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Yip Harburg's Songs and Poems of Love and War Performed at Donnell Library Center by Stephen Bogardus, Catherine Russell, Diane Sutherland, and Ben Harburg, April 7 Free Concert Celebrates the Yip Harburg Political Film Collection Free Screenings of Films from the Collection Held Thursdays in April
The event, held on the anniversary of Yip's birth, celebrates the Yip Harburg Political Documentary Film Collection, which was established at the Donnell Media Center by the Yip Harburg Foundation in 2004. As part of its mission to perpetuate the ideals inherent in Harburg's social activism, the Foundation provided seed money, other funding and in-kind support to documentaries by some of the finest contemporary filmmakers and has given the collection to the Library. Six films from the collection will be screened in the Library's series "Viewpoint: Treasures from the Yip Harburg Political Documentary Film Collection" on Thursday afternoons in April (see schedule below). The Donnell Media Center has circulating and reference collections of nearly 15,000 films and 35,000 audio recordings and is one of the largest such centers in the nation. Appearing in the free concert are noted performers Stephen Bogardus, Catherine Russell, and Diane Sutherland, as well as Yip Harburg's grandson, Ben Harburg. Stephen Bogardus starred on Broadway in such shows as "Falsettos and Love! Valour! Compassion!" (for which he received a Tony nomination and an Obie Award). Catherine Russell is a versatile vocalist who has performed with David Bowie, Steely Dan, and Paul Simon and was an Associate Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music. Diane Sutherland's Broadway appearances include "A Chorus Line," the 1994 revival of "She Loves Me" and the original company of Cats. The theatrical concert, based on an idea by Ernie Harburg, Yip's son, is co-conceived and narrated by Deena Rosenberg (Harburg) with veteran director Michael Montel. Broadway musical director David Brunetti is at the piano. Ben Harburg, Yip Harburg's grandson, is a junior at East Side Community High School in the East Village near where his grandfather grew up. The Donnell Library Center's theatrical concert and film screenings kick off six months of tributes to Yip Harburg, most notably, the issue of a Yip Harburg 37-cent postage stamp by the US Postal Service on April 28, 2005. Viewpoint: Treasures from the Yip Harburg Political Documentary Film Collection Thursday April 14, 2005 at 2:30 pm "Thunder in Guyana ," video, color, 50 minutes "Dance of Hope ," video, color, 75 minutes Thursday April 21, 2005 at 2:30 pm "Farmville ," video, color, 25 minutes "Standing Tall ," video color, 51 minutes Thursday April 28, 2005 at 2:30 pm "Closing the Open Door ," video, color, 42 minutes "School Board Blues ," video, color, 72 minutes ### Press Contact: Herb Scher, Debbie Bujosa, 212.704.8600 |
New York, NY, March 22, 2005 -- Yip Harburg wrote the lyrics to songs that are among the most beloved popular standards, including "Over the Rainbow," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "April in Paris." However he was also known for expressing passionately held social views that were evident in numbers like "Brother Can You Spare a Dime," "Hurry Sundown," and "Push de Button." In "Hooray for What! Yip Harburg's Songs and Poems of Love and War," a free concert at the Donnell Library Center, noted Broadway and recording artists will perform a selection of Harburg's works that reflect his intense and skillfully-rendered views of both romance, politics how they interwove. The free program will be held April 7 at 6 p.m. in the Donnell Library Center Auditorium, 20 West 53rd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues).