Great Composers Lecture Series Announced At Hoff-Barthelson

Hoff-Barthelson Music School's Great Composers Lecture Series for music aficionados begins Friday, October 12, 2018, at 11:00 am with Magic, Mystery and Anarchy: The Music of Claude Debussy on the Centenary of his Death. Acclaimed pianist and Copland House Artistic and Executive Director Michael Boriskin leads this fascinating journey from Debussy's youthful compositions, inspired by Chopin, Massenet, and other Romantic masters, through his post-Wagnerian evolution, to his exquisite, epigrammatic, and often enigmatic final works.

The lecture takes place at the School located at 25 School Lane, Scarsdale. Admission is $25. HBMS students may attend free of charge. Space is limited; reservations are strongly encouraged.

Claude Debussy was one of the most subversive of all composers, yet his sensuously-colored, finely-detailed music has enchanted and inspired listeners and composers alike around the world in the 100 years since his death. He transformed the ambiguity, audacity, and complexity of the late 19th-century French Impressionist painters and Symbolist poets into a magical, mysterious sound world that propelled music into the Modern Era. Thoroughly reimaging the three fundamental building blocks of music - melody, harmony, and rhythm - he wrote some of the most forward-sounding compositions of all time.

Additional lectures in the series are: The Music of Love and Passion (Friday, February 15, 2019, at 7:30 pm); The Music of Bach (Friday, March 15, 2019, at 11:00 am); and Contemporary Music Discussion (Friday, May 10, 2019, at 7:30 pm).

About Michael Boriskin:

Hailed by The New York Times as "our fearless tour guide, who offers an adventure for the audience," internationally-acclaimed pianist Michael Boriskin performs in over 30 countries at major concert halls and festivals and as soloist with leading orchestras and chamber ensembles, and records extensively for important American and European labels. He is a much-sought-after lecturer in three languages on both sides of the Atlantic, and is a familiar presence on National Public Radio as a commentator, host, and performer. He has also served as a program advisor for the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the U.S. Department of State, Columbia University's Miller Theater, and many other leading organizations, and is the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of Copland House, the award-winning creative center for American music based at Aaron Copland's National Historic Landmark home in northern Westchester.

About Hoff-Barthelson Music School:

Hoff-Barthelson Music School has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and community service. With a faculty drawn from the region's most talented teachers and performers, the School has long been one of Westchester County's most cherished cultural resources. Whatever a student's age or level of musical interest, Hoff-Barthelson's diverse offerings provide the highest quality musical education, personally tailored to his or her specific passions and goals in a supportive and vibrant community.

The Great Composers Lecture Series is made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with support from Westchester County Government, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Photo credit and caption: Michael Boriskin is guest lecturer for Hoff-Barthelson Music School's Great Composers Lecture Series. Photo by Tracy Ketcher.

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