The Piano: A Magical Machine and Its Music
A new musical era inconspicuously began when Bartolomeo Cristofori's arpicimbalo col piano e forte was listed in the 1700 inventory of the Medici court in Florence, Italy. Although the steam engine, sextant, mercury thermometer and cotton gin mill represent 18th-century ingenuity, the creation of the piano deserves equal respect. The synergy among mechanical evolution, aural impact, compositional creativity and epic performance is truly magical.

For three centuries, this phenomenal machine has inspired composers and performers to create a plethora of compositions as magnificent as those written for any other instrument. In addition, the piano has achieved an iconic status quite apart from its function as a sound-generating machine. This seminar is highlighted by fascinating biographical descriptions of the virtuosic super-stars, explanations of the mechanical mechanisms of the instrument, as well as live piano performance, archival recordings and documentary videos.

Sweet and Low-Down at the Cotton Club
The Great War was over, times were upbeat and a sense of prosperity, freedom and excitement was evident across the country. In New York City, the Harlem nightclubs were the happening places. From dusk to dawn their rooms were filled with boisterous patrons, the aroma of cigarette smoke and alcohol, and the sounds of a new music that tied it all together: jazz. One ballroom, the Cotton Club, on the second story of a building at 142nd Street and Lenox Avenue, was the crème de la crème of Manhattan's nightspots. It was the favorite of the elite, the "Aristocrat of Harlem," and its patrons included celebrities like George Gershwin, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Paul Whiteman and Marlene Dietrich. Harold Arlen and Dorothy Fields wrote and produced the stage shows, Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway conducted their snappy jazz bands, and the great black entertainers like Ethel Waters, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Lena Horne and Josephine Baker played the room to the delight of the all-white audience. Live piano music from the era will be performed coupled with archival music and newsreel footage of Harlem during its glory days.


The Art of the Piano Concerto: Four Masterworks
The mechanical improvements to the fortepianos of the 18th and mid-19th centuries extended range, dynamics, duration, tone quality and velocity while creating a new breed of musician, the virtuoso composer. From the auspicious day in 1768 when Johann Christian Bach gave the first piano solo performance in London to today, when the promise of a piano concerto performed by Murray Perahia magnetizes audiences, the marriage of piano and orchestra has remained a favored art form. The seminar features a study of four masterworks: Mozart Concerto in A Major, K. 488; Beethoven Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major ("the Emperor"); Schumann Concerto in A Minor; Prokofiev Concerto No. 3 in C Major.


Porgy and Bess: A Folk Opera
Porgy and Bess, an “American folk opera,” opened in New York City's Alvin Theatre on Oct. 10, 1935, and ran for 124 performances before closing in financial ruin. George Gershwin, his brother Ira and co-librettist and lyricist DuBose Heyward, had crafted an intense musical drama that ultimately spawned a furious debate about authenticity, musical style and form, racial prejudice and national identity. But the music and lyrics have survived more than 70 years and the work's stature is unsurpassed in the American operatic repertoire. Explore this brilliant and pivotal work from its beginnings to its revivals, featuring oral histories of its original stars, Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, rare photographs, archival audio and video recordings and live performance.

Select Contact for more information or to book a performance.