New York Festival Of Song to Present POULENC/SONDHEIM At Merkin Hall
The concert will take place in April at Kaufman Music Center.
New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) will present POULENC/SONDHEIM on April 7 at 8:00 p.m. at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City. The concert will explore the music of two major 20th-century composers, Francis Poulenc and Stephen Sondheim.
Soprano Christine Taylor Price and baritone Theo Hoffman will perform alongside pianists Steven Blier, NYFOS Artistic Director, and Bénédicte Jourdois, Associate Artistic Director of NYFOS. The program places the composers’ works in conversation, highlighting contrasts between Poulenc’s French art songs and Sondheim’s theater music.
All ticket holders will be invited to a complimentary post-concert reception with the artists.
Steven Blier said, “Francis Poulenc's songs conjure up the essence of Paris-raffish, sensual, contemplative; Stephen Sondheim evokes the sass and complexity of New York with the precision of a master. The two fit together like puzzle pieces, each taking up thoughts and feelings where the other one left off. It's a perfect project for the delightfully Parisian Bénédicte Jourdois and me (a dyed-in-the-wool Manhattanite) to work on together. The songs are stunning, and the Poulenc-Sondheim pairings reveal hidden depths in both composers. We're blessed with a cast who can nail all the disparate styles: rapidly rising star Christine Taylor Price, and baritone Theo Hoffman (headliner of the GRAMMY-nominated album on NYFOS Records, Schubert/Beatles).”
The concert is part of NYFOS’s 2025–26 season, which concludes with the organization’s annual Spring Gala on May 11 and the NYFOS Next Series event on June 1, created in collaboration with Luna Composition Lab.
New York Festival of Song: Poulenc/Sondheim
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center | New York, NY
Tickets: $20–$79
kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/new-york-festival-of-song-poulenc-sondheim/
About Christine Taylor Price
Christine Taylor Price performs in opera and song repertoire and has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, New World Symphony, and at Carnegie Hall. A semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she is known for performances that span both classical repertoire and Broadway standards.
About Theo Hoffman
Theo Hoffman has performed with Los Angeles Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Atlanta Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, among others. He received a 2018 Richard Tucker Music Foundation Sara Tucker Study Grant and was a Grand Finalist in the 2016 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
About Steven Blier
Steven Blier is the Artistic Director of New York Festival of Song, which he co-founded in 1988 with Michael Barrett. Since then, he has curated and performed more than 170 vocal recitals spanning art song and popular repertoire. His memoir From Ear to Ear: A Pianist's Love Affair with Song was published by Norton Books in 2025.
Blier has collaborated with artists including Renée Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Samuel Ramey, Susan Graham, Jessye Norman, and José van Dam. A faculty member at The Juilliard School, he also founded NYFOS Records in 2021. The label’s album Schubert/Beatles featuring Theo Hoffman received a 2026 GRAMMY nomination.
About Bénédicte Jourdois
Bénédicte Jourdois is Associate Artistic Director of NYFOS and serves as a vocal coach and teacher at The Juilliard School and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She performs internationally as a recitalist and collaborates with opera companies and training programs including the Merola Opera Program, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera Center, and Opera Philadelphia.
About New York Festival of Song
Now in its 38th season, New York Festival of Song produces thematic vocal concerts that combine music, poetry, and storytelling. Founded in 1988 by Michael Barrett and Steven Blier, the organization presents programs that explore a wide range of song repertoire across genres and cultures.
NYFOS also produces recordings, educational residencies, and its NYFOS Next series, which highlights new songs and emerging composers. Its recordings include a GRAMMY-winning album of Bernstein’s Arias and Barcarolles and the GRAMMY-nominated Schubert/Beatles.
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