Events
Gesänge aus der Ferne: the “Songs from Afar” Series
Final Concert
A Message to our Members and Friends
Dear Members & Friends,
We are happy to offer our members, supporters and friends a string of virtual concerts to lift your spirits during the current pandemic.
From February to June 2021, you will receive a link to a virtual recital once a month that will allow you to listen – at your leisure – to new and original music commissioned by the German Forum and never before performed anywhere.
Each of these five works was composed by a young composer and is performed by some of the finest musicians who have performed at the German Forum in the past.
The musicians, most with a connection to German-speaking Europe, will not only perform – premiere, to be precise – the music, but will also moderate and introduce the programs.
We are extremely proud that Ries & Erler, a leading music publisher located in Berlin, Germany will publish these five compositions, with full credit to the German Forum.
Enjoy these programs especially curated for the German Forum community!
Please feel free to share your feedback.
Musically yours,
Barbara Heming, President
Babette Hierholzer, Artistic Director
Guy A. Reiss, Chairman
The July 2021 Program
I. SARAH GIBSON: I prefer living in Color (2017)
Jacob Schafer, violin
Sam Pedersen, viola
Sonia Mantell, cello
Ben Quarles, bass clarinet
Marika Yasuda, piano
Matthew Mitchener, percussionII. HUGO WOLF: 3 Mörike-Lieder
Auf einer Wanderung
Peregrina II
Storchenbotschaft
Reiko Uchida, pianistIII. GIBSON: tiny tangled world (2018)
Aperture Duo (Adrianne Pope, violin & Linnea Powell, viola)IV. SAMUEL BARBER: Dover Beach
Jessica Lee & Yun-Ting Lee, violins
Wesley Collins, viola
Dane Johansen, celloV: GIBSON: Sure baby, mañana (2016)
Aperture Duo (Adrianne Pope, violin & Linnea Powell, viola)
L.A. Signal Lab (Noah Meites, trumpet; Hitomi Oba, tenor saxophone; Nick DePinna, trombone)
HOCKET (Sarah Gibson & Thomas Kotcheff, piano)VI: ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD: Tanzlied des Pierrot (from Die tote Stadt)
Odyssey Opera
Gil Rose, conductorVII: GIBSON: to the world
Thomas Meglioranza, baritone & tongue drum
View the concert by clicking on the video playlist below:
The July 2021 Premiere
Composed by Sarah Gibson
to the world
Thomas Meglioranza, baritone & tongue drum
View the premiere here:
About the Artists
Sarah Gibson
Sarah Gibson is a Los Angeles based composer and pianist whose works draw on her breadth of experience as a collaborative performer with a deep interest in the creative process across various artistic mediums. She has received honors and recognitions such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Sound Investment composer, American Composers Orchestra Underwood New Music Readings, Victor Herbert ASCAP award, and a Chamber Music America Grant. She has received commissions from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center, Arco Collaborative, Aspen Summer Music Festival & School, and Seattle Symphony, among others.
Gibson’s music has been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Jennifer Koh, Departure Duo, HOCKET, and at various venues across the United States and in Europe. As a pianist, Sarah has performed with many of these ensembles as well as with wild Up, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and the Atlanta Symphony where she debuted under the direction of Donald Runnicles in 2005.
Sarah is co-founder of the new music piano duo, HOCKET, which has been lauded as “brilliant” by the LA Times’ Mark Swed, and is a core artist for the imitable Los Angeles Series, Piano Spheres. HOCKET has held residences at Avaloch Farm Music Institute and received grants from the Earle Brown Music Foundation and the Presser Foundation. HOCKET has performed at such festivals as the MATA Festival, the L.A. Philharmonic’s Noon to Midnight, Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab, and the Other Minds Festival.
Sarah received degrees in Piano and Composition from Indiana University and the University of Southern California. Alongside Artistic Director Andrew Norman, she is the Lead-Teaching Artist for the esteemed Nancy and Barry Sanders Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellowship Program. Sarah is Assistant Teaching Professor in Composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the College of Creative Studies and Music Department where she is the director of the Ensemble for Contemporary Music. Learn more about Sarah here!
Thomas Meglioranza
American baritone Thomas Meglioranza was a winner of the Walter W. Naumburg, Concert Artists Guild, Franz Schubert/Music of Modernity, and Joy In Singing competitions.
Highlights from recent seasons include an all-Hugo Wolf recital at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, as well as role of Lord Henry in Lowell Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray with Odyssey Opera, and Saint John in Louis Karchin’s Jane Eyre with the Center for Contemporary Opera. He also sang Handel’s Messiah at Saint Thomas Church in New York City, and debuted with Ars Lyrica Houston singing J.C.F. Bach’s solo cantata, Pygmalion. Last season, he sang the role of Wreck in Bernstein’s Wonderful Town with the Seattle Symphony, Bach’s solo bass cantatas with Lyra Baroque in Minneapolis and performances of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin with Reiko Uchida and Winterreise with fortepianist David Breitman.
Described in The New Yorker as an “immaculate and inventive recitalist”, his Songs from the WWI Era program was named one of the “Top Ten Best Classical Performances of the Year” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. His discography includes the Schubert cycles and assorted lieder, and French mélodies with pianist Reiko Uchida, songs of Virgil Thomson with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Bach cantatas with the Taverner Consort.
He has been an oratorio and pops soloist with many of America’s leading orchestras and has also sung Copland’s Old American Songs with the National Symphony, Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Harbison’s Fifth Symphony with the Boston Symphony, Milton Babbitt’s Two Sonnets with the MET Chamber Ensemble, Roberto Sierra’s Missa Latina with the Houston Symphony, and Bach cantatas with Les Violons du Roy and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has also appeared with many period instrument ensembles, including the American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque, Portland Baroque, the New York Collegium, the Waverly Consort, and Apollo’s Fire.
His operatic roles include Fritz in Die tote Stadt, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Count Almaviva, as well as Chou Enlai in Nixon in China, Prior Walter in Eötvös Peter’s Angels in America, and Oedipus in Ruth Schönthal’s Jocasta. He also regularly performs with the Mark Morris Dance Group, including the role of Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas.
A native New Yorker, Meglioranza graduated from Grinnell College and the Eastman School of Music. His non-musical interests include cooking and fungi. Learn more about Thomas here!
Gesänge aus der Ferne: the “Songs from Afar” Series
May 2021
A Message to our Members and Friends
Dear Members & Friends,
We are happy to offer our members, supporters and friends a string of virtual concerts to lift your spirits during the current pandemic.
From February to June 2021, you will receive a link to a virtual recital once a month that will allow you to listen – at your leisure – to new and original music commissioned by the German Forum and never before performed anywhere.
Each of these five works was composed by a young composer and is performed by some of the finest musicians who have performed at the German Forum in the past.
The musicians, most with a connection to German-speaking Europe, will not only perform – premiere, to be precise – the music, but will also moderate and introduce the programs.
We are extremely proud that Ries & Erler, a leading music publisher located in Berlin, Germany will publish these five compositions, with full credit to the German Forum.
Enjoy these programs especially curated for the German Forum community!
Please feel free to share your feedback.
Musically yours,
Barbara Heming, President
Babette Hierholzer, Artistic Director
Guy A. Reiss, Chairman
The May 2021 Premiere:
Composed by Thilo Thomas Krigar
Sonnets 18 and 19 by William Shakespeare, for Soprano and Piano
Shall I compare?
Devouring Time
Soprano: Corinna Ruba
Piano: Julia Kadel
The Artists
Corinna Ruba
Julia Kadel
Thilo Thomas Krigar
Gesänge aus der Ferne: the “Songs from Afar” Series
April 2021
A Message to our Members and Friends
Dear Members & Friends,
We are happy to offer our members, supporters and friends a string of virtual concerts to lift your spirits during the current pandemic.
From February to June 2021, you will receive a link to a virtual recital once a month that will allow you to listen – at your leisure – to new and original music commissioned by the German Forum and never before performed anywhere.
Each of these five works was composed by a young composer and is performed by some of the finest musicians who have performed at the German Forum in the past.
The musicians, most with a connection to German-speaking Europe, will not only perform – premiere, to be precise – the music, but will also moderate and introduce the programs.
We are extremely proud that Ries & Erler, a leading music publisher located in Berlin, Germany will publish these five compositions, with full credit to the German Forum.
Enjoy these programs especially curated for the German Forum community!
Please feel free to share your feedback.
Musically yours,
Barbara Heming, President
Babette Hierholzer, Artistic Director
Guy A. Reiss, Chairman
The April 2021 Premiere:
Composed by Margarete Huber
GLÄNZENDE AUGEN. JUNGES TRÄUMEN. – Shining eyes. Young dreaming. (2021)
A concert aria for lyric coloratura soprano and piano
Text: Alfred Döblin, from „Jagende Rosse“ (Hunting horses) (1900)
Soprano: Christine Reber
Piano: Robert Bärwald
The Artists
Christine Reber
Margarete Huber
Robert Bärwald
The April 2021 Concert
The April 2021 Program
Works by composer Margarete Huber:
GLÄNZENDE AUGEN. JUNGES TRÄUMEN. – Shining eyes. Young dreaming. (2021)
A concert aria for lyric coloratura soprano and piano
Text: Alfred Döblin, from „Jagende Rosse“ (Hunting horses) (1900)
Soprano: Christine Reber
Piano: Robert Bärwald
***
KURZE BLITZE, DONNER, SONNE, WIND UND REGEN – Short lightning, thunder, sun, wind and rain (2020)
A cycle of 12 miniatures for piano with preparations
Piano: Fidan Aghayeva-Edler
***
AN EVENING IN SPRINGTIME (2021)
for soprano and piano
Soprano & piano: Margarete Huber
***
SCHATTENLOS – Shadowless (2017) (Excerpts)
Chamber opera for baritone, bass-baritone, piano, and multi-channel addition
(with harpsichord, strings, recorders, zither, percussion objects, electronics, synthesizer, and breath sounds),
Composition & Tape: Margarete Huber
Libretto: Steffen Thiemann, with excerpts from Adalbert von Chamisso´s „ Peter Schlemihl’s wondrous story“ and Poems
Musical direction/piano: Insa Bernds
Idea & direction: Birgit Grimm
Light & space: Felix Grimm
With: Nicolás Lartaun & Benoit Pitre (Baritone/Bass-Baritone)
***
A song by Bruno Droste:
TAKING A TRIP WITH YOU FINAL (1955)
Soprano: Christine Reber
with Musicians of the SWR Big Band
*****
THE ARTISTS
Margarete Huber – composer, pianist, soprano
Christine Reber – soprano
Robert Bärwald – pianist
Fidan Aghayeva-Edler – pianist
Insa Bernds – pianist
Nicolás Lartaun – baritone
Benoit Pitre – bass-baritone
SWR Big Band
Other Featured Artists
Fidan Aghayeva-Edler
Insa Bernds
Benoit Pitre, photo by Saskia Pavek
Nicolás Lartaun, photo by Marjiola Rukaj
Gesänge aus der Ferne: the “Songs from Afar” Series
March 2021
A Message to our Members and Friends
Dear Members & Friends,
We are happy to offer our members, supporters and friends a string of virtual concerts to lift your spirits during the current pandemic.
From February to June 2021, you will receive a link to a virtual recital once a month that will allow you to listen – at your leisure – to new and original music commissioned by the German Forum and never before performed anywhere.
Each of these five works was composed by a young composer and is performed by some of the finest musicians who have performed at the German Forum in the past.
The musicians, most with a connection to German-speaking Europe, will not only perform – premiere, to be precise – the music, but will also moderate and introduce the programs.
We are extremely proud that Ries & Erler, a leading music publisher located in Berlin, Germany will publish these five compositions, with full credit to the German Forum.
Enjoy these programs especially curated for the German Forum community!
Please feel free to share your feedback.
Musically yours,
Barbara Heming, President
Babette Hierholzer, Artistic Director
Guy A. Reiss, Chairman
Heavy Absence, by Nkosi Nkululeko
commissioned by and for the German Forum
Das alte Lied Op. 4 Nr. 4, by Heine
Songs from Opus 48.
Lauf der Welt, by Uhland
Dereinst Gedanke mein, by Geibel
Zur Rosenzeit, by Goethe
Mein Mädel hat einen Rosenmund, from Deutsche Volkslieder
Sapphische Ode, Op. 94 Nr. 4, by Hans Schmidt
Ach, wende diesen Blick Op. 57 Nr. 4, by Georg Friedrich Daumer
Auf dem Kirchhofe Op. 105, Nr. 4, by Detlev von Liliencron
aus dem Nachlass
Im Abendrot, by C. Lappe
Op.128
Der Kuss, by C. F. WeisseRobert Stolz
from MÄDI
Bißchen Liebe tut gut
ÄNEAS HUMM, baritone
NKOSI NKULULEKO, poet
HARTMUT HÖLL, piano
DORIANA TCHAKAROVA, piano
Alexander Liebermann
Doriana Tchakarova
Hartmut Höll
Nkosi Nkululeko
Äneas Humm
Gesänge aus der Ferne: the “Songs from Afar” Series
February 2021
A Message to our Members and Friends
Dear Members & Friends,
We are happy to offer our members, supporters and friends a string of virtual concerts to lift your spirits during the current pandemic.
From February to June 2021, you will receive a link to a virtual recital once a month that will allow you to listen – at your leisure – to new and original music commissioned by the German Forum and never before performed anywhere.
Each of these five works was composed by a young composer and is performed by some of the finest musicians who have performed at the German Forum in the past.
The musicians, most with a connection to German-speaking Europe, will not only perform – premiere, to be precise – the music, but will also moderate and introduce the programs.
We are extremely proud that Ries & Erler, a leading music publisher located in Berlin, Germany will publish these five compositions, with full credit to the German Forum.
Enjoy these programs especially curated for the German Forum community!
Please feel free to share your feedback.
Musically yours,
Barbara Heming, President
Babette Hierholzer, Artistic Director
Guy A. Reiss, Chairman
0:06 Welcome
1:52 from “Vier Sonette an Orpheus”
IV. Singe die Gärten, mein Herz
Poem by Rainer Maria Rilke
Eva Maria Summerer, mezzosoprano
Raphael Fusco, piano
4:02 “Quarantine Camp” (World Premiere) Commissioned by the German Forum
5:28 I. The Economist
8:04 II. Quarantine Rex
10:46 III. Memento Mori
12:20 IV. Quarantine Camp
Poetry by Ryan Vine
Eva Maria Summerer, mezzosoprano
Raphael Fusco, piano
15:12. Excerpts from “Nouvelles Pièces de Clavecin”
15:59. II. Labyrinthe
19:25 V. Fugue on the Theme from “30 Rock”
Raphael Fusco, piano
21:56 “On Solid Ground”
22:26 I. A Link to the Past
24:41 II. Daydream
28:13 III. Chaconne
Raphael Fusco, piano
31:23 Improvisation in the Style of Beethoven
for Barbara Heming
Raphael Fusco, piano
37:17 “I Worried” Poem by Mary Oliver
Nicholas Tamagna, countertenor
Raphael Fusco, piano
40:36 Excerpts from “An American Requiem”
40:50 IV. Domine Jesu
Stanley Jackson, tenor
Anna Sutyagina, piano
45:05 XI. In Paradisum
Raphael Fusco, conductor and organ
48:29 from “Racconti”
49:03 “È Sera” Poem by Antonio Cozzitorto
Eva Maria Summerer, mezzosoprano
Raphael Fusco, piano
52:20 “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
Raphael Fusco, piano
56:08 End Credits
EVA MARIA SUMMERER, mezzosoprano
RYAN VINE, poet
NICHOLAS TAMAGNA, countertenor
STANLEY JACKSON, tenor
ANNA SUTYAGINA, piano
Eva Maria Summerer, photo by Annemone Taake Photographie
Ryan Vine
Raphael Fusco
Organist Michael Hey, who performed for the German Forum in February 2016, has prepared a festive virtual concert for us to enjoy this month!
The program lasts one hour, and includes introductions to each piece and commentary on each organ featured in the concert.
Members of the German Forum will have access to Michael Hey’s online program that they may access throughout the holiday season to enjoy at their leisure!
Described as “scintillating” and “tremendously virtuosic” (The Straits Times, Singapore), concert organist Michael Hey has been increasingly visible on U.S. and international stages. He has performed organ concertos with the San Francisco Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, and New York City Ballet Orchestra. Michael has appeared at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden.
In September 2017, Michael received first prize in the Shanghai Conservatory of Music First International Organ Competition. Released in October 2017, Michael’s premiere solo CD recording Michael T. C. Hey plays the Great Organ of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York is available for purchase by the JAV recording label.
In 2015, Michael was appointed Associate Director of Music and Organist of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, where one of his first major tasks was to perform for the first U.S. visit of Pope Francis. Michael plays for over 700 services a year at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, many of which can be heard on Sirius XM radio, television, and online.
Not exclusively a solo organist, Michael enjoys collaborating with other artists. He has performed with Renée Fleming, Matthew Polenzani, and Isabel Leonard. He performs duo recitals with violinist Christiana Liberis.
Michael is a graduate of The Juilliard School where he received his B.M. and M.M. degrees in organ performance under Paul Jacobs. He is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC.
Watch this video of Michael playing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC!
Interactive Lecture by Dorothea von Mücke on Thomas Mann’s “Zauberberg”
Join the German Forum for an evening of literature and conversation with scholar and professor Dorothea von Mücke, as we explore Thomas Mann’s “Zauberberg,” or “The Magic Mountain.”
Dorothea von Mücke is a professor of German Language and Literature at Columbia University whose research focuses German and European literature and philosophy of the eighteenth- and nineteenth century, semiotics, aesthetics and the study of generic and formal innovation in the context of pedagogical reforms and the secularization of religious practices. Her most recent book, The Practices of the Enlightenment. Aesthetics, Authorship and the Public was published in 2015. It addresses the strong influence of religious practices on key Enlightenment models of aesthetic experience, concepts of tolerance, and forms of autobiographical writing. Read more about Dorothea von Mücke’s work here. This November evening of literature reading and a Q&A chat will take place over Zoom. Submit your questions up to one week in advance of the event to us at contactus@germanforum.org.
LA GRAN SCENA
a presentation of the film feat. Ira Siff & Hans Pieter Herman
How do opera singers really feel about expressing their most emotional and vulnerable selves onstage? Watch and learn in an exclusive viewing of the film La Gran Scena, hosted by Ira Siff and Hans Pieter Herman.
The film La Gran Scena includes excerpts by Wagner, Verdi, Schubert, and Puccini. It opens with “Ride of the Valkyries,” includes Madame Vera’s Trovatore aria from Gran Scena’s Lincoln Center debut, Schubert’s “Erlkönig” from one of Madame’s 23 years of famed Annual Farewells, and features the company’s calling card, Tosca Act II. The film runs 1 hr. 45 min. and includes a running commentary exploring the genesis and work of La Gran Scena Opera Co. di New York.
Since La Gran Scena Opera Co. was established in 1981 by Artistic Director Ira Siff, the company has performed extensively in New York, and has appeared in cities all over the world. The internationally acclaimed “travesty” troupe’s gifted falsetto “divas” affectionately spoofed opera in New York and around the world throughout the next two decades. The company enjoyed success after success, with anniversary celebrations in New York and sold-out appearances at festivals and opera houses on a global scale. Read more about La Gran Scena Opera Company here. In the early 2000s, Ira Siff shifted his focus to teaching, coaching, directing, and writing, but continued performing in reunions with the company and in recitals, as Madame Vera, until 2009. View more from Madame Vera here.
Ira Siff grew up in New York, graduated from the Cooper Union with a Fine Arts degree, and made his debut as a tenor in 1970. A versatile performer, he spent the next decade performing roles in opera, operetta, and musicals, and created a cabaret act using vocal parody of opera, jazz, and other styles of music. In 1981, he founded La Gran Scena Opera Co. di New York and appeared as Madame Vera, the prima “donna” of La Gran Scena. Madame Vera internationally parodied “diva farewell recitals” in The Annual Farewell Recital. Now, Mr. Siff writes for Opera News and is commentator on the Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcasts in addition to directing, teaching, and singing. Read more about Ira Siff’s storied career here.
Dutch baritone Hans Pieter Herman received his masters degree in Amsterdam, and continued studying in the United States at Northwestern University. His opera roles include Marcello in Puccini’s La Bohème, Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Dr. Miracle in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Il Conte Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Alidor in Nicolo Isouard’s opera Cendrillon. His musical theater performances include A Little Night Music, She Loves Me, and the role of Guido Contini in Nine. He also has appeared in oratorio and concert performances of Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mahler’s Rückert Lieder and Das Klagende Lied. He frequently works with the Dutch National Opera chorus in Amsterdam. In 2010, he appeared in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos at Tanglewood, directed by Ira Siff. Read more about Hans Pieter Herman here.
Dear All,
As you are all painfully aware, the COVID 19 (coronavirus) is still spreading and social distancing has been advised. The German Forum is therefore postponing/cancelling all future events until the Federal/State/Local authorities have given the all clear.
We hope you are all safe and healthy and stay that way.
All the best und bis bald,
Barbara K Heming, President
CLICK HERE for pictures from the March 14th 2019 ‘SPRING CONCERT’
@Erica Lyn Photography
Please visit our Facebook page to view this event’s photo gallery
“Mostly Schubert”
The German Forum announces an Outstanding Classical Concert entitled “Mostly Schubert”
Starring:
Katharina Hagopian, Soprano
Phillip Solomon, Clarinet
Ulrich Roman Murtfeld, Piano
Babette Hierholzer, Piano
Location
Bruno Walter Auditorium, Lincoln Center Amsterdam Avenue betw. 64th and 65th Streets
First reception: 6:15 pm
Program: 7:00 pm (punctual)
Second reception: 8:25 pm
Tickets: $30
Friends of members: $20 (as reserved by members)
Members of the German Forum: free
Reservations are absolutely required:
contactus@germanforum.org
Pictured top left: Katharina Hagopian; top right: Phillip Solomon; bottom left: Ulrich Roman Murtfeld; bottom right: Babette Hierholzer
What a great classical concert given by the German Forum at the Saint Peter’s Church on March 2 ! Thanks to the wonderful artists Katrin Bulke, Anne Riegler, Stephen Tharp and Artistic Director Babette Hierholzer.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BABETTE HIERHOLZER, STEPHEN THARP, ANNE RIEGLER, KATRIN BULKE
What a great concert evening given by the German Forum at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center! Thanks to the wonderful artists Jardena Flückiger,
Gerard Schneider, Mariella Haubs and Babette Hierholzer.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MARIELLA HAUBS, BABETTE HIERHOLZER, JARDENA FLÜCKIGER, GERARD SCHNEIDER
Thanks to everyone who came out to see our last cabaret evening at the Gotham Comedy Club on September 14 despite the heavy rain right before the performance. A big applause to all German Forum artists!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: TONI GOLDMAN, TINO ANDREA HONEGGER, HANNA ELIZABETH YOUNG, LARS REDLICH, ERICH RAUSCH
What a great lieder recital given by the German Forum at the private residence of German Consul General Brita Wagener on June 26! Thanks to the wonderful artists Äneas Humm, Magda Gartner as well as Babette Hierholzer!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: HENRY MEYER-OERTEL, ÄNEAS HUMM, MAGDA GARTNER, BABETTE HIERHOLZER
What an amazing classical concert on February 11 at the Saint Peter’s Church in Midtown Manhattan celebrating the music of Schubert, Beethoven, Grieg, Sarasate, Ullmann, Alexander Liebermann and others!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MICHAEL HEY, MAGDA GARTNER, BABETTE HIERHOLZER, ÄNEAS HUMM, ALEXANDER LIEBERMANN, HENRY MEYER-OERTEL
Thanks to everyone who came out to see our last classical concert at the Bruno Walter Auditorium celebrating the music of Schubert, Mozart, R. Strauss , Poulenc and others. A big applause to all German Forum artists!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BABETTE HIERHOLZER, SEBASTIAN LAMBERTZ, LAURE BARRAS, EVA MARIA SUMMERER
This event was a hugely successful cabaret evening at The Cutting Room. Thanks to all of the artists and everyone in the audience!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: SEBASTIAN STERT, WILLIAM LUDWIG, JED DISTLER, KAREN KOHLER, MAGDA-LENE REICH, WILLIAM LUDWIG, HENRY MEYER-OERTEL
German Forum Annual Meeting at the St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church
Thank so much to all of the German Forum members who came out to our Annual Meeting on May 6. It was a wonderful evening with lots of good discussion. The evening was framed by two piano performances by the international acclaimed pianist Ulrich Roman Murtfeld.
ULRICH ROMAN MURTFELD
This event was a hugely successful classical evening at the Saint Peter’s Church. We thank you all for your support and applause!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: THEO LEBOW, TATJANA RUHLAND, KAI HENNIG (DEPUTY CONSUL GENERAL, GERMANY), BABETTE HIERHOLZER, REBEKKA REISTER, CHRISTINE SCHOENHUBER (MARKETING DIRECTOR, TOURISM MARKETING GMBH BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG), CHRISTIAN SCHMITT
“Alma Mahler’s Salon”, a hugely successful musical tribute to Alma Mahler and her famous composer friends with a brilliant introduction by Donna Drewes, Associate Professor of the Humanities, New York University. The musical delicacies were presented by The Lysander Piano Trio (Itmar Zorman, Violin, Michael Katz, Cello and Liza Stepanova, Piano) as well as Edward Klorman, Viola, Elisabeth Wimmer, Soprano, Nils Neubert, Teno and Babette Hierholzer, Piano. The concert was held at the Bruno Walter Auditorium, Lincoln Center.
Tickle my Funny Bone: Komisches Cabaret & Chanson at the Gotham Comedy Club. The performing artists were Annika Krump (Accordionist & Singer), Lars Redlich (Singer & Guitarist) and Lucie Pohl (Actress). Staged by Karen Kohler (Director/ Singer)
German Forum Annual Meeting held at the Residence of the German Consul General. This members-only event featured Viennese Jazz performed by Swantje Lambert (Saxophone) and Barbara Rektenwald (Piano) and the reports on last year’s events and plans for the German Forum’s future.
This event was a hugely successful classical evening at the Bruno Walter Auditorium featuring works by Bizet, Mahler, Sarasate, Beethoven and Brahms. Our talented artists were Christian Schleicher (Tenor), Martha Chapman (Dancer), Sven Stucke (Violin), Katie Reimer (Pianist). Our artistic advisor Babette Hierholzer was the artistic lead.
“Mostly Verdi & Wagner”, a classical music event starting Judith Thielsen (Mezzo Soprano), Sebastian Naglatzki (Bass), Katie Reimer (Piano), Sven Stucke (Violin) and our artistic director Babette Hierholzer (Piano).
Operetta & Cabaret at the famous Players Club, featuring Olivia Delauré (Soprano & Dancer), Hans-Richard Ludewig (Piano), Laure Barras (Soprano), Kim Smith (Cabaret Singer), Benjamin Ickies (Accordionist). Staged by Karen Kohler (Director/Singer).
German Forum annual meeting hosted by the Consul General of Switzerland. The musical part of the evening consisted of Swiss/ Spanish pianist Katia Michel and German/ American Cellist Peter Schmidt performing pieces by Pablo Casals and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Also discussed at this members-only event were last year’s events, promotional and social media activities and plans for the future
Classical Music Concert featuring Liza Stepanova (Piano), Sarah Wolfson (Soprano), Mirjam Tschopp (Violin & Viola), Babette Hierholzer (Piano), Itamar Zorman (Violin) and Michael Katz (Cello). The event took place at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, and the program included selected works by Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Khatchaturian, Tchaikovsky & Ravel.
“From Berlin to Vienna” The Greatest Songs, a Cabaret Evening at the Bohemian National Concert Hall—featured Christian Schleicher (Tenor), Konstantin Zander (Baritone), Karen Kohler (Cabaret Chanteuse) and Belush Korenyi (Pianist). Songs performed included Bei dir war es immer so schoen, Ich brech’ die Herzen der stolzesten Frauen, Ninon, Tauben vergiften, Du bist nicht die Erste, Frauen sind keine Engel, Jonny, wenn du Geburtstag hast, Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt, Ein Freund, ein guter Freund, Ein Lied geht um die Welt, Bel Ami, Wie schoen waere Wien ohne Wiener, and Sag beim Abschied leise “Servus”.
Classical Music Concert starring Isabel Schmitt (French Horn), Marco Vassalli (Baritone) and German Forum alumni Christine Reber (Soprano), accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano & Artistic Advisor). The event took place at the Ukrainian Institute with 140 people in attendance. The program included works by Mozart, Donizetti, Gliere, Caccini, Leoncavallo, Rossini, R. Strauss, Bozza, Tosti, Pfitzner and Wagner.
Annual Meeting & Chanson Recital at the Private Residence of the Consul General of Germany. Gesine Heinrich, a young Berlin Lieder & Chanson Singer, performed her original work. The evening also included reports on last year’s events and the German Forum’s plans for the future.
Classical Music Concert starring Isabel Gehweiler (Cello), Theresa Derksen (Soprano), Pavlina Horakowa (Mezzo Soprano), Paul Andrew Dwyer (Cello) and Byron Singleton (Tenor) accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano & Artistic Advisor). The event took place at the Bohemian National Hall with 150 people in attendance. The program included works by Beethoven, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Mendelssohn, Puccini, Robert Stolz, Villiam Figus-Bystry and A. Dvorak
an Evening of Classical Music – starring Doren Dinglinger (Violin), Julia Küsswetter, (Soprano), Michael Kelly (Baritone) and Guest Artist Byron Singleton (Tenor) accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano). Introduction to the program was given by Rene Pape, Bass, Metropolitan Opera. The event took place at the Hungarian Consulate General with over 130 people in attendance. The program included works by Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Liszt, Korngold, Bach, Bartok & Gershwin.
“Berlin Now”, a Cabaret Evening at the Gotham Comedy Club – featured Annika Krump (Accordionist & Chanteuse) and Felicitas Madl (Actress & Dancer). This exciting new form of cabaret mixed chansons with spoken text which were adapted from a wide variety of singers/composers and authors (Edith Piaf and Norah Jones, RioReiser, W. H. Auden and Kurt Weill amongst others). Directed by Uwe Mengel. This special event was sponsored by Bertelsmann and Mr. Kurt F. Leopold.
Annual Meeting and Piano Recital at the Austrian Cultural Forum featuring the outstanding pianist Javor Bracic. Javor performed the “Piano Sonata in C-major” by Joseph Haydn as well as the “Piano Sonata in A-major, Op.101” by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Classical Music Concert featuring Nathalie Mittelbach (Mezzo-Soprano), Leonard Bartussek (Cello) and Liv Heym (Violin) accompanied by the acclaimed New York/ Berlin pianist Babette Hierholzer. The program included works by Mozart, Haendel, Bach, Corelli, van Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Liszt, Offenbach and Piazzola. Introductory Remarks by Edward Klorman, Member of the Faculty, Juilliard School of Music.
Literary Evening featuring the young German author Thomas von Steinaecker, who is currently Writer-in-Residence at the Deutsches Haus at New York University. Mr. von Steinaecker has published three books (Wallner beginnt zu fliegen, 2007, Geister, 2008 and Schutzgebiet, 2009) This event took place in a private home in Manhattan, exclusively for members of the German Forum.
Classical Music Concert featuring Elisabeth Seitenberger (Clarinet), Christine Reber (Soprano) and Michael von Schoenermark, (Bassoon) accompanied by the acclaimed New York/ Berlin pianist Babette Hierholzer. The program included works by Schubert, Rossini, Bellini, Puccini, Poulenc, Bizet and Mikhail Glinka. Introductory Remarks by Ken Benson, Vocal Casting Consultant and former Vice President, Columbia Artist Management, Inc.
Annual Meeting and Recital at the Residence of the Consul General of Switzerland featuring the outstanding pianist Teo Gheorghiu. Teo performed the Fantasy in C Minor, KV 475 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor by Frederic Chopin.
WEIMAR Berlin Cabaret – featured Bjoern Werner (Weimar) and Adrienne Haan (Bonn). Accompanied on the piano by Veit Wiesler (Weimar). The performance was one of the highlights of the 2009/ 2010 season.
Classical Music Concert featuring Anna-Theresa Steckel (Violin), Julian Steckel (Cello) and Hans Pieter Herman (Baritone) accompanied by the acclaimed New York/ Berlin pianist Babette Hierholzer. The program included works by Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Saint Saens, Korngold, Massenet and Lehar. Introductory Remarks by Margaret Juntwait, Host/Announcer Metropolitan Opera International Radio Broadcasts and MetOpera Radio on Sirius/XM
Literary Evening featuring the young German author, Joerg Albrecht, who is currently Writer-in-Residence at the Deutsches Haus at New York University. Mr. Albrecht has published two books (Drei Herzen, 2006, and Sternstaub, Goldfunk, Silberstreif, 2008) from which he read during the evening. Topics included the German book scene of the 90’s and how it pertains to former Eastern German Authors. This event took place in a private home in Manhattan, exclusively for members of the German Forum.
An Evening of Classical Music starring Barbara Buntrock (Viola), Haakon Schaub (Baritone), Heidi Sauser (Soprano). These outstanding artists were accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano). The program included works by Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Brahms, Liszt, Strauss, Wagner, Paganini and Bartok. Introductory Remarks were by Ira Siff, weekly commentator, Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts.
Annual Meeting and Recital at the Residence of the Consul General of Germany featuring Soprano Katharina Hagopian and Pianist Cristina Stanescu. The program included works by Franz Schreker’s “Five Songs Op. 4.”; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Opera “Idomeneo”, J. Massenet’s Opera “Manot” and J. Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus”.
BERLIN CABARET— An Evening with Lenya, Marlene and Zarah at Gotham Comedy Club 208 West 23rd Street (between 6th & 7th). Starring Karen Kohler, Micaela Leon, and Olivia Stevens with Musical Director Daryl Kojak. Directed by Karen Kohler. This special event was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz USA.
Classical Music Concert featuring: Franka Herwig (24), an outstanding Classical Accordionis and Christian Schleicher (29), Tenor. The singers were accompanied by the acclaimed New York/ Berlin pianist Babette Hierholzer. This was a joint event together with the Deutscher Verein, NY.
Literary Evening featuring the young German author Nora Bossong, whose first novel Gegend was published in 2006. She presented some of her poems and also read a chapter from her new novel Webers Protokoll. The reading took place in a private home in Manhattan, exclusively for members of the German Forum. The author also presented two other examples of young contemporary German literature: Tilman Rammstedt’s Der Kaiser von China and Alina Bronsky’s Scherbenpark. Discussion continued on the lively literature scene of Berlin and Leipzig.
The 4th event in the 30th anniversary year featured the Hamburg musicians Sarah Ferede (Mezzo-Soprano), Katharina Weiss (Violin) and Hellen Weiss (Violin), accompanied by Babette Hierholzer (Piano). The introduction to the program was given by Friedrich Meyer-Oertel, Opera Stage Director, Darmstadt, Germany. The event took place at the Kosciuszko Foundation Concert Hall with over 90 people in attendance.
The evening featured the exciting young Polish-born (and German-speaking) Violinist Kinga Augustyn, a former student at the Conservatory of Music in Rostock, Germany, and a recent master’s graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. She began the evening with Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, Op. 1 for solo violin followed by the “Zigeunerweisen” by Pablo Sarasate. Her accompanist was the accomplished young pianist Erika Switzer.
‘Weimar Berlin Cabaret’ Event on 6/10 a Rousing Success:Singers Karen Kohler (born in Frankfurt), Micaela Leon (born in Stuttgart) & guest artist Kim Smith (born in Australia) accompanied by pianist Uli Geissendoerfer (born in Munich) came together for a fabulous cabaret evening entitled “It’s all a Swindel” (‘Alles Schwindel’) at the sold-out Dance New Amsterdam Theater in Manhattan.
A very Special Evening of Classical Music Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the German Forum.
