Podcasts about rorem

Because there is no such thing as too much Eleanor Steber, today's episode once again features the prodigiously gifted singer, in my opinion the greatest soprano the United States has ever produced, singing a dizzying range of material, most of it recorded live between the years 1958 and 1979. These recordings were nearly all private releases on Steber's own record labels.. First, ST/AND Records, which she formed with her second husband Gordon Andrews, and which between 1960 and 1962 produced approximately fifteen LPs, all but one of them featuring Steber. Second, recordings released under the aegis of the Eleanor Steber Music Foundation, which she formed in 1973 and which released a few choice live recordings of Steber's late career recitals. The material ranges from selections from the Christian Science Hymnal, piously presented; sentimental ballads, tackily arranged; Bach and Mozart arias; art songs by Rorem, Barber, Britten, Debussy, Berg, and Beethoven; and opera arias from I Puritani, Der Freischütz, Giulio Cesare, and Tosca, the last performed at her campy Live at the Continental Baths concert in October 1973. Though as Steber grew older, her voice occasionally sounded blowsy, on the vast majority of these recordings she sounds stunningly good. And no matter what repertoire she was singing, her impeccable technique and pristine musicianship remained intact throughout. Much of source material from which these performances stem is exceedingly rare, and for the most part difficult and costly to obtain. So in my role as supreme Steber groupie, I am honored and thrilled to share these recordings, all of them from my own personal collection. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

A final offering of Christmas music on Countermelody this year, but far be it from me to rehash the usual Christmas carols! Absolutely not! In this episode I offer a follow-up to an episode posted years ago featuring Christmas-themed art song. Expect the unexpected (including a big helping of 20th Century selections by Britten, Hindemith, Martinů, Rorem, and Corigliano), alongside selections from our favorite Romantic and post-Romantic composers (Brahms, Schumann, Reger, Grieg, and Strauss). Singers include Gundula Janowitz, Hermann Prey, Maureen Forrester, Edith Mathis, Karl Erb, Janet Baker, Peter Schreier, Tom Krause, and Nicolai Gedda, among many, many others. Happy Holidays to all my fans and supporters! Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Today's crossword was clearly a labor of love and mathematics, for reasons that will become clear as soon as you either check out the crossword, or today's episode. It did seem to have a rather large number of, well, 96A, Brief glimpse of stars, say, CAMEOS -- except in this case the CAMEOS were from a vast array of fields, from art, 81D, Surrealist James, ENSOR; to cinema, 54A, Oscar-winning actor in Farmers Insurance ads, JKSIMMONS; to sports, 124D, Golfer Jon, RAHM; to 111D, Ned who composed the operatic version of "Our Town", ROREM. As they used to say in Gotham City, Quickly, to the Wikipedia-mobile, Robin!Show note imagery: MARIECLAIRE, which does appear en français (in French)We love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

In S2E18 of Richardson's Rubicon, hosts John Richardson and Nate Stinehour delve into the thrilling and enriching intricacies of the gaming community within the context of EverQuest, an iconic MMORPG that's been captivating players for over 25 years. Underscoring the sense of companionship and support fostered among community members, the hosts share personal triumphs and challenges in the game, creating an engaging discussion for both veteran gamers and newcomers alike. At the heart of their conversation is the love of groups and the fear of not finding one, and dealing with feelings of inadequacy in moments of comparison. The hosts' candid dialogue about imposter syndrome in the face of expansive game knowledge offers a relatable element to the podcast. They urge listeners to embrace curiosity, pointing out that seeking help within the community is a strength and an avenue for continuous learning. This episode also provides valuable insights into the unique characteristics of different gaming classes, particularly druids, wizards, and paladins. The hosts highlight the importance of selecting a class based on personal enjoyment and play style, rather than bending to opinions from other players. They also delve into the interesting dynamics of the gaming economy, underscoring the charm of exploring zones for valuable drops instead of relentlessly chasing top-tier gear from early stages. Providing a deeper analysis, the hosts contrast the unique mechanics and complexities of EverQuest with the more streamlined nature of modern games. Nostalgia, they note, can be a powerful tool for attracting new players to a game that remains a niche favourite. In the spirit of community bonding and engagement, they express excitement for an upcoming PvP arena event. Later on, they delve into the challenges of balancing their love for the game with their real-life responsibilities. John shares his struggles as a possibly confused introverted individual with limited gaming time, while Nate speaks about memorable moments of bonding and support within the community. As the episode wraps up, they plan an "ask us anything" session, walk listeners through gaming confessions and experiences documented in Reddit posts, and share their contact information for listeners keen on joining their adventure. Overall, this episode of Richardson's Rubicon forms a deep and vibrant tribute to the EverQuest gaming community, treating listeners to a profoundly personal and informative experience. 05:02 Emphasizes return to basics in MMO gaming. 07:52 Guild members support each other, friendly atmosphere. 11:11 MMOs offer escapism and online social interaction. 14:38 Conversations recognise knowledge but feel inexperienced. 19:18 Sense of achievement and connecting with others. 21:23 EverQuest is a niche game, not for millions. 24:09 Excited about stories, game intricacies, and nostalgia. 26:47 Disinterest in EverQuest, level 80 focus. 32:10 Secret Confessions with loot. 35:41 Cleric build focused on solo play style. 37:11 Progressed from novice to proficient in skill. 43:07 Classes are useful, shaman good first choice. 46:39 New player seeking money-making advice on P1999. 49:57 Occasional Gargoyle Eyes, valuable steel loot. Efficient! 51:54 Choose zone, set time, battle, last standing. P99 Green Nate Stinehour's in-game name is "Rorem". John Richardson's in-game name is "Yuramtik/Ceanloch". Discuss! https://richardsonsrubicon.com/community/episode-topics/escape-to-everquest-camaraderie-and-imposter-syndrome/

I have been juggling a number of brand new episode ideas for the coming weeks, but when I discovered that Sunday April 7 was the birthday of Marvis Martin, one of my favorite sopranos, I put all those ideas on the back burner and eagerly put together this birthday tribute to a singer who not only is celebrated as possessing one of the most beautiful voices of her generation, but who has also had a long, successful, and unconventional career. For whatever arbitrary reason, Marvis Martin made only a handful of major label recording releases, but, for us lucky persons who live in the age of YouTube, there are a growing number of gorgeous live recordings available that feature this artist in her prime. In some ways she reminds me of Veronica Tyler, whose career I charted in a popular episode of the podcast a few months ago. In the case of the highly respected and frankly marvelous Marvis Martin, we are able to personally present her with the flowers that she so richly deserves. I have curated a wonderful setlist today of mostly live material that includes representative selections from each of the platforms on which her career was focused: opera, concert, and recital, everything from Mozart and Handel to Copland, Rorem, and Barber; from selections from Porgy and spirituals, to Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and Korngold. My dear friend Jerry Hadley appears as a duet partner in a rare live Idomeneo performance and conductors Georg Solti, Henry Lewis, Vladimir Ashkenazy, James Levine, Charles Mackerras, Eve Queler, and Libor Pešek, among others, support this magnificent singer from the podium. Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

This episode Adam and Jimmy have a conversation with Mr. Dave Rorem of Rorem Retrievers to talk dog training.www.roremretrievers.comThanks for listening, we hope you enjoy it !Special thanks to our sponsors that make this possibleChene Gear https://chenegear.comG&G Motors https://www.gandgtractor.com/Kirk-Sullivan Motors and Accessories  https://kirksullivanmotorsandaccessories.com/Soggy Dog Gear https://soggydoggear.com/Campbell's Hillside Kennels https://www.facebook.com/campbellshillsidekennels/Mallard Run Kennels https://www.facebook.com/people/Mallard-Run-Kennels/100039873050738/www.doghousepod.comgoldnuggets@doghousepod.com https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094564418266

SynopsisHappy Leap Year!Once every four years, we have the opportunity to wish the great Italian opera composer Giacomo Rossini a happy birthday — he was born on Feb. 29 in 1792 — and to note some other musical events that occurred on this unusual but recurring calendar date.The American Bicentennial Year 1976, for example, also was a leap year, and 12 months were cram-packed with specially commissioned works written on a grand scale to celebrate that major anniversary of our nation. But at Alice Tully Hall on Feb. 29, 1976, a more modest celebration was in progress: an afternoon of new chamber works for flute and harp, including the premiere performance of a piece by American composer Ned Rorem.This piece was titled Book of Hours, referring to the prayers that the clergy read at various times of the day. In 1976, when avant-garde composer Pierre Boulez was the music director of the New York Philharmonic and dense, complicated music was considered fashionable by the critics, and the reviewer for the New York Times was struck by Rorem's deceptive simplicity: “Many contemporary composers flaunt their abilities to make music complex,” he wrote, “but Rorem waves an altogether different flag. His Book of Hours seemed determined to be uneventful. Its calculated simplicities and unassertive manner recalled the bare-walls asceticism of Erik Satie, though Mr. Rorem's phrases and colors are more sensuous and do not quite evoke Satie's mood of monastic rigor.”Music Played in Today's ProgramNed Rorem (1923-2022): Book of Hours; Fibonacci Sequence; Naxos 8.559128

SynopsisIt's a play both Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein wanted to make into an opera, but the playwright always said, “No.”We're talking about Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, a nostalgic but bittersweet look at life, love and death in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, set in the early 1900s, complete with white picket fences, boy meets girl, and a drugstore soda counter.It wasn't until decades after Wilder's death in 1975 that the executor of the Wilder estate, after a long search for just the right composer for an Our Town opera, settled on Ned Rorem, and a libretto crafted by poet J.D. McClatchy, who also happened to be an authority on Wilder's works.Rorem was in his 80s when the opera premiered on today's date in 2006 at the Opera Theater at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana.The New York Times thought the resulting opera was a success, writing, “Our Town opens with a hymn, and Rorem retained and refracted the familiar melody, turning pat modulations slightly bitter, as if the music were heard through a lens of nostalgia that turned it sepia. This nostalgia proved a hallmark of the score.”Music Played in Today's ProgramNed Rorem (b. 1923): Opening, from Our Town; Monadnock Music; Gil Rose, cond. New World 80790

Ned Rorem was an American composer and writer, and was hailed by some as the greatest art-song composer of his time. Writing over 500 songs, his music has been described as Neoromantic, leaning at times towards a more lyrical nature. Early musical influences upon Rorem were Margaret Bonds, Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland and also Arthur Honegger. After a period of living in Paris where he associated with members of Les Six, as well as frequent trips to Morocco, Rorem eventually settled back in the USA for the rest of his life. He went on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his orchestral work, Air Music.Rorem also wrote seventeen books, six of which were intimate diaries. These earned him a certain reputation from the 1960s onwards, particularly for his openness about his regular sexual encounters with men. During this period, Rorem also had issues with alcohol and drugs, but his life steadily settled when he entered into a long-term relationship with the composer and choral director James Holmes. They purchased a house together in Nantucket, and Rorem often relied upon Holmes for feedback concerning his own music. This week, Donald Macleod reflects on Ned Rorem's life and music, remembering his own encounter with the composer when he interviewed Rorem for this series in 2003. Music Featured:Early in the morning The Lordly Hudson Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Dance Suite (excerpt) Piano Concerto No 2 (excerpt) Piano Sonata No 3 (excerpt) Sing My Soul Symphony No 2 (excerpt) For Poulenc Two Psalms and A Proverb (excerpt) Lions Love Divine, All Loves Excelling I will always love you Book of Hours Sky Music (Brisk and Smooth) Santa Fe Songs (excerpt) Praise the Lord, O My Soul Violin Concerto (excerpt) While all things were in quiet silence (Seven Motets for the Church Year) Breath on Me, Breath of God String Symphony (excerpt) Spring Music (Bagatelle) String Quartet No 4 (Still Life) More than a Day (excerpt) Evidence of things not seen (excerpt) Piano Album 1 (excerpts) Double Concerto for Violin and Cello (excerpt) United States: Seven Viewpoints for String Quartet (excerpt) Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra (Recurring Dream) Our Town (excerpt) For Six Friends Four Prayers From An Unknown PastPresented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC Audio Wales and WestFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Ned Rorem (1923-2022) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001slxs And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we've featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Synopsis On today's date in 1998 at King's Chapel in Boston, a new work by the American composer Daniel Pinkham received its first performance. Scored for baritone and organ and titled Three Latin Motets, it was intended as a birthday offering to Pinkham's  fellow composer and colleague Ned Rorem, with a dedication that read, “For Ned Rorem and a half century of friendship.”But the premiere occurred on the 75th anniversary of Pinkham's birth, as a surprise at a concert in his honor. Organist James David Christie and baritone Sanford Sylvan had sneakily persuaded Pinkham to write the motets for Rorem, who was born in 1923 – the same year as Pinkham – but intended all along to premiere the music as a surprise at a concert in Pinkham's honor.Pinkham was noted for his church music, and once quipped, “I just like to hear my pieces more than once, and when you write music for the church you have a better chance at that… I [tell people] am available for weddings, funerals, and bar mitzvahs.”Pinkham died in 2006, and Christie and Sylvan performed his Three Latin Motets once again in January of 2007— at Pinkham's memorial service. Music Played in Today's Program Daniel Pinkham (1923 - 2006) Three Latin Motets Aaron Engebreth, bar;Heinrich Christensen, o. Florestan FRP-1003

Synopsis For the 1958-59 season of the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, the orchestra's newly-appointed music director, was eager to program as much new American music as he dared. As luck would have it, early in 1958, the 35-year old American composer Ned Rorem had just returned from Europe with a new symphonic score. “I wrote most of my Third Symphony in France,” recalled Rorem. “It's a big piece but not a commission—I was still writing for the love of it in those days… So I showed it to Lenny and he said ‘OK, I'll do it, but I wish you would re-orchestrate the slow movement entirely for strings.' I replied ‘Sure,' but didn't, because Bernstein was always saying things like that and then would forget all about it.” The premiere of Rorem's Third Symphony—as written—occurred at Carnegie Hall on today's date in 1959, but for its composer, the thrill was tempered by some harsher realities. Rorem recalled, “I came late to the first rehearsal because in those days I was living off unemployment insurance … and I had to go down and stand in line to pick up my check. I guess they managed without me because Lenny conducted four wonderful performances.” Music Played in Today's Program Ned Rorem (b. 1923) Symphony No. 3 Utah Symphony; Maurice Abravanel, conductor. Vox Box 5092

After four decades in the international spotlight, the achievements of saxophonist Branford Marsalis continue to grow. From his initial recognition as a young jazz lion, he has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining unwavering creative integrity. In the process, he has become a multi-award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence. Growing up in the rich environment of New Orleans as the oldest son of pianist and educator, the late Ellis Marsalis, Branford was drawn to music along with siblings Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason. The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986, remains his primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range as demonstrated on the band's latest release: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul.  Branford has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras worldwide, performing works by composers such as Copeland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams and Villa-Lobos. And his legendary guest performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena. His work on Broadway has garnered a Drama Desk Award and Tony nominations for the acclaimed revivals of Children of a Lesser God, Fences, and A Raisin in the Sun. His screen credits include original music composed for: Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Ma Rainey is the Netflix film adaptation of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play, produced by Denzel Washington and released in December 2020. Branford has also shared his knowledge as an educator, forming extended teaching relationships at Michigan State, San Francisco State, and North Carolina Central Universities and conducting workshops at sites throughout the United States and the world. After the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, Branford and friend Harry Connick, Jr. conceived of “Musicians' Village,” a residential community in the Upper Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The centerpiece of the Village is the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, honoring Branford's father. The Center uses music as the focal point of a holistic strategy to build a healthy community and to deliver a broad range of services to underserved children, youth, and musicians from neighborhoods battling poverty and social injustice. In this episode, Branford shares his background, education, and musical journey. If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, ect. Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Synopsis On today's date in 1948, Leonard Bernstein, age 29, conducted the Boston Symphony in the premiere of a new orchestral work by Harold Shapero, age 27. This was Shapero's “Symphony for Classical Orchestra,” a work modeled on Beethoven but sounding very much like one of the Neo-Classical scores of Igor Stravinsky. This was exactly what Shapero intended, but some found the music perplexing. Aaron Copland, for one, wrote: “Harold Shapero, it is safe to say, is at the same time the most gifted and baffling composer of his generation.” That comment by Copland, one should remember, came at a time when Shapero's generation included the likes of Barber, Bernstein, Menotti and Rorem. But Copland continued, “Stylistically, Shapero seems to feel a compulsion to fashion his music after some great model. He seems to be suffering from a hero-worship complex – or perhaps it is a freakish attack of false modesty.” “Copland was so original,” Shapero responded, “that he just couldn't understand anyone who wasn't.” Even so, Shapero's superbly crafted orchestral imitations suffered many decades of neglect. In the 1980s, however, conductor and composer Andre Previn fell in love with Shapero's Symphony, performing and recording it with the LA Philharmonic, and declared its Adagietto movement the most beautiful slow movement of any American symphony. Music Played in Today's Program Harold Shapero (b. 1920) Symphony for Classical Orchestra Los Angeles Philharmonic; André Previn, conductor New World 373 On This Day Births 1697 - German composer and flutist Johann Joachim Quantz, in Oberscheden, Hannover; 1861 - French-born American composer Charles Martin Loeffler, in Alsace; 1862 - German-born American composer and conductor, Walter Damrosch, in Breslau; Deaths 1963 - French composer Francis Poulenc, age 64, in Paris; Premieres 1724 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 81 ("Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?") performed on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany as part of Bach's first annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1723/24); 1735 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 14 ("Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit") performed in Leipzig on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany; 1892 - Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” No. 1 in G minor (Gregorian date: Feb. 11); 1893 - Brahms: Fantasies for piano Nos. 1-3, from Op. 117 and Intermezzo No. 2, from Op. 117, in Vienna; 1917 - Zemlinsky: opera "A Floretine Tragedy," in Stuttgart at the Hoftheater; 1920 - Frederick Converse: Symphony in c, by the Boston Symphony, Pierre Monteux conducting; 1942 - Copland: Orchestral Suite from "Billy the Kid" ballet, by the Boston Symphony; 1948 - Harold Shapero: "Symphony for Classical Orchestra," by the Boston Symphony conducted by Leonard Bernstein; 1958 - Walton: "Partita" for orchestra, in Cleveland; 1959 - Hindemith: "Pittsburgh Symphony," by the Pittsburgh Symphony, conducted by the composer; 1970 - William Schuman: "In Praise of Shahn," in New York; 1985 - Libby Larsen: Symphony ("Water Music"), by the Minnesota Orchestra, Sir Neville Marriner conducting. Links and Resources On Harold Shapero

Synopsis The American composer Ned Rorem liked to classify music as being either French or German – by “French” Rorem meant music that is sensuous, economical, and unabashedly superficial; by “German” Rorem meant music that strives to be brainy, complex, and impenetrably deep. On today's date the Boston Symphony gave the premiere performances of two important 20th century piano concertos. The first, by Francis Poulenc, had its premiere under the baton of Charles Munch in 1950, with the composer at the piano. Poulenc's Concerto is a light, entertaining with no pretension to profundity. It is quintessentially “French” according to Rorem's classification. The second Piano Concerto, by the American composer Elliott Carter, had its Boston premiere in 1967, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf, with soloist Jacob Lateiner. Carter's Concerto was written in Berlin in the mid-1960s when the Wall dividing that city was still new. Carter said he composed it in a studio near an American target range, and one commentator hears the sounds of machine guns in the work's second movement. Carter himself compared woodwind solos in the same movement to the advice given by three friends of the long-suffering Job in the Bible. Needless to say, Rorem would emphatically classify Carter's Concerto as “German” to the max! Music Played in Today's Program Francis Poulenc (1899 –1963) Piano Concerto Pascal Roge, piano; Philharmonia Orchestra; Charles Dutoit, conductor. London 436 546 Elliot Carter (b. 1908) Piano Concerto Ursula Oppens, piano; SWF Symphony; Michael Gielen, conductor. Arte Nova 27773

Greetings to all from my former home of Manhattan! Upon landing here a week ago, I was greeted by the news of the death of Ned Rorem, the man previously known as “America's Greatest Living Composer,” who just last month had celebrated his 99th birthday. Though he won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1976 for his orchestral work Air Music, Rorem was most celebrated for his vocal music, in particular his art songs. In this episode, I will delve into that aspect of his output, from his earliest published work to his extraordinary late masterpiece Evidence of Things Not Seen. The episode features singers who collaborated closely with the composer, including Phyllis Curtin, Donald Gramm, Beverly Wolff, Regina Sarfaty, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Kurt Ollmann, and others. Many other singers were also drawn to Rorem's songs, including Leontyne Price, Jan DeGaetani, Martina Arroyo, and Laura Aikin, all of whom are represented here. As celebrated as a frank and forthright diarist and essayist as he was as a composer, Rorem (like his British counterpart Benjamin Britten) had extraordinary taste in the poetry and texts he chose to set. In this episode alone, we hear compositions set to words of Sylvia Plath, Paul Goodman, Walt Whitman, Paul Monette, Theodore Roethke, Frank O'Hara, and others. The episode concludes with a tribute to another musician who died earlier the same day, the American collaborative pianist David Triestram, who accompanies his dear colleague and friend Roberta Alexander in Leonard Bernstein's poignant and timely song “Some Other Time.” Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.  

This episode begins with “Early in the Morning,” the song by Ned Rorem (who just turned ninety-nine). It proceeds with “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'.” Later on, there is “Sunday Morning,” one of the “Sea Interludes” from Britten's opera “Peter Grimes.” Jay was not going for a morning theme. It just happened that way. There is other music too, including a hymn, both in its straightforward choral version and in an improvisation by a famous, and devoted, pianist. Rorem, “Early in the Morning” Rodgers & Hammerstein, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin',” from “Oklahoma!” Schoenberg, “Waldsonne” Britten, “Sea Interlude,” “Sunday Morning,” from “Peter Grimes” Shostakovich, Interlude No. 2, from “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” Chapí, “Carceleras,” from “Las hijas del zebedeo” Trad., “Come, Come, Ye Saints” Johannesen, Improvisation on a Mormon Hymn

Synopsis While many great composers have also been great conductors, this can be the exception rather than the rule. On today's date in 1959, the American composer Ned Rorem tried his hand at conducting the premiere of one of his own compositions, a chamber suite entitled “Eleven Studies for Eleven Players.” Rorem recalled: “I learned that the first requisite to becoming a conductor is an inborn lust for absolute monarchy, and that I, alone among musicians, never got the bug. I was terrified. The first rehearsal was a model of how NOT to inspire confidence. I stood before the eleven players in all my virginal glory, and announced: ‘I've never conducted before, so if I give a wrong cue, do try to come in right anyway.'” Fortunately for Rorem, his eleven musicians were accomplished faculty at Buffalo University, and, despite his inexperience, Rorem certainly knew how his new piece should sound. Rorem's Suite incorporated a few bits recycled from music he had written for a successful Broadway hit—Tennessee Williams' “Suddenly Last Summer”—plus a bit from an unsuccessful play entitled “Motel” that never made it past a Boston tryout. Rorem's own tryout as a conductor convinced him to stick to composing, although he proved to be a fine piano accompanist for singers performing his own songs. As for “Eleven Studies for Eleven Players,” it's gone on to become one of Rorem's most-often performed chamber works. Music Played in Today's Program Ned Rorem (b. 1923) — Eleven Studies for Eleven Players (New York Chamber Ensemble; Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, cond.) Albany 175 On This Day Births 1866 - French composer Erik Alfred-Leslie Satie, in Honfleur; 1901 - German composer Werner Egk, in Auchsesheim, near Donauswörth; His original last name was Mayer, and it is said (although denied by the composer) that the he chose the acronym E-G-K because it stood for "ein grosser Komponist" ("a great composer"); 1923 - American composer Peter Mennin, in Erie, Pa.; Deaths 1935 - French composer Paul Dukas, age 69, in Paris; Premieres 1779 - Gluck: opera "Iphigénie en Tauride" (Iphigenia in Taurus), at the Paris Opéra; 1890 - Mascagni: "Cavalleria Rusticana," in Rome at the Teatro Costanzi; 1904 - Ravel: "Schéhérazade," in Paris, with vocalist Jane Hatto and Alfred Cortot, conducting; 1919 - Ravel: "Alborado del gracioso" (orchestral version), in Paris at Pasdeloup Concert; 1929 - Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3, in Paris, by the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris, with Pierre Monteux conducting; 1933 - Cowell: "Reel," for small orchestra, in New York; 1939 - Prokofiev: cantata "Alexander Nevsky," in Moscow; 1946 - Martin: "Petite Symphonie Concertante," in Zurich, Paul Sacher conducting; 1960 - Ned Rorem: "11 Studies for 11 Players," for chamber ensemble, at the State University of Buffalo (N.Y.), conducted by the composers; 1990 - Rautavaara: "Vincent," in Helsinki at the Finnish National Opera; 2000 - Michael Torke: "Corner in Manhattan," by the Minnesota Orchestra, Eiji Oue conducting; 2001 - Christopher Rouse: Clarinet Concerto, by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, with Larry Combs the soloist; Others 1922 - Music of "The President's Own" reached homes across the nation when the first Marine Band radio program was broadcast; 1969 - Leonard Bernstein's last concert as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, having conducted 939 concerts with the orchestra (831 as its Music Director); Bernstein conducted 36 world premieres with the orchestra; He continued to appear with the Philharmonic as an occasional guest conductor until his death in 1990; 1978 - Philips Electronics of The Netherlands announces a new digital sound reproduction system from flat, silver "Compact Discs." Links and Resources On Rorem NY Times feature on Rorem at 95

Synopsis For their February 2013 cover story, the editors of BBC Music Magazine, came up with a list of the 50 most influential people in the history of music.  Bach was on it, as you might expect – but so was Shakespeare. Any music lover can see the logic in that, and cite pieces like Mendelssohn's music for “A Midsummer Night's Dream” or Tchaikovsky's Overture-Fantasy entitled “Romeo and Juliet,” or all the great operas based on Shakespeare's plays, ranging from Verdi's “Falstaff” to a recent setting of “The Tempest” by Thomas Adès. And speaking of “The Tempest,” in New York on today's date in 1981, Sharon Robinson premiered a new solo cello suite she commissioned from the American composer Ned Rorem,  a work titled “After Reading Shakespeare.” “Yes,” says Rorem,  “I was re-reading Shakespeare the month the piece was accomplished… Yet the experience did not so much inspire the music itself as provide a cohesive program upon which the music be might formalized, and thus intellectually grasped by the listener.” Rorem even confessed that some of the titles were added AFTER the fact, “as when parents christen their children.“   After all, as Shakespeare's Juliet might put it, “What's in a name?” Music Played in Today's Program Ned Rorem (b. 1923) — After Reading Shakespeare (Sharon Robinson, cello) Naxos 8.559316 On This Day Births 1835 - Austrian composer and conductor Eduard Strauss, in Vienna; He was the youngest son of Johann Strauss, Sr.; 1864 - Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist Johan Halvorsen, in Drammen; 1901 - American composer Colin McPhee, in Montréal, Canada; 1926 - American composer Ben Johnston, in Macon, Ga.; 1928 - American composer Nicolas Flagello, in New York City; Deaths 1842 - Italian composer Luigi Cherubini, age 81, in Paris; 1918 - French composer Lili Boulanger, age 24, in Mezy; 1942 - Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky, age 70, in Larchmont, N.Y.; Premieres 1807 - Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 (first public performance), in Vienna, at a benefit concert conducted by the composer; 1885 - Franck: symphonic poem "Les Dijinns" (The Genies), in Paris; 1897 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 (Gregorian date: Mar. 27); 1908 - Ravel: "Rapsodie espagnole" (Spanish Rhapsody), in Paris; 1911 - Scriabin: Symphony No. 5 ("Prometheus: Poem of Fire"), in Moscow, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky and with the composer performing the solo piano part (Julian date: Mar. 2); 1981 - Stockhausen: opera "Donnerstag, aus Licht" (Thursday, from Light), in Milan at the Teatro alla Scala; This is one of a projected cycle of seven operas, each named after a day of the week; 1994 - Peter Maxwell Davies: "Chat Moss" (the name of a quagmire in Lancashire) for orchestra, in Liverpool by the orchestra of St. Edward's College, John Moseley conducting; 2000 - Corigliano: "Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan," at Carnegie Hall, by soprano Sylvia McNair and pianist Martin Katz; An orchestrated version of this song-cycle premiered in Minneapolis on October 23, 2003, with soprano Hila Plitmann and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano; Others 1895 - Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, age 22, makes his operatic debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples, singing the lead tenor role in Domenico Morelli's comic opera "L'Amico Francesco." Links and Resources On Ned Rorem An essay on "Shakespeare and Music"

Synopsis “English Horn” is an odd name for an instrument – for starters, it's not English and it's not a brass instrument like the French horn. The English horn is, in fact, a double reed instrument, a lower-voiced cousin of the oboe. The “English” part of its name is probably a corruption of “angle,” since it has a bend to its shape. Until late in the 20th century its primary role was to add a darker tone color to the reed section of the orchestra, and performers who played the English horn had precious few solo concertos written to showcase their dusky-voiced instrument. One performer, Thomas Stacy, decided to do something about that. He's commissioned and premiered dozens of new works for his instrument. One of them – a concerto by the American composer Ned Rorem – Stacy premiered on today's date in 1994 with the New York Philharmonic. Ned Rorem is perhaps best-known as a composer of art songs, but has also composed successful orchestral and chamber works. “My sole aim in writing the Concerto for English horn,” said Rorem, “was to exploit that instrument's special luster and pliability... to make the sound gleam through a wash of brass and silver, catgut and steel.” Music Played in Today's Program Ned Rorem (b. 1923) — Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra (Thomas Stacy, eh; Rochester Philharmonic; Michael Palmer, cond.) New World 80489

Synopsis “From whence cometh song?” asks the opening lines of a poem by the American writer Theodore Roethke… That's a question American composer Ned Rorem must have asked himself hundreds of times, while providing just as many answers in the form of hundreds of his original song settings. About his own music, Rorem tends to be a little reluctant to speak. “Nothing a composer can say about his music is more pointed than the music itself,” he writes. On today's date in 1979, Rorem himself was at the piano, accompanying soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson in the premiere performance of a song-cycle he called “Nantucket Songs,” a cycle that began with Rorem's setting of Roethke's poem. “These songs,” wrote Rorem, “merry or complex or strange though their texts may seem, aim away from the head and toward the diaphragm. They are emotional rather than intellectual, and need not be understood to be enjoyed.” Speaking of personal enjoyment, Rorem said at the premiere performance of his “Nantucket Songs ,“ which was recorded live at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. that “Phyllis Bryn-Julson and I, unbeknownst to each other, BOTH had fevers of 102 degrees.” Music Played in Today's Program Ned Rorem (b. 1923) — Nantucket Songs (Phyllis Bryn-Julson, soprano; Ned Rorem, piano) CRI 670

It’s a play that both Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein wanted to make into an opera, but the playwright always said, “No.” We’re talking about “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, a nostalgic but bitter-sweet look at life and love and death in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, set in the early 1900, complete with white picket fences, boy meets girl, and a drugstore soda counter. It wasn’t until decades after Wilder’s death in 1975 that the executor of the Wilder estate, after a long search for just the right composer for an ”Our Town” opera, settled on Ned Rorem, and a libretto crafted by the poet J.D. McClatchy, who also happened to be an authority on Wilder’s works. Rorem was in his 80s when the opera premiered on today’s date in 2006 at the Opera Theater at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. The New York Times thought the resulting opera a success, writing “’Our Town’ opens with a hymn, and Mr. Rorem retained and refracted the familiar melody, turning pat modulations slightly bitter, as if the music were heard through a lens of nostalgia that turned it sepia. This nostalgia proved a hallmark of the score.”

It’s a play that both Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein wanted to make into an opera, but the playwright always said, “No.” We’re talking about “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, a nostalgic but bitter-sweet look at life and love and death in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, set in the early 1900, complete with white picket fences, boy meets girl, and a drugstore soda counter. It wasn’t until decades after Wilder’s death in 1975 that the executor of the Wilder estate, after a long search for just the right composer for an ”Our Town” opera, settled on Ned Rorem, and a libretto crafted by the poet J.D. McClatchy, who also happened to be an authority on Wilder’s works. Rorem was in his 80s when the opera premiered on today’s date in 2006 at the Opera Theater at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. The New York Times thought the resulting opera a success, writing “’Our Town’ opens with a hymn, and Mr. Rorem retained and refracted the familiar melody, turning pat modulations slightly bitter, as if the music were heard through a lens of nostalgia that turned it sepia. This nostalgia proved a hallmark of the score.”

Composer Ned Rorem turns 97 today. In this hour from the archives, Rorem and Fishko share a long, winding conversation illustrated with plenty of his music, as well as some by those he admires - and those he doesn't. (Produced in 2002) For a feast of Fishko programs on music and culture, visit Fishko Hours. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Ep. 106: Yolanda Kondonassis, one of the world's premier solo harpists. Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan. Yolanda Kondonassis is celebrated as one of the world’s premier solo harpists and is widely regarded as today’s most recorded classical harpist. Hailed as “viscerally exciting” (The Chicago Tribune) and a “brilliant and expressive player” (The Dallas Morning News), she has performed around the globe as a concerto soloist and in recital, bringing her unique brand of musicianship and warm artistry to an ever-increasing audience. Also a published author, speaker, professor of harp, and environmental activist, sheweaves her many passions into a vibrant and multi-faceted career. Kondonassis has sold hundreds of thousands of albums and downloads worldwide and her extensive discography includes over twenty titles. She continues to be a pioneering force in the harp world, striving to make her instrument more accessible to audiences and push the boundaries of what listeners expect of the harp. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for the world premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Harp Concerto with The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (Azica Records, 2019). Her 2008 album of music by Takemitsu and Debussy, Air (Telarc), was also nominated for a Grammy Award. Since making her debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, Kondonassis has appeared as soloist with major orchestras in the United States and abroad including The Cleveland Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, and Hong Kong Philharmonic, to name a few. Other engagements include performances at renowned festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Spoleto Festival,Tanglewood Music Festival, and she has been featured on CNN and PBS, as well as Sirius XM Radio’s Symphony Hall, NPR’s All Things Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts,St. Paul Sunday Morning, and Performance Today.   Kondonassis is committed to the advancement of contemporary music for the instrument, with recent premieres including works by Bright Sheng, and Jennifer Higdon. Her extensive discography includes works by Rorem, Rochberg, Erb, Liebermann, Paulus, Fitch, Lash, Montsalvatge,Takemitsu, Cage, and Carter, among others. Her most recent book,The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Harp, was released in 2019. In addition to her active solo, chamber music and recording schedule, Kondonassis heads the harp departments at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Institute of Music, and presentsmasterclasses around the world.   In this podcast we talk about premieres, her new book, passion for writing, life changing moments and hobbies. Ms. Kondonassis also speaks about her non-profit, Earth at Heart and much more. For more information about Yolanda Kondonassis please visit: https://www.yolandaharp.com © Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

On today's date in 1998 at King's Chapel in Boston, a new work by the American composer Daniel Pinkham received its premiere performance. The work was titled "Three Latin Motets" for baritone and organ, and Pinkham intended it as a birthday offering to his fellow composer and colleague Ned Rorem. And so the work's dedication read, "For Ned Rorem and a half century of friendship." But the premiere occurred on the 75th anniversary of Pinkham's birth, as a surprise for the composer at a concert in HIS honor. Organist James David Christie and baritone Sanford Sylvan had sneakily persuaded Pinkham to write the motets for Rorem, who was born in the same year as Pinkham, namely 1923, but intended all along to premiere the music as a surprise at a 75th birthday concert in Pinkham's honor. Pinkham was especially noted for this church music, and once quipped, "I just like to hear my pieces more than once, and when you write music for the church you have a better chance at that… I [tell people] am available for weddings, funerals, and bar mitzvahs." Pinkham died in 2006, and Christie and Sylvan performed his "Three Latin Motets" once again in January of 2007—this time at Pinkham's memorial service.

On today's date in 1998 at King's Chapel in Boston, a new work by the American composer Daniel Pinkham received its premiere performance. The work was titled "Three Latin Motets" for baritone and organ, and Pinkham intended it as a birthday offering to his fellow composer and colleague Ned Rorem. And so the work's dedication read, "For Ned Rorem and a half century of friendship." But the premiere occurred on the 75th anniversary of Pinkham's birth, as a surprise for the composer at a concert in HIS honor. Organist James David Christie and baritone Sanford Sylvan had sneakily persuaded Pinkham to write the motets for Rorem, who was born in the same year as Pinkham, namely 1923, but intended all along to premiere the music as a surprise at a 75th birthday concert in Pinkham's honor. Pinkham was especially noted for this church music, and once quipped, "I just like to hear my pieces more than once, and when you write music for the church you have a better chance at that… I [tell people] am available for weddings, funerals, and bar mitzvahs." Pinkham died in 2006, and Christie and Sylvan performed his "Three Latin Motets" once again in January of 2007—this time at Pinkham's memorial service.

Summary and review of: Bassok, Latham, & Rorem. (2016). Is kindergarten the new first grade? AERA Open, 1(4), 1-31. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2332858415616358 Transcript: This research uses two nationally representative data sets to compare kindergarten classrooms in public schools from 1998 to 2010, seeking to understand whether (and if so, how) recent years have shown increased academic expectations and a reduction in hands-on, playful activities. Changes in assessments, classroom organization, time management, teaching philosophies, and pedagogical methods were studied. The research shows that academic expectations for kindergarten students are higher than ever before, that more time is spent studying verbal and mathematical content, as well as assessing students on their progress in these areas, and that significantly less time is devoted to the arts and sciences (as well as to play in general). While research suggests that early childhood education has important long-term implications for students, this article admits that it is not clear which aspects of the early learning classroom are most significant. There is where the debate about a focus in early childhood on academic content comes into play. While school-readiness is important, students may not be developing social, physical, and regulatory skills as much as in previous generations of early childhood education. Large-scale empirical evidence for either side is lacking, with the extremes of each focused more on “impressions” and “narratives.” This is a dangerous game, and thorough, conclusive research is needed. Unfortunately, this article does not provide such research. Instead of studying the short-term and long-term academic progress of students who received differing styles of early-childhood education (while controlling for socioeconomic factors), the methods described rely almost entirely on personal surveys taken by current early-childhood educators. These teachers are likely to have chosen their “side” already, to have adhered to their desired narrative. The impact that even a handful of educators in such a position could have on the research described is cause for caution in evaluating its results. As a pre-school teacher, research such as this plays an important role in my lesson planning, my organization, and my pedagogical approach. Currently, my intention is to help students develop: 1. Academic skills 2. Interpersonal skills 3. Motor skills 4. Intrapersonal skills (ethics, self-control) 5. Creative expression 6. Basic understanding of nutrition and wellness The implications of such research, when it is done thoroughly and carefully, is meant to inform pedagogical approach to appeal to different aspects of development and to the specific needs of each student and class. Creative activities and free-play are widely recognized as a great time for students to learn problem solving skills. The article describes the changes in the organization of space and management of time in the early-childhood classroom. Finally, the research deals with the increased use of assessments in early-childhood education, with the intention of evaluating its effectiveness and engages in the analysis of data from a variety of classrooms. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thumbthrough/support

This episode revisits the concept of the 30 Million Word Gap concept, which we first covered in an interview with Dr. Doug Sperry (https://yourparentingmojo.com/wordgap/) a few weeks back. After she heard that I was going to talk with Dr. Sperry, Dr. Roberta Golinkoff – with whom we discussed her book Becoming Brilliant (https://yourparentingmojo.com/becomingbrilliant/) almost two years ago now – asked to come back on to present a rebuttal.  We’re going to learn a lot more about the importance of child-directed speech! This episode serves two purposes: it helps us to understand another aspect of the 30 Million Word Gap, and it also demonstrates pretty clearly that scientists – both of whom have the best interests of children at heart – see very different ways of achieving that end. References Adair, J.K., Colegrave, K.S-S, & McManus. M.E. (2017). How the word gap argument negatively impacts young children of Latinx immigrants’ conceptualizations of learning. Harvard Educational Review 87(3), 309-334. Avineri, N., Johnson, E., Brice‐Heath, S., McCarty, T., Ochs, E., Kremer‐Sadlik, T., Blum, S., Zentella, A.C., Rosa, J., Flores, N., Alim, H.S., & Paris, D. (2015). Invited forum: Bridging the “language gap”. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 25(1), 66-86. Bassok, D., Latham, S., & Rorem, A. (2016). Is Kindergarten the new first grade? AERA Open 1(4), 1-31. Baugh, J. (2017). Meaning-less difference: Exposing fallacies and flaws in “The Word Gap” hypothesis that conceal a dangerous “language trap” for low-income American families and their children. International Multilingual Research Journal 11(1), 39-51. Brennan, W. (2018, April). Julie Washington’s quest to get schools to respect African American English. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-code-switcher/554099/ Correa-Chavez, M., & Rogoff, B. (2009). Children’s attention to interactions directed to others: Guatemalan and European American Patterns. Developmental Psychology 45(3), 630-641. Craig, H.K., & Washington, J.A. (2004). Grade-related changes in the production of African American English. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 47(2), 450-463. Gee, J.P. (1985). The narrativization of experience in the oral style. Journal of Education 167(1), 9-57 Genishi, C., & Dyson, A. (2009). Children, language, and literacy: Diverse learners in diverse times. New York: Teachers College Press. Golinkoff, R.M., Hoff, E., Rowe, M.L., Tamis-LeMonda, C., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (in press). Language matters: Denying the existence of the 30 Million Word Gap has serious consequences. Child Development. Lee-James, R., & Washington, J.A. (2018). Language skills of bidialectal and bilingual children: Considering a strengths-based perspective. Topics in Language Disorders 38(1), 5-26. Long, H. (2017, September 15). African Americans are the only U.S. racial group earning less than in 2000. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-african-americans-income-census-20170918-story.html NAEP (2017). National student group scores and score gaps (Reading). NAEP. Retrieved from: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_2017/#nation/gaps?grade=4 (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_2017/#nation/gaps?grade=4) Rogoff, B., Mistry, J., Goncu, A., ,& Mosier, C. (1993). Guided participation in cultural activity by toddlers and caregivers. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development Series No. 236, 58(8), v-173. Ward, M.C. (1971). Them children: A study in language learning. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Washington, J.A., Branum-Martin, L., Sun, C., & Lee-James, R. (2018). The impact of dialect density on the growth of language and reading in African American children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 49, 232-247....

In honor of American composer Ned Rorem's upcoming 94th birthday on October 23, spend seven minutes with the very opinionated Mr. R. This piece was originally made for Studio 360 as part of a Fishko Files-curated series on living composers' connections to music history. (Produced in 2006) To explore further, listen to "An Hour with Ned Rorem" featuring Rorem and Fishko in conversation in 2002. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Tom Rorem (Lowlands) is Bad at Parties! Andy and Tom talk Lowland's upcoming album release (March 19th!), Living life through a near-death family experience, and Getting along with your bandmates! Not to mention, Tom admits that Tom likes Tom! https://www.wearelowlands.com/home

Composer Ned Rorem turned 93 on October 23rd. In honor of Rorem and his amazing career, composer Daron Hagen, Rorem’s friend and former student, teaches a crash course in the music and life of Ned Rorem. Hear how his music has evolved over time, and about the life events that have precipitated creative growth and change. The amount of ground-breaking that Rorem has done in his life, both socially and creatively, is frankly more than one podcast can contain. But we give it our best shot anyway.  Music in this episode (all by Ned Rorem): “Early in the Morning” “Air Music” “String Symphony” Audio production by Todd “Todd-ry” Hulslander with eyebrow-raising from Dacia Clay and help from Mark DiClaudio. PS, If you enjoyed this episode with Daron Hagen, you can also hear him in an episode of Classical Classroom about Benjamin Britten and his opera Billy Budd!

Works for voice and piano by Marc Blitzstein and Ned Rorem performed by New York Festival of Song on November 3, 2013. Work for string orchestra by Schoenberg performed by A Far Cry on March 6, 2011.Blitzstein: Emily, from The Airborne SymphonyRorem: A specimen case, from War ScenesSchoenberg: Verklarte Nacht, Op. 4The 20th century was an eclectic one for classical music. Today’s podcast traces just a few of the many strands.The piece written first is actually the final one we’ll hear: Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklaerte Nacht. Many of us closely associate Schoenberg with serialism, the formalized system of atonal music composition that he developed with his protégés Berg and Webern. But Verklaerte Nacht embraces dissonance and extended harmonies, and it is luscious and rich music, overtly late-Romantic in language, inspired by a poem about the profound depths of love.The podcast begins with a piece that comes several decades later, by the American composer Marc Blitzstein. A Philadelphia native, Blitzstein studied locally at the Curtis Institute of Music and then set off for Europe, where he worked briefly with Schoenberg himself. The brief and touching song depicts a young soldier’s note home to his sweetheart, Emily.After the Blitzstein, we have a piece from the next generation of 20th century American composers: Ned Rorem, who just celebrated his 90th birthday in 2013. Rorem also takes up war as his subject in this, a movement from his cycle War Scenes, based on Whitman poems.

Carol Lisek, contralto, and Tatiana Thibodeaux, piano, perform works by Rorem, Crawford-Seeger, Zeliff, and LaBarre on October 22, 2014, as part of the CGU Concerts at CST series, sponsored by the Department of Music at Claremont Graduate University and the Claremont School of Theology.

Carol Lisek, contralto, and Tatiana Thibodeaux, piano, perform works by Rorem, Crawford-Seeger, Zeliff, and LaBarre on October 22, 2014, as part of the CGU Concerts at CST series, sponsored by the Department of Music at Claremont Graduate University and the Claremont School of Theology.

Visiting director Stephen Medcalf talks about Our Town, a chamber opera by Ned Rorem based on the play by Thornton Wilder. The School gives the European premiere of the work 29 May - 6 June, and Stephen tells us how the opera reflects the novel, the challenges and delights of working with Rorem's music, and why he enjoys coming back to Guildhall to work with the Opera course. First published 17 May 2012.