Stephen Flaherty, Andrew Lippa, Stephen Schwartz and More Set for Essential Voices' 'BEYOND BROADWAY' Concert Next Month

On April 8, 2015 at 7:30 pm, Essential Voices USA (EVUSA) will present BEYOND BROADWAY: COMPOSERS GO CHORAL at the DiMenna Space for Classical Music, 450 West 37 Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues), New York City.

The evening will feature ensemble music and conversation with composer/lyricists who have worked closely with conductor and music director Judith Clurman and her Essential Voices USA. Guests attending include Stephen Flaherty, Sheldon Harnick, Larry Hochman, Andrew Lippa, Richard Maltby, Joshua Schmidt, Stephen Schwartz, Lynne Shankel, David Shire, Georgia Stitt, Jonathan Tunick, and Maury Yeston. Midge Woolsey will host the evening. Tedd Firth will be at the piano.

The evening is part of Essential Voices USA's The Composer Speaks programs which is a series of concerts in workshop format presented yearly by Essential Voices USA. At each concert, musical selections are first presented and performed in different formats, and each composer then discusses musical choices and compositional techniques with conductor Judith Clurman or with a guest host. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and become part of the dialogue.

Featured during the evening will be the World Premiere of the revised score of Music (2009), a work for chorus and piano by the late Marvin Hamlisch. Clurman conducted the first performance in 2006 at The Juilliard School, and worked closely with the composer to edit the final version.

A World Premiere of Summer Song (2015) by Lynne Shankel will be presented along with the New York Premiere of Meditation (2007) by Larry Hochman and Movements 9 and 10 from Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (2013) by Joshua Schmidt (poems by Wallace Stevens).

Also on the program will be previously premiered works by EVUSA, Reason to Be Thankful (2011) by Larry Hochman and Sheldon Harnick, three movements from Sing Out Mr. President (2011): I Believe in Democracy by Andrew Lippa (Woodrow Wilson), Opinion is Power by Larry Hochman (Thomas Jefferson), and With Hope and Virtue by Georgia Stitt (Barack Obama) and the SATB version of Testimony (2012) by Steven Schwartz.

In addition will be newly arranged music for EVUSA, Travel from Starting Here, Starting Now (1976) by David Shire and Richard Maltby and Make Them Hear You from Ragtime (1998) by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.

Music by friends of EVUSA include, And He's Allowed Me from American Cantata (2000) by Maury Yeston (poem by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and The Mysterious Cat (1986) by Jonathan Tunick (poem by Vachel Lindsay).

Judith Clurman says: "We are honored to be presenting this music, and very touched that all of these composers and lyricists will be attending and participating in our Composer Speaks workshop."

Tickets range from $35 to $40 and are available online at www.essentialvoicesusa.com, or can be purchased at the door (cash only).