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Music Unwound, Part II and Opera Week kicks off at DPU School of Music
A new NEH-sponsored series took wing this month at DePauw University School of Music. Earlier in the year, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a $300,000 grant to assist in the creation of a curated concert series, “Kurt Weill’s America,” conceived and hosted by cultural historian Joseph Horowitz and presented as part of a national “Music Unwound” consortium that includes DePauw.
Between 2017 and 2019, “Kurt Weill’s America” will take up residence with six orchestras and festivals around the country, several of which are augmenting its basic offerings to present even more of Weill’s music.
DePauw School of Music goes first, presenting the series as part of its yearlong, campuswide interdisciplinary festival “Cultural Connections: Weill and Brecht,” which to date has included a scholarly symposium, “Kurt Weill and the Search for the Great American Opera,” and vocal master classes with Lisa Vroman and William Sharp.
Among the highlights: “Save the World, It Needs It: A Weill/Brecht/Blitzstein Cabaret,” developed by Horowitz and Kim H. Kowalke and starring Vroman and Sharp, premiered in January to acclaim, necessitating an additional performance and a last-minute move to a larger venue to accommodate demand.
Up next on the schedule will be “Music Unwound, Part II,” a return visit to the DePauw campus by Horowitz, Feb. 6–11, along with DePauw Opera’s production of “Street Scene,” to be offered in four performances Feb. 9–12.
The fully staged, double-cast production with orchestra, conducted by music director Orcenith Smith and produced and directed by Joachim Schamberger, will cap two semesters of Weill-inspired interdisciplinary events at DePauw.
In addition to rehearsals and classroom visits, part two of the Music Unwound schedule will also include a special presentation by Schamberger and Horowitz during the school’s weekly Wednesday Recital Hour (Feb. 8 at 10:20 a.m.) and two free pre-show talks by Horowitz on “Kurt Weill’s America” (Feb. 9 and 10 at 6:30 p.m., one-hour prior to the start of the opera). A reception with the artists will follow Thursday’s opening night performance.
For the full 2017 DePauw Interdisciplinary Festival schedule, visit music.depauw.edu/events/interdisciplinary. Learn more about DePauw Opera’s production of “Street Scene” and obtain advance tickets online at music.depauw.edu. Opera tickets may also be purchased in person at the Green Center box office beginning one hour before each performance.