from Steven Blier: a tribute to Victor Torres. Today, a singer who serendipitously dropped into my life from two directions. First, my downstairs neighbor gave me a CD she’d picked up in Buenos Aires—Argentine Songs sung by a guy named Victor Torres. She knew I was interested in that repertoire, but she just wasn’t into him, […]
Read Morefrom Steven Blier: Joan Sutherland was my childhood passion. In junior high I used to go into classrooms and scribble “Joan is supreme” in the corner of the blackboard, probably some botched attempt to be transgressive. In the 1970s and 80s I cooled a bit on Sutherland’s singing, but when I hear those early recordings […]
Read Morefrom Steven Blier: A prayer for our country, in the wake of last week’s horrific killings in Charleston: “Oh Glory,” sung by Shirley Verrett in the early years of her career. The pundits are busy spinning this story, some of them in the most appalling, self-serving ways. This is my counterpoint to all the chatter. […]
Read Morefrom Steven Blier: I have three summer concerts to give, and I’ve just started to think about the last of them: NYFOS@North Fork, Latin Lovers (August 22 and 23). This will be a labor of love for me since South American and Cuban canción might be my greatest musical passion. I’ve just gotten done casting […]
Read Morefrom Steven Blier: The first professional singer I ever accompanied was English soprano Valerie Masterson. I met her through Matthew Epstein, who went to high school with me. Even at age 17 Matthew was the master of going backstage, honing his skills during the D’Oyly Carte company’s periodic visits to New York. That was how […]
Read MoreIt takes a lot of courage to give your first performance of a song in front of the New York audience and critics—but that’s what we have done for decades at NYFOS. Of course, every singer lives in fear of forgetting his lyrics. Therefore it is comforting to know that legendary artists also go up […]
Read Morefrom Steven Blier: I went out to Brooklyn last week and saw the Fiasco Theater’s production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. It was a magical night on every front: gorgeous weather, beautiful theater space (the magical Theater for a New Audience), and one of the freshest, most captivating performances I can remember. This very early […]
Read MoreOur inaugural ‘Song of the Day’ comes from NYFOS’s Artistic Director Steven Blier. (Check back M-F each week for more great songs!): This song-a-day blog is a project I’ve had in mind for years, and I am thrilled to share some of the vocal music I love—from the sublime to the ridiculous. To kick the […]
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