Culture Project (Allan Buchman, Artistic Director) announced today (on the actual date of Robert Schumann's 200th birthday) that it will present a very special New York performance celebrating the 200th birthday of composer Robert Schumann with a special performance of Twin Spirits, an intimate theatrical event devised and directed for the stage by Tony Award-winner John Caird, and featuring Sting, Trudie Styler and Joshua Bell, among other artists, on Thursday, June 30, 7:30 p.m, at The Allen Room at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center on Broadway at 60th Street, New York City.
Twin Spirits is a poetic meditation on the passionate relationship between composer Robert Schumann and wife Clara Wieck. Sting joins his wife, actress, producer and philanthropist Trudie Styler to read from the letters between Robert and Clara. Their story is illustrated and interwoven with music composed by Robert - whose spirit will be embodied by pianist Jeremy Denk, baritone Nathan Gunn and violinist Joshua Bell - and by Clara, who is evoked by pianist Natasha Paremski, soprano Camille Zamora, and cellist Nina Kotova.
A portion of the proceeds from the performance will benefit the Music Unites Youth Choir, bringing together public high school students from across the five boroughs.
Twin Spirits was first performed in 2005, and was recorded before a small audience in a small studio space at London's Royal Opera House in 2007, and released on the Opus Arte label in 2009.
Culture Project is New York's premier destination for artistic work that investigates urgent social and political issues. By fostering innovative collaboration between human rights organizations and theatre, music and film artists, Culture Project aims to inspire and impact public dialogue and policy, encouraging democratic participation in the most urgent matters of our time.
Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Allan Buchman, Culture Project has premiered celebrated shows including The Exonerated, Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel, Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, Lawrence Wright's My Trip To Al-Qaeda, Tings Dey Happen, the Lucille Lortel Award-winning world premiere of George Packer's Betrayed and Temple University's acclaimed production of In Conflict. Most recently, Culture Project produced Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum, a groundbreaking concert at the United Nations to commemorate the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. For more information, visit cultureproject.org.
Music Unites, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is dedicated to bringing music education to underprivileged children in underfunded inner city school systems. Music Unites' goal is to connect people through the universality of music by providing communities with opportunities for a rich musical experience. This is achieved through education programs and by offering established and emerging musicians performance opportunities in a variety of venues and locations, including schools, where they act as mentors to the students. Music Unites also nourishes the next generation of performers by providing audiences and performance opportunities, while at the same time enriching the listening experience of the public, allowing them to experience new forms and genres through exposure to an increasingly diverse world of music. For more information, visit musicunites.org.
