NYFOS to Present CUBANS IN PARIS, CUBANS AT HOME, 12/3 in Reston, VAC; 12/5 in NYC

NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG, with Steven Blier, Artistic Director, and Michael Barrett, Associate Artistic Director, continues its 2013-14 Mainstage series at Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Music Center with "CUBANS IN PARIS, CUBANS AT HOME", featuring Cuban music's rich history in the concert halls, theaters, and nightclubs of two continents.

Featuring: Songs by Caturla, Lecuona, Mauri, Grenet plus excerpts from Moisés Simons' masterful 1934 operetta Toi C'est Moi.

With:
Corinne Winters, soprano
Jeffrey Picón, tenor
Ricardo Herrera, baritone
Leonardo Granados, percussion
Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, pianists

The concert is set for Thursday, December 5, 2013, 8:00PM at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY. Tickets: $40-$55 for Single Tickets; $10 for Student Tickets; $20 for Real Deal Tickets: Advance Purchase, Limited Availability and Seating. Complementary wine reception with the artists following performance. Visit www.nyfos.org/cubans for more information.

The NYFOS troupe travels to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for a preview performance of CUBANS IN PARIS, CUBANS AT HOME (same cast, but with percussionist Danny Villanueva) on Tuesday, December 3, 8:00 pm as part of The Centerstage, 2013-2014 Professional Touring Artist Series at the Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston, VA. Tickets $40 for the public, $20 for Reston residents. More information online.

From NYFOS Artistic Director Steven Blier: "How refreshing to return to the music of Cuba in all its guises-dance tunes, art song, the tangiest zarzuelas in the repertoire, and even a mixed-breed French/Cuban operetta. Many of our composers also became denizens of Paris, where they entertainEd Gallic audiences on a cabaret-lined street that became known as Rue des Cubains. What a joy to be reunited with my colleagues Ricardo Herrera and Jeffrey Picón-they pretty much taught me how this music goes-and the ultra-glamorous Corinne Winters, whose luscious soprano seems to know no stylistic boundaries. It will be my first time onstage with percussionist Leonardo Granados, the real deal when it comes to Latin rhythm. With these musicians on hand, the evening promises to be a musical mojito."

Cuban music took the world by storm in the 1920s and 30s, and found a special welcome in Paris. This program straddles the concert hall, the nightclub, and the theater with music by Alejandro Garcia Caturla, Ernesto Lecuona, José Mauri, and Eliseo Grenet. The show will also present songs by Moisés Simons, including excerpts from his rarely performed 1934 operetta Toi C'est Moi.

The evening stars a trio of powerfully communicative singers: Jeffrey Picón andRicardo Herrera, who make long-awaited returns to the NYFOS stage; and Corinne Winters, who made her European debut earlier this year tocountless rave reviews. BBC Music Magazine wrote: "Corinne Winters delivered a performance of white-hot intensity and consummate control." Winters is also scheduled to release an album of Spanish song-Basque, Catalan, Castilian, and Sephardic-with NYFOS artistic director Steven Blier in 2014, on the GPR label.

These three singers will be joined by Blier and associate artistic director Michael Barrett on piano, as well as Venezuelan percussionist Leonardo Granados (Danny Villanueva in Reston, VA).

Tickets are $40-$55 for the public, $10 for students. A limited number of advance purchase $20 Real Deal tickets are available. Purchase online at www.nyfos.org or by calling the Merkin box office at (212) 501-3330. A complementary wine reception with the artists will follow the performance.

THE PROGRAM:

I: POPULAR SONG (Lecuona and others)
Canción Karabalí
Damisela encatadora
Lamento esclavo

II: ART SONG (Caturla)
Bito Manué
Mari-Sabel
Juego santo

III: CUBAN ZARZUELA
Rosa la China (Lecuona)
Mi vida es cantar (Grenet)
Perdida para siempre la esperanza (Mauri)

IV: Excerpts from TOI C'EST MOI by Moisés Simons
C'est ça l'amour
Toi c'est moi
Entre copains

V: AFTER HOURS
Marta (Simons)
Son de la loma (Miguel Matamoros)

NYFOS MAINSTAGE

The original thematic song party

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)

ABOUT NYFOS: "People have a primal need to be sung to and communicated with through song. The essential core of truth in each song-that part where you feel 'that's me, I've been there'-that's what we're always looking for." - Steven Blier

Now in its 26th 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 unforgettable evenings of compelling theater. Each seamless program entertains, educates and fosters community among artists and audiences. Everyone has a primal need to be sung to; NYFOS was made to meet that need.

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 high and low performance 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, featuring premieres and commissions of new American works. These include a 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 of Spanish 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. Soon to come: 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 began its latest programming venture with the debut of NYFOS Next, a mini-series for new songs, hosted by guest composers in intimate venues. For the 2013-2014 season, the series moves to Opera America's National Opera Center for all three concerts.

NYFOS also nurtures the artistry and careers of young singers in training residencies (current and past projects) with The Juilliard School's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts (now in its 9th year), Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (its 6th year in March 2014), 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, successfully completed in August 2013.

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.