From Schubert to the Beatles, NYFOS Sets Its 2015-16 Season

NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG -- the only New York organization devoted solely to the astonishing variety and power of song -- has announced its 2015-16 season.

This year features four brand-new Mainstage programs from Schubert and the Beatles to rarely-heard Latina Composers; a collaboration with the New York Philharmonic, in which NYFOS joins the NY Phil's Rachmaninoff festival for a Mainstage recital; the New York recital debut of two rising vocalists, Soprano María Valdés and baritone Efraín Solís; the return of many NYFOS favorites, including Paul Appleby, Dina Kuznetsova, Sari Gruber and Andrew Garland; and a new line-up for NYFOS Next: the festival of new song; as well as premiere-filled evenings curated and hosted by David T. Little, Lowell Liebermann, and the Manhattan School of Music.

Artistic Director Steven Blier talks about the new season: "Rachmaninoff, the Beatles, Schubert, and Latin American music-my mind is already exploding from next year's concerts, and the books are stacking up on my night table. We have a beautiful roster of performers on deck-old friends like Paul Appleby, Dina Kuznestsova, Andy Garland, and Sari Gruber, and newcomers to the series too-Shea Owens, María Valdés, and violinist Charles Yang, powerhouse artists who blend elegant musicianship with a welcome streak of wildness. Perfect for our globetrotting repertoire, from Russia to Brazil, from 'She's Leaving Home' to 'Der Wanderer an den Mond'-classic and exotic, true NYFOS territory."

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THE '15/16 SEASON

NYFOS MAINSTAGE

Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street
All three concerts begin at 8:00PM

Steven Blier & Michael Barrett, pianos
$140-$200 Subscriptions for Entire Series

$40-$55 for Single Tickets; $10 for Student Tickets

$20 for Real Deal Tickets: Advance Purchase, Limited Availability and Seating
Purchase tickets beginning July 1, 2015
online at www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org
or by calling (212) 501 3330

Steven Blier and Michael Barrett have hosted New York Festival of Song's signature series since founding NYFOS in 1988. Blier is a national treasure, adored for his boundless knowledge of song, smart and funny stage commentary, meticulously researched program notes, and gift for imparting his passion to the singers he coaches. Barrett-the perfect foil for Blier-is a sublime and suave musician, the mastermind of Caramoor (2003-2012) and the Moab Music Festival (1992-today). These two have pioneered and explored the art of the thematic song recital. Their programs draw from repertoire across musical genres and styles; they delight in unearthing rarely heard songs, and programming familiar works in surprising contexts. Audiences come away inspired, smiling, lighter on their feet. "An evening of transporting theatre-with music." (The New York Times)

From Russia to Riverside Drive:
Rachmaninoff and Friends

Tuesday, November 10, 2015, 8:00 p.m.

Dina Kuznetsova / Shea Owens

Before leaving his homeland, Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote some of the most ravishing songs in the repertoire-the last hurrah of the Romantic era. When he came to America he never again turned his hand to voice-and-piano music. But from his perch on West End Avenue he found himself surrounded by a new, modern spirit: the driving rhythms of the machine age and the irresistible appeal of jazz. NYFOS delves into the soulful cry of Rachmaninoff's Russian songs and also samples the music he heard during his years in the States with songs by Gershwin, Barber, and others.

Russian soprano and international star Dina Kuznetsova returns once again to NYFOS. Kuznetsova has appeared regularly with NYFOS since 2004, when she performed in a program alongside Stephanie Blythe. She is joined by the dynamic young baritone Shea Owens, who debuted last season in the NYFOS Next series and appeared as a Schwab Rising Vocal Star in NYFOS' collaboration with Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Theremin virtuoso Rob Schwimmer makes a special guest appearance.

This concert is presented as part of RACHMANINOFF: A Philharmonic Festival, during the New York Philharmonic's 2015-2016 fall season.

Schubert/Beatles

Tuesday, December 8, 2015, 8:00 p.m.

Sari Gruber / Paul Appleby / Andrew Garland

Two meteoric musical careers that captured the ethos of their era, a dual repertoire of songs so iconic as to have assumed the status of folk music: Franz Schubert and the team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon (with contributions from band-mate George Harrison). NYFOS invites audiences to experience the driving beat of Schubert and the exquisite lyricism of the Beatles, with titles ranging from "Der Wanderer an den Mond" to "She's Leaving Home."

Three longtime NYFOS favorites-rising star Paul Appleby, who has performed in 13 past NYFOS shows and whose recent role in the Metropolitan Opera's The Rake's Progress wowed critics with the "irresistible clarity" of his "honey-voiced" tenor (Vulture); "sensational" soprano Sari Gruber (Opera News); and the "commanding intensity" of baritone Andrew Garland (The New York Times)-join forces with the brilliantly chaotic violin sensation Charles Yang. NYFOS promises an unforgettable evening, as three generations of artists, all as steeped in the culture of Schubert as popular song, bring this definitive music to life in a fresh, original way.

At Home

Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 8:00 p.m.

NYFOS Mainstage concert 'Bel Canto/Can Belto' with Caramoor's Vocal Rising Stars, March 2015

Intrigues in the salon, the kitchen, the nursery, the bedroom: a mini-song cycle for every room in the house, with music by Saint-Saëns, Bernstein, Poulenc, Balfe, Montsalvatge, Bucchino, and many others.

The program features five young artists chosen to participate in 2016 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars, marking NYFOS' eighth annual residency at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. The residency is also part of the NYFOSEmerging Artists season and highlights the ongoing commitment of NYFOS in training the next generation of vocalists.

Compositora:
Songs by Latin American Women

Tuesday, April 26, 2016, 8:00 p.m.

María Valdés / Efraín Solís

Breaking the long "culture of silence" imposed on Latin American women, composers like María Grever (Mexico), Violeta Parra (Chile), Odaline de la Martínez (Cuba), Ernestina Lecuona (Cuba), Chabuca Granda (Peru), Susana Baca (Peru), Joyce Morena (Brazil), and Beatriz Lockhart (Venezuela) have made an irreplaceable and exuberant contribution to the world of song.

The evening marks the New York recital debuts of two rapidly rising vocalists-soprano María Valdés and baritone Efraín Solís, both lauded Adler fellows for the past two seasons at San Francisco Opera. The pair are American singers of Latin American descent-Valdés (Cuba) and Solís (Mexico). They are joined by piano, guitar, and percussion as this dazzling program ranges freely from the concert stage to the dance floor.

NYFOS NEXT:

the series for new song

OPERA America's National Opera Center

330 Seventh Avenue (at 29th Street), New York, NY
All concerts begin at 7:00PM
Extremely Limited Seating

Tickets: $20 per show or subscribe to see all three for $50
Available for purchase at www.nyfos.org/next or at the door (cash only)

Complimentary beverages will be served

"a series that makes a passionate case for the art song as a can't-live-without item
on any civilized traveler's packing list." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

"a breath of fresh air on the scene of serious vocal music." - Q ON STAGE

The "invaluable contemporary-music series" (The New Yorker) NYFOS Next enters its sixth season while continuing its new format-a three-concert mini-festival during the month of February. The location is the intimate state-of-the-art recital hall at OPERA America's National Opera Center.

With an emphasis on spontaneity, novelty, and collaboration, NYFOS Next looks to the future, offering today's song composers a forum for their work. Audiences get an intimate look inside the creative process, as freshly-minted songs are offered-some for the first time-in an informal setting. Curator/hosts for past NYFOSNexts include Bright Sheng, Paul Moravec, Gabriel Kahane, Joseph Thalken, Phil Kline, Carla Kilhstedt, Mohammed Fairouz, Kevin Puts, Russell Platt, Mark Adamo, John Musto, and Harold Meltzer. NYFOS artistic directors Steven Blier and Michael Barrett look to NYFOS Next as an ideal way to preview new compositions and talent for NYFOS's Mainstage series.

David T. Little & Friends

Tuesday, February 4, 2016, 7:00pm

One of "the most imaginative young composers" on the scene (The New Yorker) with "a knack for overturning musical conventions" (The New York Times), David T. Little makes his NYFOS debut, opening the 2016 edition of NYFOS Next. The first of three concerts in the series, Little hosts and curates an evening featuring new works of his own and the songs of his friends and colleagues. Little's operas Soldier Songs and Dog Days have received wide critical acclaim, the latter having received performances this season at Fort Worth Opera and Los Angeles Opera and hailed byThe Wall Street Journal as "one of the most exciting new operas of recent years." Little's "sharp, elegantly bristling" music (New York magazine) is potent and dramatic, drawing as much upon his experience as a punk/metal drummer as his classical pedigree. In his work he often undertakes political and existential themes, most recently gaining attention for success in writing for larger forces.

An Evening with
Manhattan School of Music

Tuesday, February 11, 2016, 7:00pm

NYFOS collaborates with the Manhattan School of Music composition department for an evening of new songs from MSM faculty, students, and alumni. Composers and faculty members Susan Botti and Richard Danielpour play host and curators for the evening, showcasing both established and emerging compositional voices from MSM's diverse and celebrated community.

Lowell Liebermann & Friends

Tuesday, February 18, 2016, 7:00pm

"As much of a traditionalist as an innovator" (The New York Times), Lowell Liebermann's music is known for its technical command and audience appeal. A significant American voice who has grown up alongside NYFOS-his Appalachian Liebeslieder was commissioned by NYFOS in 1996-Liebermann hosts the final of three evenings to round out the mini-festival. In addition to his celebrated instrumental works, Liebermann's two operas both premiered to great audience and critical acclaim: The Picture of Dorian Gray, commissioned and premiered by the Monte-Carlo Opera, and Miss Lonelyhearts, with a libretto by J. D. McClatchy after Nathanael West's novel, commissioned by the Juilliard School to celebrate its 100th Anniversary.

NYFOS EMERGING ARTISTS:

the next generation

NYFOS continues its tradition of cultivating emerging talent. Marking its 11th annual concert in collaboration with The Juilliard School Vocal Department, NYFOS presents Harry, Hoagy, and Harold. Emerging Artists also returns for its 8th residency with Caramoor's Terrance W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars program in the spring, with a show called At Home, which NYFOS then brings to its Mainstageseries on March 13. In addition, NYFOS is thrilled to return for its third program in the North Fork of Long Island in late summer.

NYFOS Emerging Artists trains young vocalists in programming and translation, presentation and production, research and musical style. In deep artistic collaboration with NYFOS's artistic directors Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, the singers are encouraged to engage audiences with directness, subtlety, and passion.

NYFOS @ NORTH FORK

In residence August 17-21, 2015

Latin Lovers

Sunday, August 23, 2015, 5:00pm

Poquatuck Hall in Orient, NY

Preview Performance:
Saturday, August 22, 2015

Christ Episcopal Church in Bellport, NY

A collection of songs and zarzuela from Latin America; the passion, melody, and rhythm of Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Guastavino, Ernesto Lecuona, and others.

NYFOS @ JUILLIARD

In residence September 2015-January 2016

Harry, Hoagy, and Harold

Wednesday, January 13, 2016, 8:00pm

Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Lincoln Center

Greatest hits and rarities by three American song-writing heroes: Harry ("I Only Have Eyes for You") Warren, Hoagy ("Stardust") Carmichael, and Harold ("Stormy Weather") Arlen, performed by young talents from the Juilliard School

NYFOS @ CARAMOOR

In residence March 7-12, 2016

At Home

Sunday, March 13, 2016, 4:00pm

The Terrance W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars program
Caramoor Center, Katonah, NY
(Preview Performance, See NYFOS Mainstage)

NYFOS AFTER HOURS

at HENRY's Restaurant

2745 Broadway, New York, NY (at 105th Street)

$10 Cover; Reservations Required: 212-866-0600
Walk-ins are always welcome at the bar.

Steven Blier and Henry Rinehart / Lauren Worsham

"One doesn't get this quality in the typical cabaret show!" - VOCE DI MECHE

In February 2010 at HENRY's Restaurant on the Upper West Side, an informal world-class cabaret series began, springing out of a personal friendship between NYFOS Artistic Director Steven Blier and restaurant owner Henry Rinehart. Eventually dubbed NYFOS After Hours, these highly popular late-night-and unamplified-concerts entertain diners with superlative voices in a mix of freshly created shows and revivals of past programs. The cream of New York's rising talent joins some of the city's most illustrious singers and actors, accompanied by Blier at the piano.

NYFOS After Hours is presented as part of the restaurant's ongoing series, Sing for Your Supper @ HENRY's. Henry Rinehart says: "All of us at HENRY's are thrilled to host this series with Steven Blier and NYFOS. NYFOS is one of New York's great cultural institutions and Steven is a dear friend. Together we will continue to present Broadway's most intimate night of song to packed houses."

Fall Color

Monday, October 12, 2015, 10:00pm
Program details and performers TBA

A Goyishe Christmas to You!

Monday, December 14, 2015, 10:00pm
An instant classic, this popular NYFOS program has become an annual tradition.
It features holiday favorites-and some lesser-known gems-written by Jewish songwriters. Performers include host Steven Blier on piano with Drama Desk Award-winner Lauren Worsham, clarinetist Alan Kay, cantor Joshua Breitzer, many others.

Harry, Hoagy, and Harold

Monday, May 2, 2016, 10:00pm
(An Encore Performance, See NYFOS Emerging Artists)

Additional After Hours dates to be announced throughout the year

NYFOS ON TOUR

in Utah, Boston & NYC's Boroughs

NYFOS @ MOAB

Harlem Renaissance

Sunday, September 13, 2015, 7:00 p.m.

Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT
(Encore Performance of last year's NYFOS Mainstage show
starring Julia Bullock, James Martin, and Darius de Haas)

NYFOS @ GARDNER MUSEUM

From Russia to Riverside Drive

Sunday, November 8, 2015, 1:30 p.m.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA
(Preview Performance, See NYFOS Mainstage)

NYFOS @ FIVE BOROUGHS

Harry, Hoagy, and Harold

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Five Boroughs Musical Festival, NYC
(Encore Performance, See NYFOS Emerging Artists)

ABOUT NYFOS (Steven Blier / Michael Barrett) - Now in its 28th season, New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty and originality. Weaving music, poetry, history and humor into evenings of compelling theater, NYFOS fosters community among artists and audiences. Each program entertains and educates in equal measure.

Founded by pianists Michael Barrett and Steven Blier in 1988, NYFOS continues to produce its series of thematic song programs, drawing together rarely-heard songs of all kinds, overriding traditional distinctions between musical genres, exploring the character and language of other cultures, and the personal voices of song composers and lyricists.

Since its founding, NYFOS has particularly celebrated American song. Among the many highlights is the double bill of one-act comic operas, Bastianello and Lucrezia, by John Musto and William Bolcom, both with libretti by Mark Campbell, commissioned and premiered by NYFOS in 2008 and recorded on Bridge Records. In addition to Bastianello and Lucrezia and the 2008 Bridge Records release ofSpanish Love Songs with Joseph Kaiser and the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, NYFOS has produced five recordings on the Koch label, including a Grammy Award-winning disc of Bernstein's Arias and Barcarolles, and the Grammy-nominated recording of Ned Rorem's Evidence of Things Not Seen (also a NYFOS commission) on New World Records. This past season saw the release of Canción Amorosa, a CD of Spanish song-Basque, Catalan, Castilian, and Sephardic-on the GPR label, with soprano Corinne Winters accompanied by Steven Blier.

In November 2010, NYFOS debuted NYFOS Next, a mini-series for new songs, hosted by guest composers in intimate venues. The series is currently held at Opera America's National Opera Center in the month of February.

NYFOS is passionate about nurturing the artistry and careers of young singers, and has developed training residencies around the country, including with The Juilliard School's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts (now in its 11th year); Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (its 8th year in March 2016); San Francisco Opera Center (over 15 years as of April 2013); Glimmerglass Opera (2008-2010); and its newest project, NYFOS@North Fork in Orient, NY.

NYFOS's concert series, touring programs, radio broadcasts, recordings, and educational activities continue to spark new interest in the creative possibilities of the song program, and have inspired the creation of thematic vocal series around the world.