Ravinia 2022, Issue 5

PAOLO SORIANI (DE MARE) ANTHONY DE MARE, piano Anthony de Mare is one of the world’s fore- most champions of contemporary music, having inspired the creation of over 90 new works by some of today’s most distinguished artists, including Steve Reich, Wynton Marsa- lis, Nico Muhly, Annie Gosfield, Fred Hersch, Ethan Iverson, Meredith Monk, Mason Bates and Andy Akiho. He continues to expand the boundaries of the repertoire, which in- cludes the speaking-singing pianist genre that he pioneered over 30 years ago with the premiere of Frederic Rzewski’s De Profundis . As creator, performer, and co-producer of the landmark commissioning and concert proj- ect Liaisons: Reimagining Sondheim from the Piano , de Mare has brought together compos- ers, spanning multiple genres, to bring the work of Stephen Sondheim into the concert hall. In honor of Sondheim’s 90th birthday in 2020, he commissioned 14 more composers to contribute to Liaisons , bringing the total compendium to 50, and he continues to tour the works in concerts around the world. The adaptability of his programming to tradition- al classical, jazz, and theater spaces speaks to the range of de Mare’s versatility—he has per- formed across five continents, and his discog- raphy of over 20 recordings includes works by Ives, Cowell, Harrison, Cage, Piazzolla, Rze- wski, and many others. Following his Carne- gie Hall debut in 2005, deMare has performed in Australia (Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney) and at New York’s Merkin Hall, the Maverick Music Festival, Oregon Center for the Arts, the London Jazz Festival at the Bar- bican, the Bari Piano Festival in Italy, the 21C Festival in Toronto, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Cal Performances in Berkeley, Virginia Tech Center for the Arts, SF Jazz, and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. He is currently Professor of Piano at the Manhattan School of Music and on the faculty of the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY. Since his debut with Young Concert Artists, de Mare has earned top honors from the Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition (The Netherlands) and the Contemporary Piano Competition of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France). Anthony de Mare previously brought music from his Liaisons project to Ravinia in 2013 and 2014. Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021) wrote the music and lyrics for Saturday Night , A Fun- ny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , Anyone Can Whistle , Company , Follies , A Lit- tle Night Music , The Frogs , Pacific Overtures , Sweeney Todd , Merrily We Roll Along , Sun- day in the Park with George , Into the Woods , Assassins , Passion , and Road Show as well as the lyrics for West Side Story , Gypsy , and Do I Hear A Waltz? and additional lyrics for Candide . Anthologies of his work include Side by Side by Sondheim , Marry Me A Lit- tle , You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow , Putting It Together , and Sondheim on Sondheim. For films, he composed the scores of Stavisky , co-composed Reds and wrote songs for Dick Tracy and the television production Evening Primrose . He co-authored the film The Last of Sheila and the play Getting Away with Murder . During his life, Sondheim was on the Council of the Dramatists Guild, having served as its president from 1973 to 1981. His collected lyrics with attendant essays have been published in two volumes: Finishing the Hat (2010) and Look, I Made a Hat (2011). In 2010 Henry Miller’s Theatre was renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in his honor; in 2019, London’s Queens Theatre was also re- named the Sondheim. Rachel Colbert (Producer) joined Anthony de Mare’s Liaisons project in 2007. She has since helped commission all 50 works and coordinate a national tour, seven New York concerts, the release of the collection on ECM Records, and the publication of the scores by Hal Leonard. As a professional fundraiser specializing in arts and culture, she has raised over $40 million in project, capital, and oper- ating support for independent artists ranging from Ralph Lemon to Barbara Kopple and for arts organizations ranging from The Apollo Theater to The Academy of American Poets. PAVILION 8:00 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2022 8:00 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2022 MY SONGS JOE SUMNER † –Intermission– STING † Ravinia debut HEAVY lifting to us. Leave the Wintrust chair & table RENTAL RESERVE LAWN chairs and tables when you order tickets by clicking “ADD-ON.” Wintrust Chair & Table Rental, managed by the Ravinia Women’s Board, supports Ravinia and its Reach Teach Play music education and engagement programs. For more information, visit Ravinia.org /ChairRental RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 43 I I