Appalachian Spring at 75: Celebrating “A Legend of American Living”

Appalachian Spring at 75: Celebrating “A Legend of American Living”

Great Composers Lectures Series for music aficionados with guest lecturer Michael Boriskin begins October 11^th at Hoff-Barthelson Music School

Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s Great Composers Lecture Series for music aficionados begins Friday, October 11, 2019, at 11:00 am with Appalachian Spring at 75: Celebrating “A Legend of American Living”. Three-quarters of a century ago this fall, two of America’s most formidable artists – modern dance pioneer Martha Graham and “Dean of American Composers” Aaron Copland – undertook their only collaboration. Together, they created an enduring tale of struggle, survival, renewal, friendship, and faithfulness that immediately became a beloved landmark in 20th century American theater – the Pulitzer Prize-winning ballet Appalachian Spring. A triumph at its 1944 World Premiere, it was lauded by The New York Times for its “lean and tender beauty,” and as “the quintessential American dance work . . . a lovelier work you would have to go far to find.”

Copland House Artistic and Executive Director Michael Boriskin brings special insights into this extraordinary work, which has continuing resonance and relevance today through what Graham once called its “inner frame that holds together a people.”

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 November 15, 2019, 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.