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Eric Salzman
Eric Salzman (September 8, 1933 – November 12, 2017) was an American composer, scholar, author, impresario, music critic, and record producer. He is known for advancing the concept of "New Music Theater" (in his compositions and his large body of writing) as an independent art form differing in scope, both economically and aesthetically, from grand opera and contemporary popular musicals. He co-founded the American Music Theater Festival and was, at the time of his death in 2017, Composer-in-Residence at the Center for Contemporary Opera. Salzman's one true opera, ''Big Jim and the Small-Time Investors'' (written and revised between 1985 and 2017), was developed in workshops at CCO in 2010 and 2014. It received its world-premiere production at Symphony Space in 2018, five months after his death, praised by Opera News as "truly a fine piece of post-modern creative work." Performers of his works include the New York Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Center For Contemporary Opera
The Center for Contemporary Opera (CCO) is a professional opera company based in New York City, and a member of OPERA America. The company focuses on producing and developing new opera and music theater works and reviving rarely seen American operas written after the second World War. The Center for Contemporary Opera has staged the premieres of many works written during the latter half of the twentieth century. Works are performed at all stages of development from readings to workshops to full productions on the professional stage. In line with its mission to promote an interest in new operatic and music-theater culture among the American public, the company presents panel discussions and colloquia, and publishes a bi-annual newsletter ''Opera Today''. Since 2004, the company has been a regular participant in the New York City Opera's annual festival, "Vox: Showcasing American Composers".Tommasini, AnthonyIf Operas Can Make It Here... ''New York Times'', June 6, 2004. Accessed 26 Mar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Montbrison, Loire, Montbrison in the Loire department of France, the son of an engineer, Boulez studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Olivier Messiaen, and privately with Andrée Vaurabourg and René Leibowitz. He began his professional career in the late 1940s as music director of the Renaud-Barrault theatre company in Paris. He was a leading figure in avant-garde music, playing an important role in the development of integral serialism (in the 1950s), Aleatoric music, controlled chance music (in the 1960s) and the electronic transformation of instrumental music in real time (from the 1970s onwards). His tendency to revise earlier compositions meant that his body of work was relatively small, but it included pieces regarded by many as lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stacy Keach
Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fictional detective Mike Hammer, which he played in numerous stand-alone television films and at least three television series throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1984. He has appeared as the lead in films such as '' Fat City'' and ''The Ninth Configuration''. He has also performed as a narrator for programs including CNBC'S ''American Greed'' (2008–) and various educational television programs. Comedic roles include Ken, the father of comedian Christopher Titus in the FOX sitcom ''Titus'' (2000–2002), and as Sergeant Stedenko in Cheech & Chong's films '' Up in Smoke'' (1978) and ''Nice Dreams'' (1981). Keach won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for the televi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Young (tenor)
Thomas Young is a Grammy and Clio-award winning American lyric tenor. His first appearance at New York City Opera was in the roles of Street and Elijah Muhammed in the world première performance of Anthony Davis's '' X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X''. He made his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in the world première of ''Amistad'' by the same composer, portraying the Trickster God. Davis then composed another role for Young in his opera ''Under the Double Moon'', which received its première at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Young's other performances have included Aron in Schoenberg's ''Moses und Aron'' and Desportes in Zimmermann's ''Die Soldaten'' at City Opera; John Adams's ''The Death of Klinghoffer'' at San Francisco Opera; Schwalb in Hindemith's ''Mathis der Maler'' at The Royal Opera, Covent Garden; and Polo in Tan Dun's ''Marco Polo'' at the Hong Kong Festival, a role he created for the Biennale Festival (Munich). He has sung under the batons of Marin Alsop, Jame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theo Bleckmann
Theodor Raoul Bleckmann (born 28 May 1966) is a German singer and composer. Biography Bleckmann was born in Dortmund, West Germany. He planned to be an ice skater before becoming a vocalist. In 1989 he moved to New York City and recorded his first two albums, ''Theo & Kirk'' (1992) and ''Looking Glass River'' (1995) with Kirk Nurock. His mentor was Sheila Jordan, and he appeared on her album ''Jazz Child'' (1999). With guitarist Ben Monder he recorded his first solo album, ''Origami'' (2001), an album of impressionistic vocalese and lyrics sung in German and French. He collaborated with pianist Fumio Yasuda on the albums ''Las Vegas Rhapsody: The Night They Invented Champagne'' (2006), ''Berlin – Songs of Love and War, Peace and Exile'' (2007), and ''Schumann's Favored Bar Songs'' (2009). The last album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album. He was given the Echo Jazz award for ''I Dwell in Possibility'' (Winter & Winter, 2010). The album ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Zukofsky
Paul Zukofsky (October 22, 1943 – June 6, 2017) was an American violinist and conductor known for his work in the field of contemporary classical music. Career Born in Brooklyn, New York, Paul Zukofsky was the only child of the American objectivist poet Louis Zukofsky and Celia Thaew Zukofsky, a musician and composer. Both parents were children of Yiddish-speaking immigrants from what was then the eastern Russian Empire (now Belarus). Revealing a precocious talent, he began taking music lessons at age three, soon concentrated on the violin, and at seven became a student of Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School of Music. He made his first orchestral appearance in 1952 with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and a formal debut recital at Carnegie Hall in 1956.Slonimsky, Nicolas, ed. (2001). "Zukofsky, Paul", ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' (9th edn.). New York: Schirmer Books. Vol. 6, p. 4044. . ''The New York Times'' praised his technique, noting he had gone through ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Igor Kipnis
Igor Kipnis (September 27, 1930January 23, 2002) was a German-born American harpsichordist, pianist and conductor. Biography The son of Metropolitan Opera bass Alexander Kipnis, he was born in Berlin, where his father was singing with the Berlin State Opera. Although Jewish, the elder Kipnis was popular in Germany during Nazism's rise to prominence. Employing the stratagem of a vocal injury, the elder Kipnis fled Germany for Austria. When the Nazis annexed that country, the family was touring Australia. From there they moved to the US in 1938. He learned the piano with his maternal grandfather, Heniot Levy; attended the Westport School of Music, and received his B.A. from Harvard University, where he served as the program director of WHRB, Harvard's undergraduate radio station. He studied harpsichord with Fernando Valenti, and made his concert debut in New York in 1959. He was an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa (Harvard, 1977), and in 1993 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Titus
Alan Titus (born in New York City, on October 28, 1945) is an internationally celebrated baritone. Life and career Titus studied under Aksel Schiøtz at the Colorado School of Music, and Hans Heinz at The Juilliard School. His official debut was as Marcello in ''La bohème'' in Washington, D.C., in 1969. He came to prominence, however, in Leonard Bernstein's theatre piece ''MASS'', creating the role of the Celebrant. ''MASS'' was commissioned by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for the September 1971 opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Titus created the role of Archie Kramer in Lee Hoiby's ''Summer and Smoke'' (after Tennessee Williams) in St. Paul in 1971, and repeated the role in his New York City Opera debut that same year. He found a home at the New York City Opera, where he was a leading baritone for many seasons. He participated in nationally televised performances of ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'' (with Beverly Sills, 1976), ''Il turco in Italia'' (1978) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stanley Silverman
Stanley Silverman (born July 5, 1938, in New York City) is an American composer, arranger, conductor and guitarist. Silverman's diverse career covers music theatre, film, television, classical and pop music. His work has featured on stages across the world including on and off-Broadway and his collaborators include Richard Foreman, Anthony Burgess and Arthur Miller. He has also worked with renowned directors Mike Nichols and Arthur Penn. Silverman worked with Paul Simon on his musical ''The Capeman'' in 1998 for which his orchestrations were nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards. His music has been performed by Pierre Boulez, Michael Tilson Thomas, Tashi, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and pop icons James Taylor and Sting. Across a successful career as a conductor, Silverman worked on the Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy Award nominated 1976 Joseph Papp production of ''The Threepenny Opera'' which starred in the lead role Raul Julia. Early life Stanley Silverman was born ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary Thomas (soprano)
Averil Mary Thomas (2 August 1932 – 17 April 1997) was a Welsh soprano. Career After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, she established herself in the 1960s as a successful early music performer. She appeared as a soloist as well as a member of the Deller Consort. She was also notable for her work in contemporary music. Peter Maxwell Davies wrote pieces with her voice and dramatic ability in mind. Notable performances She gave the first performances of a number of works by Peter Maxwell Davies, accompanied by the Fires of London. * ''Revelation and Fall'' (premiered February 1968, adapted 1980). * ''Missa super l'homme armé'' (premiered February 1968, revised 1971). She appeared at the Proms between 1962 and 1983 singing music ranging from Baroque to Maxwell Davies. Selected recordings * Thomas' vocals appeared on the 1976 ELO track, "Rockaria!", which was released as a single in 1977 and reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Langridge
Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio. Early life Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educated at Maidstone Grammar School and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He started his career as an orchestral violinist, which exposed him to a great variety of music. Career Langridge was admired for his fine singing technique coupled with keen dramatic instincts. His repertoire was broad, ranging from the operas of Claudio Monteverdi and Mozart to more modern works by Ravel, Stravinsky, Janáček and Schoenberg. At the end of his life, he was adding some Wagner roles, including Loge from ''Das Rheingold''. Langridge was also a fine concert singer and regularly performed the sacred music of Bach and Handel. He also won great acclaim for his portrayal of the title role in Elgar's ''The Dream of Gerontius''. In recent years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kronos Quartet
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical music. More than 900 works have been commission (art), written for it. History The quartet was founded by violinist David Harrington in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. Its first performance was in November 1973. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers (from 1978 to 1999) had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan Jeanrenaud on cello. In 1999, Jeanrenaud left Kronos because she was "eager for something new"; she was replaced by Jennifer Culp, who, in turn, left in 2005 and was replaced by Jeffrey Zeigler. In June 2013, Zeigler was replaced by Sunny Yang. With over 40 studio albums to their credit and having performed worldwide, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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