No Song is Safe From Us

No Song Is Safe From Us - The NYFOS Blog
 |  Alex Mansoori

Despite many of his compositions having Christian themes, Benjamin Britten had an ambivalent view of the religion. His partner Peter Pears recalled that when they met, he’s not sure if Britten would consider himself a Christian. Later in life, Britten himself would describe himself as a dedicated Christian, but would also be sympathetic to certain […]




 |  Alex Mansoori

Like every other theater kid, I lived for the Tony Awards. Growing up in Seattle, it was my big window into what was happening on Broadway. I would glue myself to the TV to watch all the performances and note which cast recordings I would want to get. That habit led me to one of […]




 |  Alex Mansoori

In late 2006, I was amongst the student performers working on the NYFOS@Juilliard “Songs of Peace and War”. The program was coming together, but there was one spot towards the end of Act I that needed to be filled. It came down to two wonderful Kurt Weill songs, “A Dirge for Two Veterans” from Four […]




 |  Alex Mansoori

To start the week off, I’ve chosen a song by Marc Blitzstein, one of the two composers featured on our NYFOS concert next week. Blitzstein garnered national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical The Cradle will Rock was shut down by the Works Progress Administration. His other works include the Opera Regina, the musical […]




 |  Alex Mansoori

Happy Friday everyone! It’s my last day as your tour guide, and since I’ve been in rehearsals for two separate Christmas shows, I figured I would end with a Christmas song. Not only is the song one of my favorite holiday tunes, but it’s also the best-selling single of all time. I’m, of course, referring to Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”.




 |  Alex Mansoori

I didn’t grow up listening to the music that my grandparents would call “what the kids are listenin’ to these days”. I never seemed drawn to tune the radio to the station with the top 100 or follow the latest band or singer. Instead, I spent my time listening to Original Broadway Cast Recordings and the great standard singers, like Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, and Rosemary Clooney. But in college, I found a different singer that was just as good a storyteller as any cabaret luminary I had seen: Colin Hay.




 |  Alex Mansoori

When you are tasked with coming up with “Songs of the day”, it’s a little like being asked
“Which child is your favorite?”. I wouldn’t have an immediate answer, but probably several clarifying questions. Which genre? What mood am I in? For the first day, I then turned to my trusty iTunes library and was completely overwhelmed. So, I turned to the one singer who has never let me down, for some guidance: Rosemary Clooney.