MARK AUERBACH
New Hartford Arts Alliance
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, and its prime tenant, The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, have formed a two-year strategic alliance to bolster the Symphony’s financial efficiency, programming opportunities, and fundraising potential. Although both organizations will remain independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, the HSO has contracted with The Bushnell for management services, enhanced financial reporting; human resources management ; office space, clerical and IT services; marketing and box office services; and education and programming delivery support.
Carrie Hammond, Executive Director of the Hartford Symphony, will step down, and David Fay, CEO of The Bushnell, will become interim CEO of The Hartford Symphony, in addition to remaining in charge of The Bushnell.
“I am excited to extend our reach and touch more people through this new alliance with The Bushnell,” said HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan “It has always been important to me to look forward to the future while truly appreciating the past. I am also inspired by the strong devotion of so many community leaders of both the HSO and The Bushnell who are creating a visionary administrative model to support the orchestra.”
Bases Loaded ! “Damn Yankees” at Goodspeed
“Damn Yankees” rehearsal at Goodspeed with Khristine Zbornik and Allyce Beasley. (Photo by Diane Sobolewski.)
Goodspeed Musicals opens its 2014 season with the classic baseball musical “Damn Yankees” (April 11-June 21), the retelling of the Faustian legend played out on the baseball diamond. Broadway legend George Abbott and Douglass Wallop created the musical hit with music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, based on Wallop’s novel “The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant”.
You may have seen the movie, where a baseball fan sells his soul to the devil, so his favorite team, The Senators, can beat the Yankees to win the world series. At Goodspeed, the long-gone Senators have been replaced by the Boston Red Sox, who have had some losing years as well as Series wins. Joe DiPietro (Broadway’s “Memphis”) has ramped up the book.
When “Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway in 1955, it was an immediate hit. Its choreographer Bob Fosse became a Broadway force, and its leading lady, Gwen Verdon, became a star. The show’s devil, Ray Walston, became known on TV as “My Favorite Martian”. The show’s score with “(You Gotta Have) Heart”, “Whatever Lola Wants” and other hits have become pop standards.
Allyce Beasley, known for her role as rhyming, love-struck receptionist Agnes DiPesto in the television series, “Moonlighting” (Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd) is in the cast, directed by Daniel Goldstein, and Kelli Barclay choreographs.
For tickets: 860-873-8668 or www.goodspeed.org.
Billy Taylor, former UMass Music faculty. (Photo by Carol Weinberg.)
UMass Music at 75
The University of Massachusetts’ Music Program celebrates its 75th anniversary with a free celebratory concert on April 12 (4 p.m.) at the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall on the Amherst campus. Doric Alviani created the program, which has fine-tuned thousands of students in classical music and jazz. The Alumni Band, Chorus and Orchestra will perform, under the batons of Professors Timothy T. Anderson, Thomas Hannum, James Patrick Miller and Tony Thornton. Returning to campus will be Professors E. Wayne Abercrombie, John Jenkins, and Malcolm W. Rowell, with guest Tian Hui Ng.
The Music Program has much to celebrate. Its faculty members continue to receive major awards (Grammy, ASCAP, MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Library of Congress); perform at renowned venues (such as Alice Tully Hall/Lincoln Center, Zankel Hall/Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood); sing and play with national and internationally recognized ensembles (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Folger Consort, Handel and Haydn Society, Jazz at Kennedy Center, Lark Quartet, New England Jazz Ensemble, Paul Winter Consort, Albany, Berlin Boston and Springfield Symphony; publish books and articles; and compose and record.
Among some of the famous faculty then and now: Jeff Holmes, Billy Taylor, and Paulina Stark.
Keep in Mind…
***The Hartford Symphony Orchestra performs Mozart’s “Requiem” on April 10-13 at The Bushnell. Carolyn Kuan conducts. The Hartford Chorale is featured. For tickets: 860-244-2999 or www.hartfordsymphony.org
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
