New York Festival of Song 2010 Gala

LET YOURSELF GO!

A gala evening of Irving Berlin songs

Monday, April 12 at 7 PM at Weill Recital Hall at

Carnegie Hall

followed by 8:30 PM dinner at the Russian Tea Room

With Broadway’Äôs Kate Baldwin, Judy Kaye, Howard McGillin, Terri White, Others TBA

And Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, pianists/hosts

New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), recently acclaimed by TimeOut New York for its ’ÄúA-list artistry,’Äù will present its 2010 Gala, Let Yourself Go, a celebration of the rich musical legacy of America’Äôs foremost composer/lyricist, Irving Berlin, on Monday April 12 at 7 PM at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 154 West 57^th Street, New York City. The concert will be followed by an 8:30 PM dinner at the Russian Tea Room, 150 West 57^th Street, New York City.

Gala tickets, including performance and the dinner, are $750 - $1,000. Information on purchasing single tickets and tables can be obtained online at www.nyfos.org or by contacting New York Festival of Song, 307 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1206, New York, NY 10001, (646) 230-8380.

Guest artists for the evening are Kate Baldwin, who recently starred as Sharon in Broadway’Äôs Finian’Äôs Rainbow; Tony Award-winner Judy Kaye, star of Broadway’Äôs Souvenir, Ragtime and Mamma Mia! as well as numerous NYFOS concerts and recordings, including its Grammy-winning Arias and Barcarolles; Howard McGillin, of Phantom Of the Opera, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood and other Broadway hits; Terri White, acclaimed in Broadway’Äôs Finian’Äôs Rainbow and Ain’Äôt Misbehavin’Äô ; NYFOS Artistic Director Steven Blier (’ÄúA national treasure when it comes to the art of song’Äù ’Äì New York Times) and Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett, General Director of and frequent conductor with Caramoor Festival of Music and the Arts. Other guest performers are to be announced.

The proceeds from the NYFOS 2010 Gala will support all of the company’Äôs activities this season including their critically acclaimed concert series as well as an exciting new broadcast venture, to be announced.

Bios 

Kate Baldwin made her Broadway debut in The Full Monty in 2000 and has appeared in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Wonderful Town. She frequently performs in regional theater and was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for her portrayal of Nellie Forbush in the 2002 Arena Stage production of South Pacific. Additional credits include The Sound of Music and The Music Man at The St. Louis Municipal Light Opera, and Charlotte in A Little Night Music at Centre Stage in Baltimore.

Kate played the role of Sharon in the 2009 Encores! staged concert production of Finian's Rainbow. New York Times critic Charles Isherwood called her a "discovery" and praised her performance, noting she sang the role "beautifully... her rich, pure soprano riding the crests of the melodies with ease." She reprised the role in the Broadway revival that opened at the St. James Theatre on October 8, 2009. She is working on her first solo album, a compilation of songs written by Burton Lane and E. Y. Harburg. Kate is scheduled to appear in the new musical Paradise Found, co-directed by Harold Prince and Susan Stroman, and starring Mandy Patinkin, expected to premiere in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory on May 19, 2010 through June 26, with expectations for a transfer to Broadway.

Judy Kaye has just returned from The Old Globe in San Diego where she starred in a critically acclaimed production of Lost In Yonkers. She starred in the Broadway production of Souvenir, A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. She performed the role of Ms. Jenkins Off-Broadway at the York Theatre, where she was nominated for Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel awards, and at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. Souvenir, starring Judy Kaye and Donald Corren has subsequently been seen in Los Angeles (LA Ovation Award), Westport, Tucson, Phoenix, San Francisco, Baltimore, Sarasota, and Rochester, NY. Ms. Kaye appeared in Zorba! for the Reprise series in Los Angeles (LA Ovation nomination), and as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd on Broadway and on the National Tour, garnering a LA Drama Critics Circle Award, a Garland Award, and a Carbonell Award. Highlights of her career include original Broadway productions of The Phantom of the Opera (Tony Award, Drama Desk nomination), Mamma Mia (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Ragtime (LA Ovation Award) and On the Twentieth Century (Theatre World Award, Drama Desk nomination). She also has performed at the Santa Fe Opera as Musetta in La bohˆ®me, Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, and Lucy Lockett in The Beggars Opera. Other roles range from Sally in Follies, Maggie in The Man Who Came To Dinner, Penny in You Can’Äôt Take It With You, Kitty Dean in The Royal Family, to Mama Rose in Gypsy, and Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun. She has appeared with symphony orchestras around the country and the world, and has sung at the White House twice. Ms. Kaye has recorded numerous solo and cast recordings, and is the voice of Kinsey Milhone for the Sue Grafton/Random House Audio Book ’ÄúAlphabet Mystery’Äù series. For more information visit judykaye.com <http://judykaye.com>

Howard McGillin is known for his record-setting appearance as The Phantom of the Opera, a role he performed over 2550 times on Broadway. He appeared in Stephen Sondheim’Äôs musical Bounce, in its premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and later at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for his performance. On Broadway as well as in London’Äôs West End, his many leading roles include Kiss of the Spider Woman, She Loves Me, Mack and Mabel, The Secret Garden, Anything Goes (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Theatre World Award); and Sunday in the Park with George. On national tour he played Captain Hook to Cathy Rigby’Äôs Peter Pan. Howard was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his New York theatrical debut in the NY Shakespeare Festival's production of La bohˆ®me.

On film, he can be seen in the upcoming feature film All Good Things, and has made numerous guest appearances on television in series and movies for TV, and his numerous televised concerts include Stephen Sondheim's Follies, The Kennedy Center Honors, and The Boston Pops. He has performed on concert stages worldwide, from Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to Carnegie Hall and The White House. Aside from having recorded many books on tape, and narrated numerous episodes for Nature on PBS, he has also provided voices for animated feature films such as South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, and ’ÄúThe Swan Princess. His solo CD, Howard McGillin: Where Time Stands Still is available online at cdbaby.com <http://cdbaby.com> .

Terri White has been in several Broadway and Off-Broadway shows including the original ’ÄúJoice Heth’Äù in ’ÄúBarnum’Äù, Nell Carter understudy in 1978 in ’ÄúAin’Äôt Misbehavin’Äù, later replacing her in the revival in 1988, ’ÄúWelcome to the Club’Äù, ’ÄúThe Club’Äù (Obie Award), Nunsense I & II, Nuncrackers, ’ÄúStepping Out at Radio City’Äù with Liza Minnelli, and most recently Finian’Äôs Rainbow winning rave reviews! Other show include, ’ÄúShowboat’Äù, ’ÄúDamn Yankees,’Äù ’ÄúBubbling Brown Sugar’Äù, ’ÄùJuba’Äù,’Äù The Jungle Book’Äù, ’ÄúTwo Gentlemen of Verona’Äù, ’ÄúChicago’Äù, And The World Goes ’ÄòRound’Äù, ’ÄúLittle Shop of Horrors’Äù(as Audrey 2) and many more. She can be seen on VHS and DVD in Nunsense I & II with Rue McClanahan, Liza Live at Radio City Music Hall, Boys on the Side, and Law and Order, Criminal Intent. Recordings include, Forbidden Broadway 25^th Anniversary, Barnum, Liza Live, Finian’Äôs Rainbow (Irish Rep, St. James), Incurably Romantic, and her own CD The Lady’Äôs Got To Sing.

Steven Blier. Artistic director Steven Blier co-founded the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) in 1988 with Michael Barrett. Since the Festival’Äôs inception he has programmed, performed, translated and annotated over one hundred vocal recitals with repertoire spanning the entire range of American song, art song from Schubert to Szymanowski, and popular song from early vaudeville to Lennon-McCartney. Mr. Blier also enjoys an eminent career as an accompanist and vocal coach. His recitals with Renˆ©e Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Samuel Ramey, Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, and Jessye Norman have taken him to the stages of Carnegie Hall, La Scala, and London’Äôs Wigmore Hall. He has premiered works of John Corigliano, Ned Rorem, William Bolcom, John Musto, Paul Moravec, Tobias Picker, Robert Beaser, and Lee Hoiby, many of which were commissioned by NYFOS. In addition to his many recordings with NYFOS, Mr. Blier’Äôs discography includes the upcoming May 2010 release of Bastianello/Lucrezia on Bridge Records; two NYFOS commissioned comic operas by William Bolcom, John Musto and Mark Campbell (libretti); four volumes of songs by Charles Ives with baritone William Sharp (Albany Records), a Grammy-nominated CD of American songs with Mr. Sharp (New World Records), and first recordings of music by Busoni and Borodin with cellist Dorothy Lawson (Koch International). His two most recent releases are The Land Where the Good Songs Go with Sylvia McNair and Hal Cazalet, and Spanish Love Songs with Joseph Kaiser and the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Bridge Records). Mr. Blier is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, and has been active in encouraging young recitalists at summer programs, including the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Glimmerglass Opera, and the San Francisco Opera Center.

Michael Barrett. NYFOS co-founder and Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett also serves as Chief Executive and General Director of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.  In 1992, he co-founded the Moab Music Festival with his wife, violist Leslie Tomkins. From 1994 to 1997, he was the Director of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y in New York. A protˆ©gˆ© of Leonard Bernstein, Mr. Barrett began his long association with the renowned conductor and composer as a student in 1982.  He is currently the Artistic Advisor for the estate of Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Barrett has been a guest conductor with the Orchestra of St. Luke’Äôs, the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France, among others.  He also has served variously as conductor, producer, and music director of numerous special projects, including the world premiere of Volpone by John Musto. Mr. Barrett’Äôs discography includes: the upcoming May 2010 release of Bastianello/Lucrezia on Bridge Records; two NYFOS commissioned comic operas by William Bolcom, John Musto and Mark Campbell (libretti); Spanish Love Songs, recorded live at Caramoor with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Steven Blier, and Joseph Kaiser; Live from the Moab Music Festival; the Grammy-nominated Evidence of Things Not Seen (New World Records); Aaron Jay Kernis: 100 Greatest Dance Hits (New Albion); On the Town (Deutsche Grammophon); Kaballah (Koch Classics) by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie; Schumann Lieder with Lorraine Hunt and Kurt Ollman (Koch); and Arias and Barcarolles (Koch) by Leonard Bernstein (Grammy Award).

  

New York Festival of Song was founded in 1988 by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett.  NYFOS is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty, humor and originality, combining music, poetry, and history to entertain, educate and create community among audiences and performers.  With a far-ranging repertoire of art songs, concert works and theater pieces, its thematic recitals have included programs from Brahms to the Beatles, from the nineteenth-century salons of Paris to Tin Pan Alley, from Russian art song to Argentine tangos, from sixteenth-century lute songs to new music.  NYFOS particularly celebrates American song literature and culture, and specializes in premiering and commissioning new American works.