What is a populist voice? People talk about Johnny Cash and sometimes Willy Nelson as authentic folksters, singing about the American experience, failures and aspirations. NYFOS was recently at Exeter Academy, one of our finest prep schools. I was busy conducting the orchestra, and Steve Blier was giving a vocal master class in another room. He mentioned Joan Baez as a vocal example. The student politely asked “who’s Joan Baez?”
Read MoreWe cover quite a bit of arcana in NYFOS concerts. Forgotten composers, obscure corners of the repertoire from A to Z. We delight in finding these treasures. Many of them defy classification. Is it a folk song, or a pop tune? We don’t think that’s of any importance really.
Read MoreChildish Gambino’s (Donald Glover) “This Is America” took the world by storm when it was released earlier this year. A look at years of American culture, packed tightly into an explosive 4 minute video, and portrayed through a series of overlapping scenes mostly relegated to the background of the music video. The video often shows you smiling faces, dancing, novelty, all while the background shows us burning cars, rioting, inactive bystanders, suicide, chaos.
Read More“You Grew Up” is a look at the outside pressures that affect children, and in this piece men in particular, and how these can skew their views as they grow older. The two examples that artist Oddisee focuses on in this work are those of a young white man who grew up with Oddisee (a black man), and a young Muslim man.
Read More“I’m Not Racist” is a debate between two diametrically opposed men, one white and one black, arguing over the state of race relations in America. It is a raw, uncensored look at the stereotypes and tropes that create the ever-expanding racial divide.
Read More“Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)” is from “The Hamilton Mixtape”, a collection of covers and re-imaginings of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical “Hamilton”. The piece speaks to the mistreatment of, and resentment towards immigrants in America, and the performers were handpicked by Miranda as people who he believed “represent all corners of the world, in line with the songs message”.
Read More“America” is from the 2017 album “Everybody” by rap artist Logic. This track explores what it means to be an American citizen in today’s society, and makes references to the Trump administration, Kanye West, the Flint water crisis, and white supremacy, among other things.
Read MoreThough Sukkot continues for another few days, Moses and Miriam have burst onto the scene for day 5, providing a musical climax to our journey of songs which evoke the presence of sacred Jewish ancestors. These two siblings lead the Israelites in celebrating their freedom from Egypt on the other side of the sea, and I don’t know of a song that encapsulates singing, dancing, company, and cookery quite as well as this showstopper from the 1991 Disney animated classic.
Read MoreJacob’s true love Rachel and favored child Joseph arrive just in time for the fourth day of Sukkot. Unlike our previous pairs this week, these two are mother and son, and are absolutely crying out for this vaudeville classic to be featured today.
Read MoreOn the third day of Sukkot, Jews welcome the spirits of Jacob and his first wife Leah, the “baby momma” for most of his children and older sister of his true love Rachel (who visits us tomorrow). Rabbinic and scholarly commentaries across the centuries are rife with interpretations about Jacob’s relationship with his wives.
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