Presented by Bruno Leone: Pianist, Singer, Storyteller
Monday, March 1, 6:30 PM
Individual Tickets: $17 members / $22 nonmembers
George and Ira Gershwin rank high among the greatest composer/lyricist teams in America. From Broadway to Hollywood and until George’s untimely death at age 38, the Gershwin brothers were dominant figures in the world of popular music. George was renowned for his melodies. In fact, Leonard Bernstein, in his Joy of Music, wrote that “not since Tchaikovsky has there been a more inspired melodist than George Gershwin.” For his part, Ira was the master of the prosaic. Inspired by his brother’s music, he skillfully developed a compositional philosophy which premised that “a good lyric should be rhymed conversation.” Pianist and historian Bruno Leone will chat, play and sing his way through many of the Gershwin’s most memorable melodies. Join Mr. Leone as he weaves the melodic excellence of George and the lyrical beauty of Ira into a tapestry of songs and stories taken from a truly golden era in American music.
Bruno Leone performs throughout the United States, where he celebrates the lives and music of America’s most heralded composers and lyricists. His performances capture the legends and folklore of American popular music in a way achieved by few entertainers. A feature article in the San Diego Union-Tribune praised Mr. Leone’s “remarkable skill of combining the classroom with the concert hall to create musical stories that actually enliven his audience.”
The lecture will be livestreamed via YouTube Live. Following the lecture, ticket holders will have 48-hour access to a recording.