Thinking Out Loud: In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: Frank London and Friends

Curated by Frank London, an evening of multi-disciplinary performances pays tribute to great Jewish cultural figures whose work altered the course of American history.

Established in 2006, The New York Public Library’s Celebrate 350 series serves as a permanent tribute to the anniversary of the arrival of Jews in New York City. This year we have invited Frank London, acclaimed composer, performer, and co-founder of The Klezmatics, to curate an evening of performances by contemporary artists in homage to the great Jewish artists, writers, and thinkers whose work changed the course of American history. Those being honored include writer Delmore Schwartz, author of the iconic short story "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities," as well as:

• Hannah Arendt, political philosopher 
• Benjamin Cardozo,  jurist 
• Paul Cohen, mathematician 
• Maya Deren, dancer & filmmaker 
• Celia Dropkin,  poet 
• Morton Feldman, composer 
• Rube Goldberg, cartoonist 
• Yip Harburg, lyricist 
• Shelley Hirsch, singer
• Louise Kaplan, therapist 
• Julius Lester, writer 
• S.J. Perelman, humorist 
• Delmore Schwartz, writer 
• Susan Sontag, writer & philosopher 
• Willie “The Lion” Smith, musician 
• Kurt Weill, composer 

The Library is one of the world’s leading repositories of Judaica and materials related to Jewish life. Under London’s direction, and in collaboration with the Dorot Jewish Division and other research divisions, the evening’s program will draw heavily upon materials from the Library’s broad collections. Performers include Shane Baker, Bonga, The Builders Association: Moe Angelos and Marianne Weems, Anthony Coleman, Sarah Gordon, Molly Haskell, Brad Jones, Dr. Alex Kontorovich, Frank London, Jody Oberfelder and Dancers, Eleanor Reissa, Lorin Sklamberg, Andy Teirstein, Sara Valentine, The Washboard XT Duo: Marvin Sewell and Newman "Washboard XT" Baker and Michael Wex.

A program of the Celebrate 350 Lecture series, a permanent tribute to the anniversary of the arrival of Jews in New York City. Presented in partnership with the Dorot Jewish Division of The New York Public Library.  

REGISTER HERE

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED
For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form one hour before the program.

PRESS 
Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc.) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Sara Beth Joren at sarabethjoren@nypl.org. For all other inquiries, please contact publicprograms@nypl.org.