1944-45: Musical Lights in a Darkened Sky

1944-45: Musical Lights in a Darkened Sky

Great Composers Lecture Series with guest lecturer Michael Boriskin celebrates Hoff-Barthelson’s 75^th Anniversary

Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s Great Composers Lecture Series continues on Friday, November 15, 2019, at 11:00 am with 1944-45:  Musical Lights in a Darkened Sky. Aaron Copland described musical creativity as “a confirmation of life.”  While a group of Westchester visionaries succeeded during the seemingly endless dark days of World War II 75 years ago in establishing an artistic oasis that became the Hoff-Barthelson Music School, leading composers in the U.S. and Europe were producing thrilling, life-affirming musical works.

Acclaimed pianist and lecturer Michael Boriskin leads a wide-ranging tour through some of the most iconic and remarkable music created during that notable year of 1944-45 by a Who’s Who of A-list composers, including Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Benjamin Britten, Bela Bartok, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and others.

The lecture takes place at the School located at 25 School Lane, Scarsdale. Admission is $30. HBMS students and parents of HBMS students may attend free of charge. Space is limited; reservations are strongly encouraged.

Additional lectures in the series are scheduled for February 14 and April 17, 2020.

For additional information, or to reserve seats:
hb@hbms.org; 914-723-1169; www.hbms.org

About Michael Boriskin:
Hailed by American Record Guide as “one of the most skilled and versatile musical artists of his generation,” internationally-acclaimed pianist Michael Boriskin has taken listeners in over 30 countries on provocative journeys across four centuries of music. From Berlin to Buenos Aires and Toronto to Tokyo, he has appeared at major concert halls and festivals, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Ravinia Festival, BBC in London, South West German Radio, Vienna’s Arnold Schoenberg Center, and Library of Congress.

He has performed as soloist with leading orchestras and as guest artist with countless chamber ensembles and has recorded extensively for SONY Classical, Naxos, New World, Bridge, and other American and European labels. He is a much-sought-after lecturer on both sides of the Atlantic, and is a familiar presence on National Public Radio as a performer, commentator, and host. He also served as Music Director of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s fabled White Oak Dance Project, and is a program advisor for the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the U.S. Department of State, and many other preeminent institutions.

He is the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of Copland House, the award-winning creative center for American music based at Aaron Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in northern Westchester.

About Hoff-Barthelson Music School:
Hoff-Barthelson Music School, now celebrating its 75^th Anniversary, has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and community service. With a faculty drawn from the region’s most talented teachers and performers, the School has long been one of Westchester County’s most cherished cultural resources. At Hoff-Barthelson, students find a warm, friendly music school dedicated to the highest standards of education, performance, and community service. Students of all ages, aptitudes, and levels of interest enjoy a supportive, joyful learning environment; a focus on the whole person; exceptional teaching; and a multifaceted curriculum.

The Great Composers Lecture Series is made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with support from Westchester County Government, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Photo credit and caption: Michael Boriskin is guest lecturer for Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s Great Composers Lecture Series. Photo by Tracy Ketcher.