, Claude McKay, Dorothy Rudd Moore, Frederick Douglass, and Harry T. Burleigh. One performance is scheduled in the GE Theater at Proctors in Schenectady, on Sunday, June 19th, at 2:30pm. SWEENEY TODD - THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET A MUSICAL THRILLER JUNE 29 and JUNE 30 @ 7:30pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler From an adaptation by Christopher Bond Originally Directed On Broadway by Harold Prince Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Originally Produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards in Association with Dean and Judy Manos Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was first produced in 1979 on Broadway where it won eight Tony awards including Best Musical. Widely acknowledged as Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, Sweeney Todd tells a dark tale of vengeance and murder, leavened with ghoulish humor, in Victorian London. Returning after being wrongly imprisoned, Sweeney vows revenge on the Judge who incarcerated him, and finds an unlikely ally in Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a struggling meat pie shop who finds a good use for Sweeney's victims.  Three-time Tony nominee and Drama Desk Award Winner Carolee Carmello takes the stage as Mrs. Lovett in her debut with Opera Saratoga, alongside internationally acclaimed bass baritone Craig Colclough, who was last seen with the company in the title role of Falstaff, making his role debut as the Sweeney Todd. Laura Bergquist, who made her Opera Saratoga debut leading the company's critically acclaimed production of Man of La Mancha last summer, will conduct the staged concert performances. Two performances are scheduled on the Amphitheater Stage of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, June 29th and Thursday, June 30th at 7:30pm.  ABOUT THE SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America's most prestigious summer festivals. Its tranquil setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws vacation crowds and arts connoisseurs each year for immersive experiences of performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, Opera Saratoga, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC's Amphitheater main stage has a 25,000 person capacity, with sheltered seats for 5,200 people and a sloping lawn that can accommodate an additional 20,000 people.  SWEENEY TODD is presented through special arrangement with Music Theater International (MTI). All performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com  SKY ON SWINGS JULY 7 @ 7:30pm and JULY 9 @ 2pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with The Egg Music by Lembit Beecher Libretto by Hannah Moscovitch  Sky on Swings, which received its critically acclaimed premiere at Opera Philadelphia in 2018, is a riveting musical and theatrical exploration of what it feels like to live with Alzheimer's Disease, as seen through the eyes of two women at different stages in the progression of dementia: Martha, who is far gone in the disease; and Danny, who knows what is happening to her and is in frantic denial.   Two of the country's most distinguished, internationally acclaimed artists, mezzo sopranos Susanne Mentzer and Marietta Simpson, make their Opera Saratoga debuts in the roles of Danny and Martha in this new production, directed by Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson and conducted by rising star Emily Senturia. The production will feature scenic design by Julia Noulin-Mérat and costume design by Whitney Locher, and has been made possible in part by support from OPERA America's Next Stage program, supported by Gene Kaufman, Terry Eder-Kaufman, and New Vision for Opera, with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  Two performances are scheduled in The Hart Theater at The Egg in Albany on Thursday, July 7th at 7:30pm, and Saturday, June 9th at 2pm. Sung in English with English supertitles. ABOUT THE EGG: The construction of The Egg began in 1966 and was completed twelve years later in 1978. The Egg was designed by Wallace Harrison for the people of New York State, and is without precedent architecturally. From a distance it seems as much a sculpture as a building. Though it appears to sit on the main platform, the stem that holds The Egg actually goes down through six stories deep into the Earth. The Egg houses two theaters – the Lewis A. Swyer Theatre and the Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre, where Opera Saratoga will present Sky on Swings. The building's curved exterior defines the interior statement as well. There are virtually no straight lines or harsh corners inside The Egg. Instead, walls along the edge curve upward to meet gently concave ceiling light for celestial effect. The backs of performing areas are fanned – inviting one inward – providing an intimacy impossible in a conventional theatre. And throughout, walls of Swiss pearwood add warmth and enhance the acoustics in the theaters. THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA JULY 8 @ 7:30pm and JULY 10 @ 2pm Produced by Opera Saratoga in Partnership with Proctors Music by Gioachino Rossini Libretto by Cesare Sterbini Based on the play by Pierre Beaumarchais The Barber of Seville is the hilarious story of a love triangle involving Dr. Bartolo, Count Almaviva, and the charming Rosina. Figaro — the local barber who, in fact, does much more than cut hair — is the ultimate "wingman" for Count Almaviva, creating elaborate schemes, aliases, and disguises to help him fool Dr. Bartolo and get the girl. Rossini's madcap comedy is one of the most popular operas in the world, and is guaranteed to send you out laughing and humming! Baritone Sidney Outlaw makes his Opera Saratoga debut as the beloved barber Figaro, alongside tenor Brian Yeakley– a distinguished alumnus of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program – as Count Almaviva, and South African mezzo soprano Siphokaze Molteno in her role debut as Rosina. Dean Williamson conducts the production directed by Eve Summer, another remarkable alumna of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program. Two performances are scheduled at Proctors on Friday, July 8th at 7:30pm, and Sunday, July 10th at 2pm. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. ABOUT PROCTORS: Built in 1926 by F. F. Proctor, the "Dean of Vaudeville," Proctors on State Street in Schenectady was a popular theatre that used a method of continuous performance to draw huge crowds and numerous famous vaudevillians of that era. In 1930, Proctors hosted the first public demonstration of television with the help of General Electric. However, the arrival of this exciting invention and the onset of the Great Depression led to the decline of the theatre. After changing hands multiple times and almost being torn down in the 1970s, a group of concerned citizens banded together to save Proctors. With federal and city funds, ACT was able to restore Proctors and re-open in 1979. Since then, Proctors has proven its value to the community and gained momentum, becoming the motivating factor for the revitalization of Schenectady's downtown area. Over the past decade, Proctors has expanded and made numerous renovations, which have made it possible to accommodate large Broadway productions, full scale operas, giant screen films, local performers, and ever-growing audiences from around the country. ABOUT OPERA SARATOGA Opera Saratoga, formerly known as Lake George Opera, began with a production of Die Fledermaus at the Diamond Point Theatre on July 5, 1962, playing to an audience of 230. The Company now calls Saratoga Springs home and performs for more than 25,000 people annually. Opera Saratoga serves the communities of Saratoga Springs, the Lower Adirondack and New York State Capital areas by providing access to world-class opera through the production of an annual Summer Festival, as well as year-round activities including extensive educational programs, therapeutic music programs, mentorship of emerging operatic artists, and unique opportunities for the public to experience opera in both theaters and non-traditional venues that leverage and embrace the unique cultural, historic, and natural resources of the area. To date, the company has performed 106 different fully staged works by 66 different composers, including 42 works by American composers and 14 premiere productions. In 2014, the Board of Directors appointed Lawrence Edelson Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director. Edelson's leadership has marked a new chapter in the company's history, with increased emphasis on community partnerships throughout the year, diversification of the company's repertoire, and a reaffirmed commitment to both the presentation of American opera and the mentorship of emerging artists as core activities in the company's programs each season. For more information, visit www.operasaratoga.org
  • The 92nd Street Y, one of New York's leading cultural venues, begins a new alliance with the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music with a live in-person concert and a master class. This first-of-its kind collaboration, entitled Curtis at 92Y, will give Curtis its first-ever "home" in New York City - and give the 92Y community an opportunity to learn from Curtis faculty and alumni and enjoy the work of one of the most important conservatories in the world. Both institutions hope to build on this first phase with greater and deeper engagement, beginning with programming designed to educate, engage, and delight audiences and students of all ages, through performances, classes for schoolchildren, adult education, mentorship, and more.  On Friday, February 18, 2022 at 7:30pm ET, the first of two annual Curtis on Tour concerts premieres with a Curtis ensemble, comprising esteemed faculty members Ida Kavafian, violin, and Peter Wiley, cello, and three recent alumni of Curtis: Francis Carr, cello ('21), Lun Li, violin ('20), and Cara Pogossian, viola, ('21). The ensemble will play Schubert and more on the stage of 92Y's Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City. The concert will also be available via livestream and available for 72 hours from time of broadcast. Tickets for both the in-person and livestream options are $20-$45 and are available at 92y.org/event/musicians-from-the-curtis-institute-of-music. A performance of Schubert's C-Major Quintet will be followed by the New York premiere of a new work by another member of Curtis' faculty, with Grammy Award-winning composer Richard Danielpour's String Quintet ("A Shattered Vessel"). Written 190 years after the Schubert work for the same instrumentation of two violins, viola and two cellos, ("A Shattered Vessel") contemplates crisis and struggle, loss and healing, renewal and gratitude. The program includes: Danielpour, String Quintet ("A Shattered Vessel") (NY premiere)  Schubert, String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 Lun Li, violin Ida Kavafian, violin Cara Pogossian, viola Francis Carr, cello Peter Wiley, cello Concert available for viewing online for 72 hours from time of broadcast. This performance is part of Curtis on Tour, the Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music. This program is part of The Tisch Center for the Arts. On Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 1pm, internationally acclaimed Curtis on Tour artists, violist and violinist, Ida Kavafian, and cellist, Peter Wiley, lead the collaboration's first Master Class for two of 92Y School of Music's Recanati-Kaplan gifted and talented program scholars, Chloe Joo and Erin Wong. For more information and to register for this free in-person master class, visit 92y.org/event/ida-kavafian-and-peter-wiley-master-class.  "We're tremendously excited to launch Curtis at 92Y," says Yana Stotland, Director of 92Y's School of Music. "Our combined 250 years of experience in music education at the highest level creates the foundation for extraordinary new opportunities for artistic growth in students of all ages."  Curtis and 92Y will also work together to develop engaging educational activities around Curtis on Tour appearances on 92Y's concert series for students enrolled in 92Y's School of Music, and in the larger New York City community, with a particular focus on the segment of the community served by 92Y's Center for Arts Learning & Leadership, a renowned music education program developed and run by 92Y that pre-pandemic served over 15,000 primarily under-resourced New York City public school students in-person, and now has expanded nationally online.   "We are pleased to join 92Y in this endeavor and are thrilled by its tremendous potential," says Andrew Lane, Vice President of Touring and Artist Management at Curtis. "Together we will amplify the performance and educational offerings of both of our institutions, reach new audiences, and deepen our relationships with the communities we serve." In summer 2022, selected students from 92Y's highly-regarded Recanati-Kaplan Program for Excellence in the Arts will study with Curtis alumni teaching artists in an online intensive instructional and mentorship program. 92Y's Recanati-Kaplan program offers full merit-based scholarships for gifted and talented students to foster their creative potential through a broad range of individualized instruction, advanced classes, and mentoring to accelerate learning and support technical accomplishment. This intensive online program with Curtis will supplement the development of overall musicianship and preparedness for our most dedicated scholars.  With 18 concerts, the spring season includes two appearances by world-renowned pianist Angela Hewitt; two performances by The Knights as 92Y's inaugural Ensemble in Residence; the eagerly anticipated New York City main stage debut of pianist Eric Lu; the Grammy Award-nominated Israeli mandolin wizard Avi Avital; two co-presentations with the New York Philharmonic; and the return of guitarist Pablo Sainz-Villegas. The season will feature one of the first NYC performances of the Gateways Music Festival, co-presented by 92Y, presenting works reflecting on the theme of enslavement; the New York premiere of 92Y co-commission, Dido Reimagined by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Melinda Wagner, performed by the Brentano String Quartet and soprano Dawn Upshaw; the world premieres of Cazon's Revenge by Gonzalo Grau and Arum der Fayer by Osvaldo Golijov, both for mandolin and string quartet, performed by Brooklyn Rider; the New York premiere of ("A Shattered Vessel") by Richard Danielpour, performed by an ensemble from the Curtis Institute of Music; the New York premiere of Acabris! Acabras! Acabram! written and performed by Stewart Goodyear; and award-winning composer Joel Thompson's In response to the madness, performed by the New York Philharmonic String Quartet.  For more information, including purchasing tickets and COVID-19 protocols for in-person performances, please visit 92Y.org/Concerts. About Curtis Institute of Music: The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians to engage a local and global community through the highest level of artistry. For nearly a century Curtis has provided each member of its small student body with an unparalleled education alongside musical peers, distinguished by a "learn by doing" philosophy and personalized attention from a faculty that includes a high proportion of actively performing musicians. With admissions based solely on artistic promise, no student is turned away due to financial need. Curtis invests in each admitted student, ensuring no tuition is charged for their studies and they enter the profession free from educational debt. Curtis students hone their craft through more than 200 orchestra, opera, and solo and chamber music offerings and programs that bring arts access and education to the community. This real-world training allows these extraordinary young musicians to join the front rank of performers, composers, conductors, and musical leaders, making a profound impact on music onstage and in their communities. About Francis Carr: Born into a family of string players, Francis Carr, from Oxford, England, started playing the cello at age four. Early career highlights include a radio broadcast in the Netherlands, concerto appearances with the Oxfordshire Youth Orchestra and the Abingdon Symphony Orchestra, and chamber and solo appearances in Munich, Warsaw, Montpellier, New York, and throughout the United Kingdom. Mr. Carr has given recitals at London's Wigmore Hall, Milton Court in Surrey, the Berlin Konzerthaus, Brussels Bozar, and Amsterdam's Muziekgebouw. He has attended the Greenwood Music Camp, Four Seasons Winter Workshop, and Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival. Additional festival appearances throughout the United States and Europe include Loon Lake Live Summer Concert Series, Stichting Kamermuziek Amsterdam, Young Pianists Foundation Piano Concours Amsterdam, Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy, and Music from Angel Fire. Mr. Carr has studied with Melissa Phelps, Thomas Carroll, Darrett Adkins, Carter Brey, Peter Wiley, and his father, the cellist Colin Carr. He has worked closely with Johannes Goritzki, Joel Krosnick, Gary Hoffman, and the Chiara, Emerson, and Juilliard string quartets and has attended the Juilliard and Yehudi Menuhin Schools and the Curtis Institute of Music. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and bird watching. About Ida Kavafian: Internationally acclaimed as a violist as well as a violinist, the versatile Ida Kavafian is an artist-member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio. For 34 years she has been artistic director of Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico, where some 200 Curtis students have participated in the Young Artist Program to date. She was a founder of the Bravo! Colorado festival, serving as its artistic director for ten years; and co-founded the chamber ensembles Opus One, Tashi, and Trio Valtorna. She also performs as a soloist and in recital with her sister, violinist Ani Kavafian. Ms. Kavafian has premiered numerous works, including concertos by Toru Takemitsu and Michael Daugherty, whose Fire and Blood she recorded with the Detroit Symphony. She has toured and recorded with jazz artists Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, and with fiddler/composer Mark O'Connor. Born in Istanbul of Armenian parentage, Ms. Kavafian is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Oscar Shumsky. She made her debut through Young Concert Artists with the pianist Peter Serkin, and also received the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. She resides with her husband, violist Steven Tenenbom, in Philadelphia and Connecticut, where they breed and train prizewinning Hungarian vizsla show dogs. Since 1998 Ms. Kavafian has served on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received the 2013 Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. She also teaches at the Juilliard School and the Bard College Conservatory of Music. About Lun Li: Lun Li, a native of Shanghai, China, is an in-demand recitalist and chamber musician in both Asia and the United States. A winner of the 2021 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he recently graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of renowned violinist and violist Ida Kavafian. While at Curtis, Mr. Li was the Jean J. Sterne Fellow. In 2012, as a result of winning second prize at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music's second Haydn Chamber Music Competition, his quartet was invited to perform at the Helsinki Music Centre Festival. He has participated in master classes with Arnold Steinhardt, Midori Goto and Pierre Amoyal. In 2017, he served as the concertmaster of the Pacific Festival Orchestra under the conductor Valery Gergiev. His festival appearances include Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Music from Angel Fire, and the Verbier Festival Academy. Mr. Li is currently pursuing a master's degree at the Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Joseph Lin. About Cara Pogossian: Armenian-American violist Cara Pogossian is a recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree under the tutelage of Hsin-Yun Huang and Misha Amory. She served as co-principal viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra during the 2019–20 season, which included a U.S. tour in early 2020. Prior to her studies at Curtis, Ms. Pogossian attended the Colburn Music Academy, where she studied with Paul Coletti and Che-Yen (Brian) Chen. As an Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Scholarship recipient, she has performed at several high-profile concerts, including a joint recital with her brother, Edvard, at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Pogossian is an alumna of NPR's "From the Top" radio show, and her quartet was the Junior Bronze Medal winner of the 2017 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. An avid chamber musician, she has attended numerous summer festivals, including the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Taos School of Music, Perlman Music Program, and Yellow Barn Young Artists Program. Committed to musical outreach, Ms. Pogossian has frequently performed at schools, retirement centers, and hospitals in the greater Los Angeles and Philadelphia areas, and is also an organizer of several Music for Food performances, raising funds for local food banks. Ms. Pogossian is lucky enough to have an entire family of musicians, with whom she frequently performs. During the pandemic, the Pogossian/Manouelian Clarinet Quintet collaborated with composers Timo Andres, Ian Krouse, Artashes Kartalyan, and Aida Shirazi, premiering each of their works in a series of online concerts. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory with Kim Kashkashian. About Peter Wiley: Peter Wiley, a 1974 graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, has played at leading festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, for which he also tours and records. As a recitalist he has appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. A member of the Beaux Arts Trio from 1987 to 1998, Mr. Wiley also succeeded his teacher, David Soyer, as cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet from 2001 to 2009. He is a member of the piano quartet Opus One, with Curtis faculty members Ida Kavafian and Steven Tenenbom and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. Mr. Wiley entered Curtis at age thirteen. At twenty he was named principal cello of the Cincinnati Symphony, after one year with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He made his concerto debut at Carnegie Hall in 1986 with the New York String Orchestra conducted by Alexander Schneider. A past recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Wiley joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1996. He also teaches at the University of Maryland and Bard College Conservatory of Music. About 92nd Street Y:  The 92nd Street Y (92Y) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92Y offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92Y's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92Y.org. 
  • The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York's leading cultural venues, presents "Voice and the Violin": Joshua Bell, violin and Larisa Martinez, soprano, on October 20, 2022 at 7:30pm ET at the Kaufmann Concert Hall. Joshua Bell, Larisa Martinez, and Peter Dugan open the season with an array of arias, solos, and duets specially arranged for them. The concert will also be available for viewing online for 72 hours from time of broadcast. Tickets for both the in-person and livestream options start at $25 and are available at 92ny.org/event/joshua-bell-and-larisa-martinez.

    Program:
    Mendelssohn, "Ah, ritorna, età dell'oro" from Infelice
    Bloch, "Nigun" from Baal Shem
    Massenet, "Je suis encore tout étourdie" from Manon
    Hérold, "Jours de mon enfance" from Le pré aux clercs
    Chopin, Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2 (arr. Bell/Wallace)
    Delibes, "Les Filles des Cadix"
    Rachmaninoff, "O Cease Thy Singing, Maiden Fair"
    Wienawski, Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16
    Gimenez, "Zapateado"
    Narciso Figueroa, "Mi Rancho"
    Bernstein, West Side Story Suite (Arr. Brohn/czarnecki)

    "Our concept for the Voice and the Violin program began during the pandemic, while we were quarantined and finding new ways to collaborate and enjoy music together. Although finding repertoire written specifically for violin and voice can be a challenge, we discovered and fell in love with these gems featured in tonight's performance. An example of this comes from one of Mendelssohn's lesser-known works, "Ah, ritorna, età dell'oro" from Infelice. It was wonderful to explore a work by one of our favorite composers that was originally written for this unique instrumentation. Another happy discovery was Hérold's "Jours de mon enfance" from the opera Le pré aux clercs. This piece features exciting dialogue moments between the voice and the violin, making it especially fun for us to perform this piece together. Larisa is especially proud to showcase the song 'Mi Rancho' by Puerto Rican composer Narciso Figueroa, and lyrics by Luis Lloréns Torres, as a little gem from her homeland. Closing the performance is a medley based on Bernstein's beloved West Side Story suite, arranged by our friend Charles Czarnecki. Based on an earlier violin and orchestra arrangement of the suite, this piece now sparkles in a new light. We are so happy to see this project come to fruition and are thrilled to be performing it with our friend Peter Dugan." - Joshua Bell and Larisa Martínez


    About the Artists

    With a career spanning almost four decades, GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated artists of his era. Having performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, Bell continues to maintain engagements as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor and Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

    Bell's highlights in the 2021-22 season include leading the Academy of St Martin in the Fields at the 2021 BBC Proms, throughout Europe, and the U.S. on tour; returning with the Philadelphia Orchestra for a play/conduct program, to the Verbier Festival, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic; and tours with the Israel Philharmonic and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra as soloist. Additional 2021-22 performances to be announced.

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell joined the classical music world in bringing world-class performances online. In summer 2020, PBS presented Joshua Bell: At Home With Music, a nationwide broadcast directed by Tony and Emmy award winner, Dori Berinstein, produced entirely in lockdown. The program included core classical repertoire as well as new arrangements of beloved works, including a West Side Story medley. The special featured guest artists Larisa Martínez, Jeremy Denk, Peter Dugan, and Kamal Khan. In August 2020, Sony Classical released the companion album to the special, "Joshua Bell: At Home With Music.

    In 2011, Bell was named Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, succeeding Sir Neville Marriner, who formed the orchestra in 1959. Bell's history with the Academy dates back to 1986 when he first recorded the Bruch and Mendelsohn concertos with Mariner and the orchestra. Bell has since directed the orchestra on several albums including Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Voice of the Violin, For the Love of Brahms, and most recently, Bruch: Scottish Fantasy, which was nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY® Award.

    Bell has performed for three American presidents and the sitting justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. He participated in former president Barack Obama's Committee on the Arts and Humanities' first cultural mission to Cuba, joining Cuban and American musicians on a 2017 Live from Lincoln Center Emmy nominated PBS special, Joshua Bell: Seasons of Cuba, celebrating renewed cultural diplomacy between Cuba and the United States.

    Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Bell began the violin at age four, and at age twelve, began studies with his mentor, Josef Gingold. At age 14, Bell debuted with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 17 with the St. Louis Symphony. At age 18, Bell signed with his first label, London Decca, and received the Avery Fisher Career Grant. In the years following, Bell has been named 2010 "Instrumentalist of the Year" by Musical America, a 2007 "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum, nominated for six GRAMMY® awards, and received the 2007 Avery Fisher Prize. He has also received the 2003 Indiana Governor's Arts Award and a Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 1991 from the Jacobs School of Music. In 2000, he was named an "Indiana Living Legend."

    Pianist Peter Dugan's debut performances with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony were described by the Los Angeles Times as "stunning" and by the SF Chronicle as "fearlessly athletic." He is heard across America as the host of NPR's beloved program From the Top. He has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and abroad, and can be heard as the piano soloist on a new release of Ives' Fourth Symphony from Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. In 2020, he joined violinist Joshua Bell for At Home With Music, a national PBS broadcast and live album release on Sony Classical. Prizing stylistic versatility as the hallmark of a 21st century musician, Mr. Dugan is equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms.
     
    A sought-after multi-genre artist, Mr. Dugan has performed in duos and trios with artists ranging from Itzhak Perlman and Renee Fleming to Jesse Colin Young and Glenn Close. The Wall Street Journal described Mr. Dugan's collaboration with violinist Charles Yang as a "classical-meets-rockstar duo." This season Yang and Dugan are Artists in Residence at New York's Kaufman Music Center and the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. 
       
    Mr. Dugan has been presented in chamber music recitals by Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Music at Menlo, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and the Moab Music Festival. He was a 2021 featured recitalist and lecturer for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and has soloed with the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and New World Symphony.
       
    His latest album with baritone John Brancy – The Journey Home: Live from the Kennedy Center – was released on Avie Records in 2021 along with an accompanying documentary film from WNET's AllArts. Together Brancy and Dugan won first prize at the 2018 Montreal International Music Competition and second prize at the 2017 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition.
     
    Mr. Dugan advocates the importance of music in the community and at all levels of society. As a founding creator of Operation Superpower, a superhero opera for children, he has travelled to dozens of schools in the greater New York area, performing for students and encouraging them to use their talents – their superpowers – for good. He is head of the Artist in Residence program at pianoSonoma and a founding faculty member of the Resonance and Soundboard Institutes at Honeywell Arts Academy. 
       
    Mr. Dugan holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Matti Raekallio. He resides in New York City with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, and serves on the piano faculty at The Juilliard School Extension. Mr. Dugan is a Yamaha Artist.

    Internationally acclaimed soprano Larisa Martínez is widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents of her generation. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she has been highly praised for her warm lyric coloratura voice and captivating stage presence. After performing Rossini's Corinna from Il Viaggio a Reims, Fred Kohn (Opera News) wrote, ''Ms. Martínez cut an elegant figure, her deportment on stage matching that of her singing." She recently made her Chicago Symphony debut at the 2021 Ravinia Festival, and has been recently seen as Violetta in La Traviata, conducted by Eugene Kohn (Wichita Grand Opera), as Sophie alongside superstar tenor Piotr Beczala in Werther (Culturarte), as Maria in West Side Story conducted by Lawrence Foster with Metropolitan Opera tenor Michael Fabiano (Festival Napa Valley), and as Musetta in La Bohème alongside tenor Roberto Algana (Culturarte).

    In 2019, Ms. Martínez made her Kennedy Center debut in recital and Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage debut, singing Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Athens Philharmonic under the baton of Yiannis Hadjiloizou. In 2020, she appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony, performing Heitor Villa-Lobos' Floresta do Amazonas. Other concert appearances include Mahler's Symphony No.4 and Mozart's Requiem in D minor and Voci di Domani, presented by Renata Scotto and recorded by Euroclassics in Rome. In 2016, she created the role of Isaura in the world premiere of Mercadante's Francesca da Rimini in Italy, conducted by Maestro Fabio Luisi and directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi. That same year, Ms. Martínez was invited as part of President Barack Obama's artistic delegation to Cuba, in an effort to expand cultural collaboration and friendships between the two countries, culminating in the Emmy®-nominated PBS special, Live from Lincoln Center: Seasons of Cuba where she was showcased.

    For the last three years, Ms. Martínez has toured with tenor Andrea Bocelli, debuting at Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl and throughout North America, South America, and Europe. She also has a long history of collaborations with violinist Joshua Bell, including two PBS specials and an upcoming "Voice and the Violin" concert tour.

    In 2016, she won the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Audition in Puerto Rico, as well as the Angel Ramos Foundation Award and the Audience Prize. Soon after, she was invited by the Metropolitan Opera Guild 2018 Annual Gala as a guest artist to honor Anna Netrebko. In 2018, EastWest Sounds Studios chose and sampled her voice for its new virtual instrument software, "Voices of Opera," used by composers and engineers worldwide.

    In addition to studying Vocal Performance at the Music Conservatory in San Juan, Larisa simultaneously received her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences with high honors from the University of Puerto Rico. She went on to receive a Master's degree from Mannes the New School of Music in New York City. Larisa is a board member at the Silk Road Ensemble, and a proud artistic resident of Turnaround Arts, led by the Presidential Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, an organization that strives to transform schools in need through the arts.


    2022/23 TISCH MUSIC SEASON

    In this first season curated by 92NY's new Vice President of Tisch Music Amy Lam, the season will feature 39 events, more than 20 92NY debuts, 31 premieres, and four 92NY commissions. The 22/23 season includes premieres of Joseph Schwantner's guitar quintet Song of a Dreaming Sparrow, a song cycle by Anthony Cheung, and works by Laurie Anderson, Timo Andres, Marcos Balter, Christopher Cerrone, Nicholas DiBerardino, Reena Esmail, inti figgis-vizueta, John Glover, Ted Hearne, Fred Hersch, Stephen Hough, Jimmy López, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Angélica Negrón, Mary Prescott, Caroline Shaw, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Darian Donovan Thomas, Scott Wollschleger, Pamela Z, and more.

    Select Highlights:
    This season marks the first time 92NY is presenting a fully integrated concert season across genres, including performances by Kate Baldwin, Joshua Bell, Regina Carter, Angela Hewitt, Larisa Martinez, Branford Marsalis, Kelli O'Hara, Eric Owens, Pepe Romero, Caroline Shaw, Sir András Schiff, Daniil Trifonov, and Jessica Vosk.
    The World Premiere of a 92NY-commissioned piece from composer Jimmy López, performed by J'Nai Bridges and the Catalyst Quartet.
    The New York premiere of Difficult Grace by cellist Seth Parker Woods and dancer Roderick George, presented in collaboration with Harkness Dance Center.
    An in-depth two-day Julius Eastman retrospective featuring LA-based music collective Wild Up in three concerts, as well as exhibits, and panel discussions with Eastman friends and scholars examining the life of one of the 20th century's most iconoclastic voices.
    The Bach Collegium Japan, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki with baritone Roderick Williams.
    92NY's signature series exploring the American songbook, Lyrics and Lyricists, continues to explore the best of Broadway, while also highlighting significant contributions to American culture by singer-songwriters across a variety of musical genres such as Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, the Mamas and the Papas, and more.
    Two co-presentations in a collaboration with the World Music Institute featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazoand Songs for Babyn Yar, originally produced by UK's Dash Arts.
    Two performances as part of an ongoing partnerships with The Curtis Institute of Music.
    Jazz, which has been a staple of 92NY's Tisch season since Thelonius Monk and Charles Mingus took to the stage in 1955, will be performed by world-class musicians like Branford Marsalis, Fred Hersch, and Regina Carter not just within the renowned Jazz in July series, but throughout the year.

    About The 92nd Street Y, New York: The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.
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