WELCOME TO
AMERICA SINGS IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL 2010

 

A message from Daniel B. Silver, President, The Vocal Arts Society
(The Vocal Arts Society initiated the Festival and is its lead organizer)

 

            This Festival is unprecedented in the Washington area in subject matter and scope.  As of December 15, 2009, more than 25 organizations are scheduled to present more than 135 performances as part of the Festival, and we expect more to be included in the next several weeks.  See “Calendar” for a complete listing.

 

            The purpose of the Festival is to celebrate the extraordinary contributions that America has made to the world’s repertoire of music for the voice, across a broad range of genres.  The performances that make up the Festival will have something for almost every kind of musical taste.  We urge you to hear as many as possible and to experiment with kinds of American music you haven’t heard before or aren’t sure you would like.  Many events are free, including several Millenium Stage presentations in the Grand Foyer of the Kennedy Center.  We especially draw your attention to the free FESTIVAL SHOWCASE, a wall-to-wall afternoon of American music for the voice that will be presented in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.  The Showcase will feature cabaret songs sung by Patricia Racette  A star of the Metropolitan Opera, the Washington National Opera and opera companies around the world, Ms. Racette is as comfortable and successful singing popular music at the Birchmere as she is on the opera stage.  The remainder of the Festival Showcase program will be a sampler of short performances by outstanding DC area groups.  The public is invited to come and go at will during the three-hour period.  (See “Festival Showcase” for a detailed program.)  

 

            What’s so great about American music for the voice?  What makes American vocal music great is what makes this country great.  We are a nation of people drawn from every corner of the globe, every ethnic tradition, every religious tradition.  And, without forcing immigrants to abandon the cultural traditions they brought with them, our society has accepted anyone who wanted to be an American as a full participating member of American society.  We have created a culture that embraces and melds the myriad musical sources brought to this continent and those of the Native Americans.  From these sources something unique has emerged.  American vocal music reflects the energy and striving to achieve that characterizes our people.  And nowhere more than in America has the composition of “highbrow” vocal music been more influenced by popular music, such as jazz, folk songs, cabaret songs and show tunes.  American music for the voice has colors, harmonies and rhythms that are new and exciting, that spring from the encounters among so many diverse musical traditions.  It reflects elements of American character that are strong but often contradictory -- deep religiosity and irreverence, love of pomp and disdain for pretension, admiration of European culture and fierce cultural independence.  It’s often beautiful, sometimes quirky, usually very interesting and worthy of our attention and respect.

 

            The Festival will offer a vast array of the old and the new: Porgy & Bess, the best-loved American opera, and a new opera based on the life of fighter Joe Louis; old and largely forgotten American songs drawn from historical archives and recent compositions; contemporary musical theater and revivals.  We hope that you will find much to enjoy.

 

            We are grateful for generous financial support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the individual supporters listed under “Sponsors & Patrons” and to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for extensive in-kind assistance.  We welcome Classical WETA 90.9 FM as the Festival’s broadcast media partner.

 

For further background: Noted American baritone Thomas Hampson, who has made American music a focal point of his  activity in recent years, has written an excellent essay on American vocal music that can be found at http://www.hampsong.com/projects/essays.php?id=P766.