The Great American Songbook: Berlin, Gershwin and Porter
Janel Shoun |
The Lipscomb University Department of Music will present "The Great American Songbook: Berlin, Gershwin and Porter" on February 26, 2009. The event will feature the vocal music students in a cabaret setting performing Broadway, jazz and popular standards by American composers Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. The "Great American Songbook" refers to the music of Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley written from the 1920s to the early 1960s. This collection of music includes hundreds of hit songs that have been heard in countless recordings by dozens of artists.
The concert was conceived by voice faculty member Patricia Roberts, who suggested featuring the Lipscomb vocalists in a venue more audience accessible than a typical recital setting. Roberts, along with faculty members Jean Miller, Tiffany Sweeley, and Gary Wilson, looked through hundreds of possible pieces from this era, and chose to focus this year's event on the music of Berlin, Gershwin and Porter. The students were given a list of several dozen pieces from which to choose a solo or duet. Wilson also found ensemble arrangements of several pieces that will be featured during the performance.
Gershwin pieces slated for the performance include: They Can't Take That Away from Me, Someone to Watch Over Me, S'Wonderful, and I've Got A Crush on You. Pieces chosen from the Berlin catalogue include: What'll I Do, Blue Skies, and Sisters. Porter numbers include: Night and Day, I Get A Kick Out of You, and It's De-Lovely.