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The Scheherazade Initiative Brings Together World-Renowned Musicians and Charity: Music for Life, UN Benefit Concert for Violence Against Women, Elmira Darvarova, George Mathew, NY Philharmonic

Music for Life International Inc. presents a night of music and charity. "The Scheherazade Initiative," a benefit concert to help end violence against women, offers wonderful Scheherazade-inspired pieces by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Maurice Ravel at Carnegie Hall.This concert brings Music for Life International and the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women together for a collaboration in support of raising funds and public awareness. The concert will not only serve as a fundraiser, but a tribute to the resilience of women, their families and their communities in the face of often unspeakable violence as well as an urgent call to the global community to take action."The Scheherazade Initiative" has been organized and will be led by Singapore-born Indian conductor George Mathew and will bring together musicians from the world’s best orchestras. Principal artists will gather from the New York Philharmonic, Met Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Buffalo Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as well as their colleagues from other international ensembles; students and faculty of The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Curtis Institute; and other major music academies.Elmira Darvarova, former concertmaster of the Met Orchestra — and the first female concertmaster in the Met’s history — will serve as concertmaster. Mezzo-soprano and Met Opera star Susanne Mentzer will give voice to Ravel's Scheherazade in the concert. The show will also feature spoken word poet Sarah Kay.
By Jaime Prisco

  • 'Shift: A Festival of American Orchestras' Announced in DC by The Kennedy Center and Washington Performing Arts: Reimagining of New York's 'Spring for Music' Fest

    A reimagining of the “Spring for Music” festival has been announced by The Kennedy Center and Washington Performing Arts. The new festival, which will take place in Washington, D.C., will be called “Shift: A Festival of American Orchestras,” and will showcase ensembles from around the country in performance and community events.The new festival is initially scheduled for a three-year run starting in spring 2017. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a $900,000 grant for the collaboration, of which $700,000 will be leveraged as matching funds for new gifts to support the program. Each participating orchestra will have a community outreach component, and the festival hopes to focus on not only performances and community events, but also symposia and workshops.“Shift” hopes to fill the void left by “Spring for Music,” a festival that ran in New York from 2010-14 at Carnegie Hall. Though critics and musicians praised the festival for its innovative programing, ticket sales were low and funding stopped after the initial grants from the Mellon Foundation ran out.
    By Jaime Prisco

  • Live Broadcast of The Metropolitan Opera's 'The Merry Widow' Starring Renée Fleming and Kelli O'Hara to Be Shown in Movie Theaters Around the Nation

    Select theaters around the nation will be participating in a live, high-definition broadcast of "The Merry Widow" starring opera singer Renée Fleming."The Merry Widow" is a Metropolitan Opera operetta by Franz Lehár featuring Fleming as the beguiling femme fatale Hanna, who captivates the Paris social seen.Susan Stroman, known for her Broadway productions including the Tony Award-winning musicals "Crazy for You," "Contact" and "The Producers," directs and choreographs the show.Other performers featured include baritone Nathan Gunn as Hanna’s lover Danilo, tenor Alek Shrader as the young nobleman Camille de Rosillon and baritone Sir Thomas Allen as the Baron Zeta. Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, best known for her acclaimed performances in "South Pacific" and "The Light in the Piazza," makes her Met debut as the Baron’s coquettish wife Valencienne.
    By Jaime Prisco
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