The Democratic Muse: Bernstein and his contemporaries
Saturday April 14, 8 pm and Sunday, April 15, 3 pm
Music by Bernstein, Copland, Foss, and Gershwin
- Mary Jane Cope, artistic director and piano
- Shannon Delaney, violin
- Kristin Garbeff, cello
The Democratic Muse explores the influences of pop, Broadway, folk and jazz idioms on American classical music of the era, while celebrating ideas of independence, freedom and individualism, as well as the richly collaborative New York artistic environment. Celebrate the multifaceted work of Leonard Bernstein and experience the New York City’s early to mid-20th century art and music world, including the artistic circle of Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz’s conviction that the American artist should reflect “the ideas of American Democracy” deeply influenced Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein, Foss and a whole generation of visual artists and photographers, including Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Georgia O’Keeffe. The Democratic Muse brings the listener into a musical and visual “salon” experience, with performances interspersed with snippets from correspondence between these pioneering composers and visual artists.
