Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience

Lied Center Presents

Here to Stay:

The Gershwin Experience Music and lyrics by

George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin A multimedia concert event

Sunday, October 28, 2:00 p.m.

Tonight’s performance is sponsored by the hotels of The Olivia Collection – The Oread, The Eldridge and The Eldridge Extended – Memories Created – Hospitality Defined. Enjoy the performance!

This event is sponsored, in part, by the Lied Performance Fund.

This performance was made possible through the generous support of the Frances Wright Strickland Programming Fund.

Today, we join musicians and audiences around the globe in Daniel Pearl World Music Days.

We are often surrounded with reminders of the things that divide us, but music, as the universal language, is a bridge that brings people of all backgrounds together, and today we celebrate that with our performance.

Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience Music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin Kevin Cole, piano and vocals Sylvia McNair, vocals Danny Gardner, vocals and tap dancer Produced by Todd Gershwin and Daniel Chilewich of Westchester Media Associates, LLC and Kevin Cole Concept and Music Direction by Kevin Cole Choreography by Ryan VanDenBoom Additional Choreography by Germaine Salsberg Sound Design by Palmer Jankens Lighting Design by Gary Echelmeyer Video Design by Scott Fairchild Kevin Cole is a Steinway Artist and plays Steinway & Sons pianos exclusively.

The music and lyrics for Here To Stay: The Gershwin Experience were provided through special arrangement with members of the George Gershwin Family and the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts.

Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience

Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience Music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

STRIKE UP THE BAND............................................................. Film and Kevin Cole RIALTO RIPPLES, FASCINATING RHYTHM...................................... Kevin Cole THE HALF OF IT, DEARIE, BLUES.........................Kevin Cole and Danny Gardner THE MAN I LOVE.......................................................Kevin Cole and Sylvia McNair ‘S WONDERFUL................................ Kevin Cole, Sylvia McNair and Danny Gardner BUT NOT FOR ME............................................................................. Sylvia McNair RHAPSODY IN BLUE.............................................................................. Kevin Cole Intermission (20 Minutes) OF THEE I SING........................................................................................ Orchestra SLAP THAT BASS......................................................Danny Gardner and Kevin Cole LET’S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF, THEY ALL LAUGHED................................................Kevin Cole and Sylvia McNair LOVE IS HERE TO STAY......................................................................... Kevin Cole SUMMERTIME................................................................................... Sylvia McNair I GOT RHYTHM...............................................................................Danny Gardner ALLEGRO AGITATO (Concerto in F)...................................................... Kevin Cole Program subject to change.

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Kevin Cole, Piano and Vocals “America’s Pianist” Kevin Cole has delighted audiences with a repertoire that includes the best of 20th Century American Music. Cole’s performances have prompted accolades from some of the foremost critics in America. “A piano genius...he reveals an understanding of harmony, rhythmic complexity and pure show-biz virtuosity that would have had Vladimir Horowitz smiling with envy,” wrote critic Andrew Patner. On Cole’s affinity for Gershwin: “When Cole sits down at the piano, you would swear Gershwin himself was at work… Cole stands as the best Gershwin pianist in America today,” Howard Reich, arts critic for the Chicago Tribune.

Engagements for Cole include: sold-out performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; BBC Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall; National Symphony at the Kennedy Center; San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra (London); Boston Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic; Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra; New Zealand Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Edmonton Symphony (Canada) and many others. Kevin was featured soloist for the PBS special, Gershwin at One Symphony Place with the Nashville Symphony.

Cole is an award-winning musical director, arranger, composer, vocalist and archivist who garnered the praises of Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, Hugh Martin, Burton Lane, Stephen Sondheim, Marvin Hamlisch and members of the Jerome Kern and Gershwin families.

Cole currently works with songwriting legend Hugh Martin. Martin was vocal coach to Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Judy Garland and many others.

His discography includes Gramophone Musical Album of the Year, 1995, Gershwin’s Oh, Kay! with soprano Dawn Upshaw, his critically acclaimed solo piano disc, Cole Plays Gershwin and his vocal debut album In The Words Of Ira— The Songs of Ira Gershwin. Kevin will be signing CDs after the performance.

Visit Kevin at: www.KevinColeOnLine.com Danny Gardner, Vocals and Tap Dancer Danny Gardner started tap dancing was he was 7 years old at Maria Shaw School of Dance in his home town of Reading, Penn. He graduated from Ithaca College with a BFA in musical theater and has toured the country and abroad performing for the last seven years. He is a member of various New York-based theater companies including the Drama Desk-nominated physical comedy theater troupe “Parallel Exit” and Noah Racey’s New York Song & Dance Company. Some of his favorite credits include “Show Boat,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Half a Sixpence,” all three at the Tony award-winning Goodspeed Opera House, the National Tour of “42nd Street,” “Promises, Promises” and “Fingers and Toes” at Merry-GoRound Playhouse, and “Swingtime Salute!” on the deck of the USS Wisconsin. He is very proud to be a part of this amazing group of artists and would like to thank Ryan VanDenBoom for all of his hard work and his amazing choreography! www. dannyjgardner.com

Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience

Sylvia McNair, Vocals Two-time Grammy Award winner and regional Emmy winner, Sylvia McNair lays claim to a stellar, 25-year career in the musical realms of opera, oratorio, cabaret and musical theater. Her journey has taken her from the Metropolitan Opera to the Salzburg Festival, from the New York Philharmonic to the Rainbow Room, from the Ravinia Festival to The Plaza, from the pages of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to the London Times. She traveled through a fierce, wellfought battle with breast cancer filled with surgeries, chemo, and radiation to end up in the trenches, helping others survive.

One thing is certain about McNair’s life odyssey - it’s subject to change! And, now “Subject To Change” is the self-descriptive title of her new one-woman show which has been recently heard at The Savoy Room at Sheldon Hall, The Colony in Palm Beach, and Feinstein’s at The Regency. Her show at the famed Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel made critic Rex Reed swoon: “I could get used to this kind of ecstasy.” McNair continues to reincarnate her musical gifts in the most remarkable ways with the most rewarding results! 2009 was a particularly dreamy year, in her words, as she sang Guenevere opposite George Hearn’s King Arthur and Rod Gilfry’s Lancelot in the Ravinia Festival’s opening night CAMELOT. She also added the role of Desiree in Sondheim’s A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC in a new production from the Central City Opera and then went on to a star turn in American Opera Theater’s production of SONGSPIEL, 19 songs by Kurt Weill, about which Anne Midgette wrote (Washington Post, January 2010) “This is definitely a star to watch.”

As a regular guest soloist with nearly all of the major American and European orchestras and opera houses, McNair has collaborated with an array of today’s most prominent conductors including Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, André Previn, Neville Marriner and the late Robert Shaw, the musician she credits with giving her the early and important opportunities that started her career.

She stopped along the way to produce over 70 recordings ranging from Mozart arias with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields to CDs with André Previn of music by Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen and left a beautiful audio trail documenting her incredible vocal prowess. She was thrilled to accept the invitation to sing the Bach B-minor Mass with the Vienna Philharmonic for Pope John Paul II at The Vatican, to sing for Hillary Clinton, and to perform at The U.S. Supreme Court by special invitation from Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

A proud Buckeye from Mansfield, Ohio, McNair earned a Masters degree with Distinction from the Indiana University School of Music, received honorary doctorates from Westminster College (1997) and Indiana University (1998), and the Ohio Governor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Entertainment (1999). She joined the prestigious voice faculty of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in 2006. In 2007, McNair received The Gaudium Award from The Breukelein Institute for “extraordinary and distinctive contributions to the arts and public life.”

lied.ku.edu | Lied Center Presents

Lied Center Presents

Performances Andrew Tyson

Robust romantic piano Sunday, Jan. 27, 2:00 p.m.

An evening with Quixotic

Fusing technology, live music, movement and expressive emotion Friday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.

¡Sofrito!

David Gonzalez with the Latin Legends Band A spirited blend of Latin music and stories Saturday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.

An Evening with Suzanne Vega and daughter Ruby Froom Saturday, Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m.

Guru of Chai, Indian Ink Theatre Co. A guru who will sell you a cup of tea

Thursday–SATURDAY, Feb. 7–9, 7:30 p.m.

The Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch and the Band of the Scots Guards Friday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m.

it gets better

Featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of LA in a performance that addresses bullying Saturday, Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

The smash-hit Broadway musical

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m.

West Side Story

A timeless love story with Tony Award-winning choreography Tuesday, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Russian National Orchestra

Daniil Trifonov, pianist Works by Tchaikovsky, Dvor˘ák and more Thursday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.

Narek Arutyunian

Vibrant young clarinet Sunday, March 3, 2:00 p.m.

MUMMENSCHANZ 40 Years

Legendary Swiss pantomime troupe Friday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.

Regina Carter, jazz violinist

Traditional African melodies re-imagined through jazz sensibilities Friday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.

Brentano String Quartet Fragments — Connecting Past and Present Friday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Here To OrdeR: to Stay: 785-864-2787 The Gershwin Experience | lied.ku.edu

Lied Center Presents Russian National Orchestra Works by Tchaikovsky, Dvor˘ák and more

February 21 7:30 p.m.

“Summers had good control of this group. Unison playing was really remarkable, especially by the strings, and Summers’ precise wind and brass voice leading helped clarify the sound even more.”

—The Kansas City Star

The Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch and the Band of the Scots Guards February 15 7:30 p.m.

Approximately 70 musicians will captivate the audience with expertly-delivered music from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

To OrdeR: 785-864-2787 | lied.ku.edu

Friends of the Lied 2012-13 Update

This list includes individuals and businesses that have initiated or renewed their Friends of the Lied membership since the original list was published.

Business Friends Patron ($500+) The Janssen Clinic of Natural Medicine Sponsor ($250+) Weaver’s Friend ($100+) Wheat State Pizza

Individual Friends Benefactor ($1,000+) Karen & Keith Ely Patron ($500+) Tyrone Duncan & Bozenna Pasik-Duncan Contributor ($100+) Joe & Vicki Douglas Cap & Kitty Gray John & Susan Gronbeck Tedesco Mark & Diana Hoppe Sandra & Allen Wiechert Friends ($50+) Loraine H. Lindenbaum Adela Solis Helen & Tom Sullivan

You can support the Lied, too!

For more information or to join the Friends of the Lied, please contact the Lied Center Director of Development, Megan Poindexter, at 785-864-2788 or meganp@ku.edu or go to lied.ku.edu/donate.

2012-13 Friends of the Lied Update