(from soprano Sari Gruber) Sarah Vaughan’s voice became one of the objects of my jazz obsession in college, where I was spending far more time than was probably good for me singing jazz in an a capella group called Redhot & Blue. (The arrangements were great. Don’t judge.) With the high musical standards of this […]
Read More(from soprano Sari Gruber) When a singer welcomes a child into the family, there are many nights of baby-rocking that put to practical use the collection of lullabies learned for the recital stage. De Falla’s “Nana” was a song I had performed only once as a student at Tanglewood Music Center, but it reemerged from my […]
Read More(from soprano Sari Gruber) After discovering American popular music later in my childhood, my mind was also blown at the discovery of musical theater, which was sort of like the opera I had grown up with in Germany, but just so deliciously American. As a twelve-year-old, having lost my German accent and gained an American musical sensibility, I […]
Read MoreThis week’s Song of the Day curator is soprano Sari Gruber! Sari is a longtime friend of NYFOS and will appear in NYFOS’s December 8th concert Schubert / Beatles at Merkin Concert Hall. Make sure to get your tickets today! I arrived in the U.S. at nearly nine years old, speaking very little English and having no […]
Read MoreToday I travel to London to compete in Placido Domingo’s Operalia! Because of his huge involvement in the zarzuela repertoire, there is a portion of the competition devoted to the genre. I’ve had an amazing time preparing two zarzuela arias. Steve Blier helped me pick, of course. This cheeky tune is a young man’s song of devotion to his new wife on their wedding day. In the song, he asks the silversmith how much silver is needed to steal a kiss from the lips of a woman. Wish me luck!
Read More(from baritone Theo Hoffman. Theo participated as a 2014 Caramoor Vocal Rising Star in our annual residency at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY.) Today’s post is a throwback Thursday to our Caramoor concert in 2014, Ports of Call. This song was performed marvelously by Annie Rosen and Steven Blier. I […]
Read More(from baritone Theo Hoffman) Jeff Buckley is the king of the heartbreak ballad. Your breakup playlist isn’t complete without “Grace” or “Lover You Should Have Come Over,” not to mention his absolutely definitive cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” His voice is filled with longing and plangency. His unique vocalism is matched by a similar, tender […]
Read More(from baritone Theo Hoffman) St. Louis Blues – Ella Fitzgerald (originally W.C. Handy) I have some incredible memories with this particular rendition of “St. Louis Blues.” The first person who played this for me was my dear friend, collaborator, room mate, and factotum della città, Lachlan Glen. Ella embodies the perfect balance between incredible precision […]
Read MoreThis week’s Song of the Day posts come from Theo Hoffman. Theo is a young baritone who has appeared in several NYFOS Emerging Artist, NYFOS Next and gala programs over the past couple of years, and we’re sure we’ll hear a lot more from him in the years to come. Thanks, Theo! Familiarity – Punch […]
Read More(from Michael Barrett) This week’s “Song of the Day” tribute to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson concludes with two selections from Four Hindu Poems by Maurice Delage (1879-1961). It is from a live performance in 1997 at the Moab Music Festival. The songs are “Un Sapin isole” (text by Heine), and “Si vous pensez” (Bhartrihari). One of the most harmonically […]
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