Karen Brooks Hopkins, Executive Producer
LARA DOWNES Honored as 2022 Classical Woman of the Year by Performance Today, American pianist (and NY Times crossword glue) Lara Downes has been called “a musical ray of hope” by NBC News and “an explorer whose imagination is fired by bringing notice to the underrepresented and forgotten” (The Log Journal). An iconoclast and trailblazer, her dynamic work as a sought-after soloist, a Billboard Chart-topping recording artist, a producer, curator, arts activist, and advocate positions her as a cultural visionary on the national arts scene. Lara’s musical roadmap seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory, excavating a broad landscape of music to create a series of acclaimed performance and recording projects that serve as gathering spaces for her listeners to find common ground and shared experience.
Lara’s recent and upcoming onstage adventures include appearances at New York’s Lincoln Center, LA’s Disney Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, among many others. She is a highly visible media presence as the creator and host of NPR’s Amplify with Lara Downes and the creator and host of the nationally syndicated radio program Classical Americana, produced by KUSC/KDFC Classical California. Lara enjoys creative collaborations with an eclectic range of artists, and her close partnerships with prominent composers span genres and generations. Lara’s adventurous approach to concept and curation have created a unique series of acclaimed recordings, including her 2023 release Love at Last on the Pentatone label, which reached #1 on the Billboard Classical Chart and was featured as an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
ROSANNE CASH “One of the most ambitious and literary songwriters of her generation” (Rolling Stone), Rosanne Cash is America’s foremost musical woman of letters, a literate and incisive artist whose poignant and distinctive vocals turn every song into a revelatory tale. A singular artist at the peak of her interpretive powers, Cash has earned four Grammy awards—three for The River & The Thread (2014, Blue Note)—and 12 additional nominations. Among many other accolades, in 2021 she became the first woman to receive the Edward MacDowell award for music composition, awarded since 1960 to an artist who has made an outstanding contribution to American culture. www.
EDMAR COLÓN Puerto Rican-born Edmar Colón is a saxophonist, pianist, and composer. Some highlights in Colon’s career include performing and touring with an expansive list of world-class artists, arranging/orchestrating selections in the GRAMMY AWARD-winning albums “12 Little Spells” by Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington’s “New Standards” and the GRAMMY-nominated “Waiting Game” by Carrington. Other highlights include being the copyist for Wayne Shorter’s opera, “Iphigenia,” composing a 30-minute orchestral piece for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, arranging 16 pieces for the National Symphony Orchestra, and most recently, finishing three new works for the legendary Boston POPS. This has led to numerous new commissions, including a brand new arrangement or “re-imagination” of the classic work by George Gershwin, “Rhapsody In Blue,” commissioned by concert pianist Lara Downes. This work has been recorded and released on Pentatone Records, one of the leading classical music labels in the world.
ARAM DEMIRJIAN Winner of the 2020 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award from The Solti Foundation U.S., conductor Aram Demirjian has built a reputation as an insightful interpreter of the symphonic repertoire and drawn praise for his “rejuvenating” (Washington Post) leadership as Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Widely considered an engaging, “even electric” (San Francisco Classical Voice) presence on the podium, he is sought after for his “graceful, energetic direction” (Sarasota Herald Tribune), dynamic programs that broaden the idea of what one can expect to see on the symphonic stage, and distinctive ability to speak to, cultivate, and connect with audiences.
JOHN LEVENTHAL Born in New York City, Leventhal began his career in the late 1970’s playing guitar in dozens of NYC area bands including those led by Billy Vera, Steve Forbert and Levon Helm. His impulse to look for unexpected moments of beauty has served as a compass and survival tactic throughout his remarkable career. He’s produced albums for Rosanne Cash, Marc Cohn, Sarah Jarosz, Jim Lauderdale, William Bell, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Joan Osborne and many others. As a guitar player he has recorded and performed with Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Willie Nelson, The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello, Donald Fagen and recently, The National (Leventhal co-produced the song “Crumble” from Laugh Track). Leventhal has been a Grammy winner in five consecutive decades, including as a co-writer and producer on Shawn Colvin’s 1998’s Song of the Year “Sunny Came Home,” Cash’s moody The River and the Thread, and Stax legend William Bell’s sublime 2016 album This Is Where I Live. Presently, he’s collaborating with Cash on a musical version of Norma Rae. His first solo album, Rumble Strip, is out now on RumbleStrip Records, the label co-founded by Leventhal and Rosanne Cash.
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE is an eight-time GRAMMY Award winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. McBride is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, New Jersey Performing Arts center (NJPAC) and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Christian is also a respected educator and advocate as the Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS, and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to consistent touring, McBride hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always of the music. From jazz, to R&B, pop/rock, hip-hop/neo-soul, to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.
ARTURO O’FARRILL, pianist, composer, and educator, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. Arturo’s professional career began with the Carla Bley Band and continued as a solo performer with a wide spectrum of artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Belafonte. In 2007, he founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (now known as Belongó) as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro Latin music. An avid supporter of all the Arts, Arturo has performed with Ballet Hispanico, Ron
Brown’s EVIDENCE Dance company, and the Malpaso Dance Company, for whom he has written several ballets. Arturo’s well-reviewed and highly praised “Afro-Latin Jazz Suite” from the album CUBA: The Conversation Continues (Motéma) took the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition as well as the 2016 Latin Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Recording. In addition, his composition “Three Revolutions” from the album Familia-Tribute to Chico and Bebo also received the Best Instrumental Composition Grammy in 2018. Arturo’s album, Fandango at the Wall in New York won yet another Grammy award in 2023. Arturo has been a Steinway Artist for many years and is a Blue Note Records Recording
Artist.
TIME FOR THREE Grammy- and Emmy-winning ensemble Time For Three (TF3) defies conventions with their genre-bending excellence. Comprised of Charles Yang (violin, vocals), Nicolas Kendall (violin, vocals), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals), the uniqueness of the trio’s instrumentation well matches their sound, which blends eras, styles, and traditions from classical to Americana to singer-songwriter. TF3’s collaborations with acclaimed contemporary classical composers and Pulitzer Prize winners, Jennifer Higdon and Kevin Puts, resulted in the Grammy Award-winning album, “Letters for the Future,” conducted by Xian Zhang and featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra. Their charismatic performances on major stages, frequent collaborations with acclaimed artists like Ben Folds and Arlo Guthrie, and commitment both on and offstage to encouraging the next generation of musicians, all showcase Time for Three’s unwavering dedication to pushing creative boundaries and captivating audiences worldwide.
ORCHESTRA ELENA Debuting in summer 2024 and founded by Michelle Zarco, ELENA is an orchestra that works creatively with clients in fashion, film, fine art and music industries on curated symphonic performances and brand collaborations. ELENA strives to exemplify the cohesion of interdisciplinary aesthetics. Members of the orchestra have performed with preeminent institutions like the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera, as well as at Marquee events such as New York Fashion Week and the Met Gala. Composed of musicians who are masters at their craft, ELENA honors the classical music principle of performance at the highest level, inspired by timeless music that feels deeply personal.
MARCUS KREIGER (Soloist with Orchestra Elena), a percussionist, music producer and philosopher, possesses extensive expertise in Afro-Cuban, Haitian, West African, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern drumming traditions. He is a regular Conga/Bata player for Regla de Ocha, providing music for Cuban religious ceremonies. As Guest Professor of Afro-Cuban/Haitian percussion at his alma mater, the Hartt School of Music, he passionately imparts his knowledge through lectures, masterclasses, and private instruction. As a music producer, Marcus’s innovative musical creations, fusing traditional world music with modern R&B, pop, and hip-hop, can be heard on networks like the History Channel and Discovery Channel.
Violin 1
Shaleah Feinstein
Gabriel Anker
Austin Burket
Jay Julio
Sunny Sheu
Victoria Chaieb
Sarah Kim
Violin 2
Emily Garrison
Lisa Casal-Galietta
Channing Hooper
Chelsea Xuereb
Brianne Lugo
Viola
Marcus Stevenson
Noémie Chemali
Jessica Herman
Hannah Samson
Cello
Laura Masferrer
Clara Cho
Leigh Stuart
Bass
JP Bernabe
Eric Wharton
Tyler Vittoria
Flute
Michelle Zarco
Luíza Rosas Ribeiro (+picc)
Oboe
Shoshana Klein
Jasper Igusa
Clarinet
Sabrina Isaac
Carla Fortmann
Bass Clarinet
Theodore Mavrakis
Bassoon
Nick Fitch (+contra)
Horn
Matthew Jaimes
Noah Fotis
Annika Ross
Trumpet
Steven-Jon Billings
Dustin Beardsley
Oscar Thorp
Trombone
Zander Theiss
Jacob Elkin
Bass Trombone
Matthew Jermiason
Tuba
Tessa Nojaim
Percussion
Benjy Krauss
Tarun Bellur
Afro-Cuban Percussion
Marcus Kreiger
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Joseph S. Steinberg, Chairman
Susan Feldman, President /Artistic Director
Chad Dickerson, Vice Chair
Jolie Curtsinger Schwartz, Vice Chair
Andrew Foote, Treasurer
Thomas H. French, Secretary
Dominique Bravo
Kay Ellen Consolver
Roberta Garza
Elizabeth B. Gormley
Henry B. Gutman
Stephen Hendel
Joe Lallouz
Diane L. Max
Anthony D. Schlesinger
Aliana B. Spungen
Doug Steiner
David C. Walentas
STAFF
Susan Feldman, Artistic Director
Erik Wallin, General Manager & Vice President
Glenn Stiskal, Vice President of Advancement
Marilynn Donini, Director of External Affairs
Lianna Portnoy, Director of Finance
Jim Findlay, Director of Production and Operations
Torrence Browne, Director of Marketing
John Mosele, Technical Director
Gwendolyn Dunaif, Institutional Giving Manager
Beth Richter, Individual Giving Manager
Kelvin Veras, Ticketing & Box Office Manager
Gabi Janssen, Administrative and Accounting Associate
Sarah Peterson, Production Manager
Alex Taylor, Lighting Supervisor
Joemca, Sound & Video Supervisor
Britney Polites Gordon, Associate General Manager
J. Alex Mathews, Company Manager
Jorge Castillo, Facilities Manager
David Colon Jr., Facilities Assistant
Summer Gan, House Manager
Bear, Head of Security
RHAPSODY FOR THIS LAND PRODUCTION TEAM
Stage Manager Rob Dyrenforth
Assistant Stage Manager Maurina Lioce
Production Supervisor & Audio Rental David Gibson
Project Manager, GES Sarah Alexander
Monitor Engineer, Jawchelle Johnson
Production Carpenter Simon Lass
Production Electrician Andew Carey
Production Assistants Anevay Zapata, BT Hayes
Company Management Assistant Alex Gould
Assistant House Manager Paul Bedard
SPECIAL SERVICES
Publicity Blake Zidell and Associates
Marketing Jessica Toledano, John Serroff
Graphic Design and Social Media Failspace: Ampersand Paris and Angel Acuña
Public Affairs Consultant Samara Daly
Legal Willkie, Farr & Gallagher: Thomas H. French
Legal Alexander P. Hartnett, Esq.
Accountants Lutz & Carr
House Photography Teddy Wolff
Videography Leon Lutgenhorst, OpticNerve
Immigration CoveyLaw: Matthew Covey, Will Spitz, Ginny Nunez, Brian Zabinski
Physical Therapy Flyspace
Counseling Services Entertainment Community Fund
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