Lecture Series – The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? Harold Arlen Edition

Name: Lecture Series – The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? Harold Arlen Edition
Start: 2024-10-13T16:00:00-04:00
Location: Kerrytown Concert House

Schedule

Sun Oct 13 2024 at 04:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Kerrytown Concert House | Ann Arbor, MI

Kerrytown Concert House is honored to continue its exciting new lecture series, The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? featuring the incomparable Brent Wagner (University of Michigan Emeritus Professor of Musical Theatre) with pianist/vocalist Tyler Driskill (U-M Asst. Prof of Musical Theatre) and University of Michigan Musical Theatre students, Alyssa Sunew and Nile Andah.
This second installment of a 4-part lecture series centers around Harold Arlen, described by George Gershwin as “…the most original of all of us” and who wrote some of the greatest hits from the 30’s and 40’s, including the entire score to the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. Together, Wagner and Driskill will give a lecture/demonstration about Arlen’s contributions to the ‘Great American Songbook’ with an emphasis on the impact of the combination of music and lyrics to make a powerful new work.
About the series…
Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter — these marvelous writers created so many lasting standards in the early 20th century that their contribution to that era has been termed ‘The Great American Songbook.’ These songs have been recorded hundreds of times by pop singers, jazz artists, dance bands, and even opera singers, and new generations of performers are constantly discovering and rediscovering the depth and artistry of these mini-masterpieces.
But why have these songs lasted so long? What exactly makes them ‘great’? Professor Wagner will explore the repertoire, detailing and demonstrating some of the characteristics that make these songs part of an enduring and rewarding legacy.
Dates for events in the Great American Songbook Series:
Irving Berlin Edition lecture – Sunday, Sept. 15th, 2024 at 4 PM
Harold Arlen Edition lecture – Sunday, Oct. 13th, 2024 at 4 PM
Get Happy and Let Yourself Go: The Music of Irving Berlin & Harold Arlen(companion concert with Tyler Driskill & Friends) – Friday, Nov. 22nd, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Duke Ellington Edition lecture – Sunday, Feb. 9th, 2025 at 2 PM
Carolyn Leigh Edition lecture – Sunday, March 9th, 2025 at 2 PM
The Best is Yet to Come, Come Sunday: Music of Duke Ellington & Carolyn Leigh (companion concert with Tyler Driskill & Friends) – Friday, May 9th, 2025 at 7:30 PM