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Michael Jeffrey Shapiro
Michael Jeffrey Shapiro is an American composer, conductor, and author. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and studied at Columbia College, Columbia University, the Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School. He has worked with musicians and performers including Teresa Stratas, Janos Starker, Tim Fain, Matthew Kraemer, Marin Alsop, Sergiu Comissiona, Jerry Junkin, John Corigliano, Neil W. Levin, Kim Cattrall, Miah Persson, Clamma Dale, Katherine Ciesinski, Jerome Rose, Tomer Zvulun, Adam Abeshouse, Lara Downes, Hila Plitmann, Sangeeta Kaur, Grant Gershon, and Anita Darian. He has conducted, composed for or worked with organizations including the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the American Jewish Committee, the Hawthorne String Quartet, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles Opera, the Atlanta O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelve original counties established under English rule in 1683 in what was then the Province of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population stood at 2,736,074, making it the most populous of the five boroughs of New York City, and the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the state.Table 2: Population, Land Area, and Population Density by County, New York State - 2020 New York State Department of Health. Accessed January 2, 2024. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil W
Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish '' Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. As a surname, Neil is traced back to Niall of the Nine Hostages who was an Irish king and eponymous ancestor of the Uí Néill and MacNeil kindred. Most authorities cite the meaning of Neil in the context of a surname as meaning "champion". Origins The Gaelic name was adopted by the Vikings and taken to Iceland as ''Njáll'' (see Nigel). From Iceland it went via Norway, Denmark, and Normandy to England. The name also entered Northern England and Yorkshire directly from Ireland, and from Norwegian settlers. ''Neal'' or ''Neall'' is the Middle English form of ''Nigel''. As a first name, during the Middle Ages, the Gaelic name of Irish origins was popular in Ireland and later Scotland. During the 20th century ''Neil'' began to be used in England and N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Houston Symphony Orchestra
The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, 1913, sponsored by the Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg. Initially, the orchestra was composed of only 35 part-time musicians. Despite its small stature and budget, the orchestra and its first conductor, Julien Paul Blitz, enjoyed a good response and continued to perform. He conducted until 1916, then Paul Bergé, until the orchestra disbanded in 1918. The orchestra reformed in 1930, still as a semi-professional orchestra, and gave its first full season of concerts the following year conducted by Uriel Nespoli. In the spring of 1936, the symphony society officially became the Houston Symphony Society. Ernst Hoffmann began his tenure that year with increased support from the Society and began hiring professional musicians. The orches ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anita Darian
Anita Darian (April 26, 1927 – February 1, 2015) was an American singer and actress who had an extensive career from the 1950s to the 2010s. She was born Anita Margaret Esgandarian in Detroit, Michigan, of Armenian descent. She was a 1945 graduate of Cooley High School. She later studied opera at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Juilliard School in New York, but first came to popular attention as a featured singer with the short-lived Sauter-Finegan jazz band of the mid-1950s, with whom she recorded for RCA Victor. A soprano, Darian performed roles with the New York City Opera and was a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic. She also performed and recorded several roles from musicals, including Julie in a studio recording version of ''Show Boat'' for Columbia Masterworks in 1962 with John Raitt, Barbara Cook, and William Warfield. She portrayed Lady Thiang in the 1960 revival of ''The King and I'' at New York City Center with Barbara Cook a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grant Gershon
Grant Gershon (born November 10, 1960) is a Grammy Award winning American conductor and pianist. He is Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, formerly Resident Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera, member of the Board of Councillors for the USC Thornton School of Music and a former member of the Chorus America Board of Directors. Biography Personal history Gershon was born in Norwalk, California, and grew up in Alhambra, California. His mother was a piano teacher, and he began music lessons at 5 years old. After graduating from Alhambra High School, he entered Chapman College in Orange, California as a double major in piano and voice; he later transferred to the University of Southern California where he majored in piano. He eventually graduated ''cum laude'' with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1985. Gershon is married to soprano Elissa Johnston. Professional career Gershon has appeared as guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sangeeta Kaur
Sangeeta Kaur is a Grammy Award winning Vietnamese-American classical/crossover, new age vocalist, composer, performing artist, and producer. In 2022, she received a Grammy Award for ''Best Classical Solo Vocal Album'' for ''Mythologies'', making her the first Vietnamese-American singer to ever receive a Grammy for a vocal performance. She has performed at the Sydney Opera House and Lincoln Center, among others and in 2021 made her debut television performance, ''"Sangeeta Kaur and Friends"'', with Jon Anderson of Yes and Jake Shimabukuro, among others on PBS's ''Front & Center'' music series."Kaur shot her first TV Special in May 2021 as part of the "Front & Center" music series and is scheduled for the 2021 season, page A14", '' The Democrat Times ,'' December 15, 2021 Kaur performed vocals on Stewart Copeland's and Ricky Kej's 2022 Grammy Award Winning album, ''Divine Tides''. She has won numerous awards including being inducted to the ''Independent Music Hall of Fame'' in 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hila Plitmann
Hila Plitmann (; born August 9, 1973) is an Israeli-American two-time Grammy Award-winning operatic soprano, songwriter, and actress specializing in the performance of new works. Career Education *Juilliard School of Music: Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees with high honors Performances In 1998, one year after graduating from the Juilliard School, Plitmann premiered Pulitzer Prize winner David Del Tredici's ''The Spider and the Fly'' on only two weeks notice with The New York Philharmonic under the baton of Kurt Masur. Her theatrical acting debut was in the role of Sharon in the Fountain Theater's production of '' Master Class'' by Terrence McNally. Other notable performances include the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Del Tredici's ''Paul Revere's Ride'' with the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Spano; and the world premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen's ''Wing on Wing'' with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall; the premiere of E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lara Downes
Lara Downes is an American classical pianist and cultural activist who has made the popularization of classical music by women and black Americans one of her causes. She was selected as the Classical Woman of the Year for 2022 by a poll of listeners to the radio program ''Performance Today ''Performance Today'' is a classical music radio program, first aired in 1987 and hosted since 2000 by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations. ...''. She is host of the NPR show AMPLIFY with Lara Downes and is an Artist Ambassador for Headcount, working to promote participation in democracy through music. On March 18, 2022, Downes was announced as the successor to the recently retired Jim Svejda on KUSC radio in Los Angeles. Since then, she has hosted "Evening Music", which can be heard Mondays-Fridays from 8 PM - midnight. Discography *''Exiles' Cafe'' (2013) *''America Again'' (2016) *''F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adam Abeshouse
Adam Abeshouse (June 5, 1961 – October 10, 2024) was an American recording engineer, music producer, and classical violinist trained at the Manhattan School of Music. He won three Grammy Awards and was nominated twice more. He was also nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards. Abeshouse also founded the Classical Recording Foundation in 2002. Biography Abeshouse was born to a Jewish family in Westbury, New York, on June 5, 1961. His grandfather was a balalaika player in Russia. He attended The Wheatley School before going on to New York University and the Manhattan School of Music. In 1986, Abeshouse married Maria Janetti, and they had two children. Abeshouse was a professional violinist in the 1980s before becoming a producer in the following decade. He won three Grammy Awards, in 2000, 2008, and 2023. In the spring of 2024, Abeshouse was diagnosed with metastatic bile duct cancer, and by August 2024, his condition was terminal. On September 27, several of the musicians whose ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tomer Zvulun
Tomer Zvulun (; born in 1976 in Israel) is an Israeli stage director. Since 2013 he is the General and Artistic Director of Atlanta Opera. Life and career Zvulun was born in Israel. He was a medic during his military service in the Israeli army. Originally, he wanted to become a doctor but opted for the opera and became a director. He studied art and music at the Open University in Tel Aviv, was a visiting scholar at the Boston University Opera Institute and graduated from the Executive Program at Harvard Business School. For seven years he was engaged as an assistant director at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, where he directed revivals of ''Tosca'' and ''Carmen''. Zvulun is a frequent guest director at the Seattle Opera (''Semele'', ''La Boheme'', ''Eugene Onegin'', ''Lucia di Lammermoor''), The Dallas Opera (''Die Fledermaus'', ''La Boheme''), Houston (''The Flying Dutchman'', ''Rigoletto''), The Wexford Festival (''Silent Night'', ''Dinner at Eight''), the Cincinnati O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerome Rose
Jerome Rose is an American pianist and educator. He has served on the faculty of the Mannes School of Music and has given masterclasses. Career Rose made his concert debut at the age of 15 with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna and received the gold medal at the 1961 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. Rose graduated from Mannes College and the Juilliard School of Music, and later pursued further studies with Leonard Shure and Rudolf Serkin at the Marlboro Music School. Rose has appeared with orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, and London Philharmonic, performing under conductors such as Sir Georg Solti and Wolfgang Sawallisch. His recordings of works by composers such as Liszt, Schumann, Beethoven, Chopin, and Brahms have received distinctions including the Grand Prix du Disque from the Liszt Society of Budapest and the Franz Liszt Medal from Hungary's Ministry of Culture. In 1999, Rose ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katherine Ciesinski
Katherine Ciesinski (born October 13, 1950) is an American mezzo-soprano, stage director, and voice professor. Ciesinski was born to Delaware Sports Hall of Famer Roman Ciesinski and Katherine Hansen Ciesinski. She is the sister of opera singer Kristine Ciesinski (1952-2018). Her early studies in piano and voice were locally in Delaware, then at Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music with Margaret Harshaw and Dino Yannopolous. In 1974, she won the Gramma Fischer Award at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the following year, the WGN Auditions of the Air. In 1977, she took first prize at the Concours International de Chant de Paris by unanimous decision of the jury, while a year earlier having won first prize at the Geneva International Music Competition. Her sister Kristine won the same prize the following year at the same competition. Opera Her professional orchestra debut was at 16, but her first professional operatic successes came at t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
