Chicago, here I come!

I will be spending most of the winter in Chicago. I hope to do some vocal teaching while I am in residence in the Kenwood section of the city.

Anyone interested in studying can reach me through www.voiceteachers.com  Click Illinois.

 

Here is a picture of me taken this summer in Venice, standing on Fondamenta Alberti, a walkway beside one of the many canals in that city that was named for my ancestors. Pietro Cesare Alberti was the first Italian-American, coming to Nieuw Amsterdam in 1635. Hence the name of my blog.

Back to Front

Tonight Alice and I saw a truly remarkable play at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield:Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris.The play won the Tony award for Best Play in 2012, the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards (London) for Best Play 2011, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2011.
Bruce Norris

Needless to say it is something else.

The play, Act 1, takes place in 1959 in Chicago.The play was  inspired by Lorraine Hansbury's play A Raisin in the Sun, which I saw on Broadway with Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. It was also made into a film. In this case instead of seeing the lives of the black family whose mother uses her money to buy the house she can afford, which is in an all-white neighborhood, we look in on the white family who are selling them the house.

Each of the remarkable actors plays two roles; one in the first act and a different role in Act 2, which takes place in 2009. They are Remi Sandri as Russ/Dan, Carol Halstead as Bev/Kathy, Lynnette R. Freeman as Francine/Lena, Kevin Crouch as Jim/Tom/Kenneth,Andy Lucien as Albert/Kevin,Greg Jackson as Karl/Steve, and Clea Alsip as Betsy/Lindsey. Their transformation is magical.

The excellent direction is by Giovanna Sardelli. She gets the cast to pull out all the stops!

Their transformation between the acts is simply astonishing. In Act 1 (1959) the white family are selling their house because their son, a returning Korean War veteran, has hung himself in his bedroom. The father is especially distraught. They sell to the black family before realizing what is going on. A member of the neighborhood committee offers the black family money not to move into the neighborhood, but the strong black mother is determined to do this. In this play, this man comes to the house and argues with the owners to stop the sale. The sale goes through. We never meet the black family.

Between the acts we witnessed something I have never seen happen on any stage. The stagehands literally take the set apart in front of our eyes, removing wall panels, the fireplace mantle,removing doors and light fixtures, revealing graffiti everywhere. A crack house.

Now a white family wants to buy the house in what has become a black neighborhood. Regentification at work. The black neighbors are incensed that the new owners want to tear down the existing house and build a larger, taller one in spite of that fact that the neighborhood has been designated a historic bungalow district. What goes around comes around!

The play is funny, touching, angry, sad, all of the above and more. No wonder it won all the prizes. We are glad to have seen it.

Fiddle-dee-dee

This has been a weekend for the string section. Saturday David and I attended a private recital by Yevgeny Kutik and Lenore Davis at the home of Ms. Davis in West Stockbridge.
 

Yevgeny is, of course, my favorite violinist ever, being the first winner of the Ferris Burtis Competition some years ago, as well as being one of the five young artists the Foundation is helping in their education and careers.

Each time I hear him play I am amazed at how he constantly grows in virtuosity, depth of emotion, and intense musicianship. Yesterday was no exception. Ms. Davis is a fine pianist and their ensemble was excellent.

Some of the program included Russian compositions that will be featured on his new CD which he will begin recording soon in Rockland, Massachusetts, set for release in the fall. I look forward to that day! The Ferris Burtis Foundation is aiding him financially in the production of this CD.

A very appreciative audience gave the two artists a rousing Bravi  at the end of the concert. He is already lined up to perform a very busy concert schedule this season throughout the USA and in Australia.

For more information see: www.yevgenykutik.com and
http://ferrisburtisfoundation.blogspot.com   

On Sunday afternoon we attended a concert by the violin students  of Elizabeth Faidley, an extraordinary teacher whose studio is in Northern New Jersey.

The very talented performers were Cameron Baumann, 14, Adriana Bay, 14, Emily Chen, 17, Alexi Dufour-Nevitski, 12, Margot Kanagy, 16, Andrew Kirjner, 15, Coco Mi, 12, Maia Schmidt, 14, Tristan Siegel, 17, and Meena Sinha 18. This is an amazing group of young violinists who all perform with wonderful intonation, depth of emotion, and excellent technique. They are fortunate to be studying with a teacher of Ms. Faidley's ability.

Michael Wittenburg was the excellent pianist who accompanied these young virtuosi in an exhausting program, which included four movements from various violin concerti.

The concert was held in Trinity Episcopal Church in Lenox, Massachusetts. It climaxed several weeks of 'Violin Camp' that Ms. Faidley holds every summer for her students.

I state without reservation that if you are looking for a fine violin teacher in the New York area, look no further.

www.elizabethfaidley.com  

What's in a name?

Tonight Linda, Sue, David and I saw a most remarkable play about a group of trans-gender persons who support each other, love each other and fight with each other. Southern Comfort by Dan Collins (Book and Lyrics) and Julianne Wick Davis (Music), conceived by Robert DuSold and Thomas Caruso is playing at Barrington Stage's St. Germain Theatre. Robert DuSold conceived and developed the transfer of Kate Davis's documentary Southern Comfort  to the musical stage.

This musical drama knocked me out, to put it mildly. This is probably because I have been involved with the work of GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) in obtaining the recent Supreme Court decision to declare DOMA unconstitutional and bring same sex marriage into full legality. GLAD also works with trans-gender persons, trying to get fair treatment in an un-fair world. This story is remarkable, dramatic, and totally absorbing.  You cannot leave the theatre unmoved.

The story involves a group of persons, each of whom is in some stage of changing gender.

The incredible Annette O'Toole portrays 'Robert', a woman who has gone through part of the transition to being a man and who is dying of ovarian cancer.  Her involvement in this role is mind-boggling.

Jeff McCarthy plays 'Lola', a man trying to decide if he wants to go through with the transformation. He is 'Robert's' girlfriend. He is good in the part, but having seen him portray Sweeney Todd in a previous Barrington Stage production made it a little more difficult for me to accept him in this role.



Todd Cerveris plays 'Sam' who was born Barbara and is part way to becoming a man.

Lizzie Hagstedt is a Storeyteller and plays the bass fiddle.

Natalie Joy Johnson is 'Carly', a man who has gone through the entire process of becoming a woman, including the sexual surgery.

Jeffrey Kuhn is 'Jackson', a woman who has decided to have the complete surgery but in the end decides against it.

David M. Lutken is a Storyteller and guitar player, as well as playing several small roles.

Robin Skye portrays 'Melanie', a woman who is in love with 'Jackson', even though he is not yet fully male.

Joel Waggoner is a Storyteller and violinist.

Elizabeth Ward Land is a Storyteller and plays percussion.

Every member of the cast acts and sings with an intensity that is almost frightening. The problems of the trans-gender community is brought forth in violent detail. This is a night in the theatre I will not soon forget.

Wonderful Town!!

Tonight Alice, Sue, David and I saw a fabulous performance of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town at Barrington Stage. Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote the witty and sophisticated libretto. It was based on the earlier ballet Fancy Free.

From start to finish it was obvious that this was going to be a block-buster. The cast, which included Clyde Alves, Deanna Doyle, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Elizabeth Stanley, Alysha Umphress, and the remarkable Tony Yazbeck, were all top notch, especially Mr. Yazbeck, who has an amazing set of pipes! But they all sang and danced the choreography of Joshua Bergasse (based on the original of Jerome Robbins) with elan.

The story of three sailors who have a twenty-four hour pass in New York City, their adventures and mis-adventures, is still fun after all these years. This energetic young cast brought us right back to the 1940's with its wild music and hep-cat attitude. The direction by John Rando and the musical direction by Darren. R. Cohen was superb.

Linda Lavin

Tonight David and I heard another one of the last of the 'Red Hot Mamas', Linda Lavin, in her one woman show at Barrington Stage. A slightly younger version of Barbara Cook, Elaine Stritch, and Tyne Daly, she gave us an energetic concert of songs that she had sung on Broadway as well as standards.

Her voice has held up pretty well through her seventy-five years and she still looks darned good.



Her combo consisted of the incomparable Billy Stritch, as music director and pianist, John Hart on guitar, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Linda's husband, Steve Bakunas on drums. They make a great team. Late in the show she introduced Aaron Weinstein, a jazz violinist, whose playing was, unfortunately, not amplified well and of whom, therefore, I can give no report of his abilities.

She opened with a song that has been a favorite of mine from The Mad Show. It is a spoof on 'The girl from Ipanema. Only this is the boy from 'Tacarembo La Tumbe Del Fuego Santa Malipas Zacatecas La Junta Del Sol Y Cruz' who moves to 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerych-
wyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch' in Wales. She delivers it in a slightly flat, unexpressive voice; a take-off on Astrid Gilberto. It is a show stopper.

Ms. Lavin wanders about the stage, often turning her back on the audience to sing to each of her combo in turn. Effective but a little odd, since she is, after all, the star. Her vocal delivery is fairly monochromatic; none of the nuance of Amanda McBroom. But she brings each number off with energy.

It was an enjoyable evening. Tomorrow night we will return to Barrington Stage for their production of On the Town by Leonard Bernstein. Two in a row, then off to Italy on Wednesday.

Bravi a tutti!

Sunday, June 9th was the third annual Ferris Burtis Music Foundation Benefit Concert at the Sandisfield Arts Center. A large, enthusiastic crowd greeted the young performers who presented a sensational program.

The program opened with 'cellist Julian Muller, then Gabriella Makuc, pianist, Katie Weiser, soprano and Jerry Noble, pianist, and, following an intermission, Yevgeny Kutik, violinist and Timothy Bozarth pianist.

The level of performance was over the top! All of these young artists have grown musically and technically since last year's concert. Members of the audience were visibly moved by the level of talent on display.

The Foundation is helping four young people in their college education as well as helping Yevgeny Kutik in his international career.

Tax exempt gifts to the Foundation are always welcome. Checks payable to Ferris Burtis Foundation are tax exempt and always welcome to help the work of the Foundation. Send your gift to Ferris Burtis Foundation, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, 800 N. Main St., Sheffield, MA 01257. Thank you! Herb

Here they are:

 

Julian Muller, 'cellist who will spend the summer at the Yellow Barn in Putney, Vermont this summer and who will return to the Cleveland Institute of Music for his third year in the fall.

 

 

 

Gabriella Makuc, pianist who will enter her second year at Lawrence College in Wisconsin.

 

 

 

Katie Weiser, soprano, who will enter the Graduate School of Music at Syracuse University this fall where she will study with Janet Brown, who is a long time student of Herbert Burtis.

 

Yevgeny Kutik, violinist who will receive financial help from the Foundation to continue his international career which this season has included symphony appearances in such far-flung places as Juneau, Alaska, and Montenegro.

 

These are the young artists of the Ferris Burtis Music Foundation. Next fall the Foundation will add Frederick Herrman, organist, to the list of students being aided. He will attend Baldwin Wallace College in Cleveland, Ohio.