Interlude - July 16
July 16, 2020
Folk music for little folks, Live Aid at 35, celebrity masterclass and more
Welcome back to Interlude, which brings the best in online arts, entertainment and enrichment opportunities to your inbox twice a week.
Celtic culture for kids
Today’s Faegre Drinker PB&J Replay looks back at a 2018 Peanut Butter & Jam kids concert by the Lafayette-based band Traveler’s Dream, which specializes in traditional folk music of the Celtic lands and French Canada, hard-driving Irish jigs and reels, sea shanties and traditional American songs.
So round up the young ones, watch a clip of the performance, talk about the importance of folk songs, and enjoy some fun activity suggestions from the Center’s education staff. It’s all right here.
A fresh note from our Artistic Director
Michael Feinstein is back with another musical moment, this time “Of Thee I Sing” by George and Ira Gershwin. The song comes from the politically-themed musical comedy of the same title, which opened on Broadway to wide acclaim in 1931 and provides the theme for the timely Great American Songbook Foundation gallery exhibit, Of Thee I Sing: Politics on Stage, which you can view online here. (Note: Hamilton is in there, too.)
The Notes with Michael Feinstein video series is sponsored by the Payne & Mencias Group.
A lesson from the stars
The Top 40 finalists of this year’s Songbook Academy® – and a larger audience watching live on Facebook – soaked up some pro tips on song interpretation and performance Wednesday during the Public Masterclass, a highlight of the annual summer intensive for the nation’s top high school vocalists.
Great American Songbook Foundation Founder Michael Feinstein and Broadway star Faith Prince led the afternoon session sponsored by Ruth’s Chris Steak House, providing insightful and often amusing real-time critiques for 10 randomly selected participants. Five-time Grammy nominee Feinstein urged the students to “trust the lyrics.” Prince, a multiple Tony Award nominee and Best Actress winner for her role in Guys and Dolls, asked them about the scenarios they were imagining in their minds while performing. Watch the video here.
Also, mark your calendar for the Final Showcase on July 25, an all-day extravaganza featuring performances by all the talented young finalists, as well as Feinstein and other guest stars. All of this year’s Songbook Academy livestreams are premiered and archived for later viewing on the Foundation’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Relive historic moments from Live Aid
It was 35 years ago this week that Irish rocker Bob Geldof spearheaded the biggest benefit concert ever seen. Telecast live around the world from stages in Philadelphia and London, Live Aid raised millions for African famine relief and brought new attention to global humanitarian needs. Though not without its controversies – musical and political – the day-long event included appearances by Paul McCartney, Elton John, Queen, David Bowie, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Beach Boys, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Ashford & Simpson, the Cars, Madonna, George Michael, Run D.M.C., Elvis Costello, Dire Straits, Phil Collins, Bryan Adams – and the list goes on.
When you have a day or two to spare, you can revisit many of these musical moments via the website Open Culture, which has assembled YouTube playlists covering 16 hours of footage from that historic day.
