The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Announces Fall/Winter Free Public Programs Series

Dorothy Fields Forever, Mexico Now, Ancient Greece and Timeless Music Highlight Expansive New Season of Performances, Lectures and Screenings

New York, NY, August 13, 2004 -- Barbara Carroll, Arthur Gelb, Ruth Laredo, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Grant Johannesen, and the Songfellows vocal quartet are among the many artists and experts taking part in the 2004 -- 2005 season of free public programs beginning September 22 at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center. In several series within the season, the Library will celebrate the centennials of three extraordinary women (author-lyricist Dorothy Fields, director-actress Margaret Webster, and choreographer Agnes de Mille); spotlight the Olympian artistic achievements and influence of Greek culture in music, dance, and myth; join in the citywide Mexico Now Festival; and recognize important new contributions to its Music Division. All programs are held in the Library's Bruno Walter Auditorium, 111 Amsterdam Avenue (south of 65th Street). Admission is free and seats are available on a first-come basis unless otherwise noted. For further information, call 212.642.0142 or e-mail lpaprog@nypl.org.

Merely Marvelous: A Centennial Tribute to Dorothy Fields
The September 22 opening performance of the 2004 -- 2005 season, An Evening with Barbara Carroll, will also inaugurate Merely Marvelous: A Centennial Tribute to Dorothy Fields, a series of performances, reminiscences, and screenings celebrating the particular genius of the Oscar-winning lyricist-librettist and first woman inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, whose papers are housed in the Library's Billy Rose Theatre Collection (please see schedule, attached). Dorothy Fields (1905 -- 1974) is responsible for many of the songs so deeply embedded in the American consciousness that their familiarity is absolute, reflexive, and universal: "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "I'm in the Mood for Love," "Big Spender," "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Hers was the exquisite sense of life and lyric capable of achieving the unsentimental poignancy of "The Way You Look Tonight" and the sly proletarian hilarity of "He Had Refinement." Fields collaborated with the leading popular composers of five decades -- Jimmy McHugh, Oscar Levant, Jerome Kern, Arthur Schwartz, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen, Cy Coleman, and Quincy Jones, among others -- on pop songs and, most notably, scores for more than fifty films, Broadway musicals, and reviews including Swing Time ("A Fine Romance"), Roberta ("I Won't Dance"), By the Beautiful Sea ("It's Not Where You Start"), and Sweet Charity ("If My Friends Could See Me Now"). Among Fields's many credits as librettist (with her brother, Herbert) are the books for the Cole Porter hits Let's Face It, Something for the Boys, and Mexican Hayride, and for the Irving Berlin-scored Annie Get Your Gun. The Merely Marvelous series will also include a performance and talk by Dorothy Fields's son and daughter-in-law, David Lahm and Judy Kreston; a screening of Swing Time with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; a new play about Dorothy Fields by Barry Day, featuring readings of scenes from her librettos; and other events to be announced later in the season.

Mexico Now
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is one of the 28 leading arts venues in New York City participating in Mexico Now, a citywide festival of contemporary Mexican arts and culture presenting the work of over 100 Mexican filmmakers, architects, writers, and dance, theater, music, and visual artists in November 2004. Three recitals featuring the works of Carlos Chávez and several other contemporary Mexican composers will be performed at the Library by artists including pianists Grant Johannesen and Max Lifchitz, soprano Désirée Halac, and cellist Samuel Magill. The Chávez collection is among the holdings of the Library's Music Division. Mexico Now is a project of Arts International, the nation's only nonprofit organization solely devoted to international arts exchange.

Hellenic Festival Programs
As part of the Library-wide Hellenic Festival, the public program series will offer performances of Greek dance, classical, contemporary, and traditional Greek music, as well as Orpheus and His Lute, a fascinating series of lectures, readings, recitals, and screenings exploring the significance and reverberations of the Orpheus myth in artistic expression. Programs include a lecture-performance by Demetri Tashie and other artists on the folk music of Greece, a demonstration of traditional dances of Greece by the Greek-American Folklore Society, a recital by pianists Tania Papayannopoulou and Yannis Xylas, and a lecture by Charles M. Joseph on Stravinsky and Balanchine's Orpheus. The Hellenic Festival has been made possible by a generous grant from the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation.

Treasures of the Music Division Series
Throughout the year, the Library produces numerous recitals of works for which its Music Division owns the composers' manuscripts. This season, exciting new gifts and acquisitions from Philip Lasser, Arthur Berger, and Norman Dello Joio will be celebrated in performances including the New York premiere of a Lasser composition in a program which features pianist Ruth Laredo and the Manchester Music Festival Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Ariel Rudiakov.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
2004 -- 2005 Schedule of Free Public Programs

(As of August 2004; additional programs to be announced throughout the season.)

Wednesday, September 22, 6:30 p.m.
An Evening with Barbara Carroll: Songs of Dorothy Fields
The renowned jazz pianist and vocalist presents the first program in the series, Merely Marvelous: A Tribute to Dorothy Fields. Admission is free, but tickets are required and will be distributed, one per person, at the Library's Amsterdam Avenue entrance beginning two hours before the performance.


Thursday, September 23, 6 p.m.
From Lincoln Square to Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors: The Journey of New York Artist Ademola Olugebefola
A conversation with the highly acclaimed, Harlem-based artist whose bold, evocative sketches of jazz and dance performances from the Lincoln Center summer series are on display in the Library's plaza corridor gallery through October 2.


Thursday, September 30, 6 p.m.
The Music of Ross Lee Finney, performed by Miranda Cuckson, violin, and Thomas Sauer, piano. The Ross Lee Finney Papers are housed in the Library's Music Division.


Saturday, October 2, 3 p.m.
Music From China will perform regional folk songs, Cantonese lullabies and tunes, Suzhou narrative songs, and Kun opera songs on traditional Chinese instruments. With guest singers Sandia Ang, Amy Chen, Qian Yi, and musicians Wang Guowei, Sun Li, Helen Yee, Susan Cheng, and Gao Renyang.


Thursday, October 7, 3 and 7 p.m.
Screening of Swing Time (1936), featuring the music of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, including the Best Song Academy Award-winner "The Way You Look Tonight." Directed by George Stevens; starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Part of the series, Merely Marvelous: A Centennial Tribute to Dorothy Fields.

Choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, The Full Monty, Gypsy, et al.) will introduce the 7 p.m. screening of Swing Time, on which last season's Broadway musical Never Gonna Dance was based.


Saturday, October 9, 3 p.m.
Campaign Songs performed by Songfellows, the traditional male vocal quartet (two tenors, baritone, and bass) formed in 1992 from the men's chorus of the Metropolitan Opera.


Tuesday, October 12, 7:30 p.m.
Manchester Music Festival Chamber Orchestra featuring guest artist Ruth Laredo
Conducted by Artistic Director Ariel Rudiakov, the concert will features works by Mendelssohn, Mozart, and the New York premiere of a new piece by Philip Lasser. Mr. Lasser will be present to donate the manuscript of his new work to the Library's Music Division.

Saturday, October 16, 3 p.m.
Traditional Dances of Greece, performed by The Greek-American Folklore Society. Part of the Library-wide Hellenic Festival.


Monday, October 18, 6:30 p.m.
Moss Hart: A Centennial Tribute featuring Kitty Carlisle Hart and Special Guests
Produced in collaboration with Lincoln Center Theater. Admission is free but tickets are required and will be distributed, one per person, at the Amsterdam Avenue entrance beginning two hours before show time.


Thursday, October 21, 6:30 p.m.
Sixty Years of Cultural Coverage at The New York Times: Arthur Gelb's Eyewitness Account
Arthur Gelb shares anecdotes, insights, and impressions from the trail he blazed from copy boy to reporter to managing editor to officer of The New York Times Company Foundation. His is a rare and riveting perspective on the events, trends, and personalities that shaped the social, political, and cultural life of the world both inside and out of the national paper of record during his long and influential tenure. This lecture coincides with the November 2004 paperback release of Gelb's recent memoir, City Room.


Saturday, October 23, 3 p.m.
The Music of Arthur Berger
The Arthur Berger Papers comprise a major new donation to the Library's Music Division. This performance of Berger compositions will feature Maria Tegzes, soprano, Joel Krosnick, cellist, and Geoffrey Burleson and Gilbert Kalish, pianists.


Thursday, October 28, 6 p.m.
An Evening with Nikos Astrinidis
The Greek composer will talk about his work and about Greek music in general. The program will feature a performance of songs by Astrinidis by Helen Fousteris, soprano, and Yannis Xylas, piano. Part of the Library-wide Hellenic Festival.


Saturday, October 30, 3 p.m.
Styliani Tartsinis, saxophone, and Yannis Xylas, piano, with guest artists Kathy Yiannoudes, soprano, Alexandra Skendrou, mezzo soprano, and Kostantinos Yiannoudes, baritone, perform works by Greek composers and works inspired by Greek themes. The program will feature music by Nikos Astrinidis, Benson, Brian Elias, Manolis Kalomoiris, Yiorgos Kazasoglou, Dimitris Michailidis, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Part of the Library-wide Hellenic Festival.


Thursday, November 4, 6 p.m.
Works by Chávez, Ponce and Contemporary Mexican Composers, performed by David Witten, piano. Part of the Mexico Now festival.


Saturday, November 6, 3 p.m.
Dimitri Kavrakos, bass, Teresa Moore, soprano, and Tania Papayiannopoulou and Yannis Xylas, pianists, perform works by Greek composers and by composers inspired by Greek themes, including Nikos Astrinidis, Manolis Kaolomoiris, Yiannis Konstantinidis, Charles Spinks, and Richard Strauss.


Monday, November 8, 6 p.m.
World Music Institute: A Roundtable Discussion
In conjunction with World Music In Focus: An Exhibition Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of World Music Institute, on view in the Library's Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery through November 27.


Wednesday, November 10, 3 p.m.
Independent Dance Groups of Mexico
Screenings of new video donations to the Library's Dance Division, introduced by Juan Manuel Diaz Medina. Part of the Mexico Now festival.


Saturday, November 13, 3 p.m.
The Folk Music of Greece
Lecture-performance by Demetri Tashie and other artists. Part of the Library-wide Hellenic Festival.


Thursday, November 18, 6 p.m.
Balanchine on Film
Screenings of works from the Jerome Robbins Archive of the Recorded Moving Image (the Dance Division).


Saturday, November 20, 3 p.m.
Works by Chávez and Contemporary Mexican Composers performed by Désirée Halac, soprano, and Max Lifchitz, piano. Part of the Mexico Now festival.


Tuesday, November 30, 6 p.m.
Works by Casadesus, Chávez and Poulenc performed by Samuel Magill, cello, and Grant Johannesen, piano. The Chávez Sonata is part of the Chávez collection in the Library's Music Division. Mr. Johannesen knew Casadesus, Chávez, and Poulenc and will reminisce about them. Part of the Mexico Now festival.


Saturday, December 4, 3 p.m.
Anahid Sofian and Dancers
A performance of dances informed by Greek music and themes, including "Ode," a dance at twilight inspired by a Greek folk song, adapted by Vangelis; and "Greek Cabaret Dance," a spirited dance noted for its lively footwork and speedy cymbals. Part of the Library-wide Hellenic Festival.


Thursday, December 9, 6 p.m.
With Each Word Your Tenderness Grows: The Life and Lyrics of Dorothy Fields, featuring David Lahm and Judy Kreston (Dorothy Fields's son and daughter-in-law). Mr. Lahm, a jazz musician/composer, will reminisce about his mother and perform her works as well as his own, with cabaret singer Ms. Kreston. Part of the series, Merely Marvelous: A Centennial Tribute to Dorothy Fields.


Saturday, December 11, 3 p.m.
The Perfect Myth, The Perfect Collaboration: Stravinsky and Balanchine's Orpheus, a lecture by Charles M. Joseph, author of Stravinsky and Balanchine: A Journey of Invention, with a screening of a taped performance of the ballet from the archives of the Dance Division. Part of the program series, Orpheus and His Lute, and the Library-wide Hellenic Festival.


Coming in 2005

A full schedule of free public programs at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will continue into the new year. Following is a sampling of the highlights already slated:

Internationally acclaimed pianist Grant Johannesen will present a series of three Saturday afternoon recitals, each featuring works by Beethoven, Chopin, Fauré, and Schumann. Dates for these recitals are January 29, April 30, and June 18, 2005. And the recent acquisition by the Library's Music Division of the manuscripts of Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Norman Dello Joio will be celebrated in a performance of his works on February 24, with artists yet to be announced.

The Library's centennial tribute to groundbreaking director-actress Margaret Webster will commence the week of what would have been her 100th birthday in March. On Saturday, March 12, Milly S. Barranger, distinguished Professor Emerita of Drama (UNC Chapel Hill) and author of the new biography Margaret Webster: A Life in the Theater, will present a lecture on the life and work of Webster. Two days later, artists who knew Margaret Webster will convene to participate in Margaret Webster Remembered, a program of readings and reminiscences. Other programs in the Margaret Webster series will be announced throughout the season.

The Merely Marvelous series will continue on May 9 with the debut reading of a new play about Dorothy Fields written by Barry Day. The centennial tribute to choreographer Agnes de Mille will begin later in the season and continue throughout the year.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts houses the world's most extensive combination of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. It divisions are the Circulating Collections, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, Music Division, Billy Rose Theatre Collection, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound. The materials in its collections are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. The Library is known particularly for its prodigious collections of non-book materials such as historic recordings, videotapes, autograph manuscripts, correspondence, sheet music, stage designs, press clippings, programs, posters and photographs.

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman.

Contacts: Lindy Regan or Herb Scher at 212.704.8600.