Ravinia 2021 - Issue 2

JOEL MARTINEZ (FEINSTEIN); JOHN BOAL (BUCKLEY) I I I ; MICHAEL FEINSTEIN Born and raised in Columbus, OH, Michael Feinstein started playing piano by ear at age 5. After graduating high school, he moved to Los Angeles, where in 1977 he was introduced to Ira Gershwin. Feinstein became his assis- tant for six years, which allowed him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has since performed and recorded. Gershwin’s influence provided a base for Feinstein to become a composer and arranger in addition to a performer, with a repertoire also encompassing Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington, and Harry Warren. Alongside five Grammy Award nominations and three honorary doc- torates from his three decades of bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to the world, Feinstein has earned multiple Emmy nominations for his PBS specials, and he has hosted an acclaimed NPR series, Song Travels . Beyond concerts at such venues as the White House, Buckingham Palace, the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, and the Syd- ney Opera House, Feinstein works as an edu- cator and archivist, creating the Great Amer- ican Songbook Foundation in 2007. Based at the Palladium of the Center for the Per- forming Arts in Carmel, IN, which Feinstein is the artistic director for, the foundation is dedicated to celebrating and preserving the art form through educational programs such as the annual High School Songbook Acad- emy. Feinstein also serves on the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Board. His own discography has most recent- ly featured a Christmas album with Gram- my-winning pianist Alan Broadbent, adding to such discs as a two-volume celebration of Frank Sinatra; The Power of Two , a collabo- ration with Glee and 30 Rock star Cheyenne Jackson; and Cheek to Cheek , recorded with Barbara Cook. He co-wrote the title track of his disc We Dreamed These Days with Maya Angelou. Feinstein has been the principal pops conductor of the Pasadena Symphony since 2013, and he launched a pops series at the Kravis Center in Palm Beach, FL, in 2014, focusing on American Songbook rarities and classics. Michael Feinstein first appeared at Ravinia in 1993 and tonight plays the festival for the 11th time. BETTY BUCKLEY Multi-award winning actress and singer Bet- ty Buckley has cultivated a career spanning theater, film, television, and concert halls around the world, recognized by her induc- tion into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2012, the Julie Harris Award fromThe Actor’s Fund for Artistic Achievement in 2017, and the Sarah Siddons Award for outstanding performance in a Chicago Theatrical Production in 2018. Buckley recently completed headlining the national tour of Hello, Dolly! , her latest role in a stage career highlighted by two Tony-nom- inated performances: as Hesione in Triumph of Love and as Grizabella in the original cast of Cats , for which she won Best Featured Ac- tress in a Musical honors. She also received an Olivier Award nomination for her portrayal of Norma Desmond in the London produc- tion of Sunset Boulevard , a role she reprised to continued acclaim on Broadway. Buckley made her Broadway debut creating the role of Martha Jefferson in 1776 and made her West End debut that same year as Fran Kubelik in Promises, Promises . Her Broadway credits soon grew to include Catherine in Pippin , Emma in Song and Dance , Margaret White in Carrie , and the title character of The Mystery of Edwin Drood , another role she originated. She added Mama Rose in Gypsy to her rep- ertoire at the Papermill Playhouse. On film, she recently co-starred in Split with James McAvoy, having also appeared in Carrie , Ten- der Mercies , Frantic , Another Woman , Wyatt Earp , and The Happening . For multiple sea- sons, Buckley portrayed Suzanne Fitzgerald on HBO’s Oz and Abby Bradford on Eight Is Enough , and she has recently had recurring roles on AMC’s Preacher and CW’s Supergirl . She has released 18 albums, most recently Hope on the Palmetto label, which also issued Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway , on which she interprets songs from male theater charac- ters. With producer T Bone Burnett, she cre- ated Ghostlight and 1967 , a disc of recordings they made 40 years before their release. Bet- ty Buckley first sang at Ravinia in 2000 and tonight returns for her fourth season at the festival. 7:30 PM TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 APOLLO’S FIRE The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra JEANNETTE SORRELL, artistic director ERICA SCHULLER, soprano † BRIAN GIEBLER, tenor † Summer Nights in Venice I. Party at the Palazzo VIVALDI Ciaccona from Concerto in C major, RV 114 MONTEVERDI Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti (“Ciaccona”), SV 251 from Scherzi Musicali (1632) Erica Schuller; Brian Giebler VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV 522 Allegro Larghetto e spiritoso Allegro Olivier Brault; Susanna Perry Gilmore II. L’Amore è difficile PORPORA “Alto Giove” from Polifemo * (arr. J. Sorrell) Emi Tanabe, with Olivier Brault STROZZI Che si può fare? , op. 8, no. 6 * Erica Schuller MONTEVERDI “Pur ti miro” from L’incoronazione di Poppea , SV 308 * Damigella tutta bella , SV 235 * from Scherzi Musicali (1607) Erica Schuller; Brian Giebler III. Summer Madness MONTEVERDI Ohimé ch’io cado, ohimé , SV 316 * Erica Schuller VIVALDI Violin Concerto in G minor, RV 315 (“Summer”) Allegro non molto Adagio Presto: Tempo impetuoso d’Estate Susanna Perry Gilmore VIVALDI La Folia ( Madness ) after Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 63 (“Follia”) (arr. J. Sorrell) Olivier Brault; Emi Tanabe There will be no intermission in this program. † Ravinia debut * First performance at Ravinia Tonight’s concert is performed in memory of Tom Pick . Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Sponsor Paul M. Angell Family Foundation . PAVILION RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 45