John Adams News

In honor of this week's major national holiday of Independence Day, today we celebrate the most patriotic musical of them all, 1776.

Marc and Steven Kaplan, co-founders of SubCulture, announce their 2014-2015 programming for the downtown performing arts venue. Touted by The New Yorker as having a 'strong curatorial hand,' SubCulture's founders enter their second year with a dynamic array of new series, multi-concert residencies, creative partnerships, and a program championing emerging composers.

This July and August 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

Moonlight Stage Productions' 34th summer season is well under way, and Artistic Director Steven Glaudini is proud to present the Southern California Regional Premiere of the smash hit Broadway musical MARY POPPINS, co-created by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh. Performances are July 16 to August 2. Single tickets are priced $15 to $52 and include price levels for student rush, military, senior, and family discounts. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (760) 724-2110 or visit moonlightstage.com.

The sounds of extraordinary chamber music return to the Vail Valley onToday, July 1 as the Bravo! Vail Chamber Music Series begins with "Gershwin and Copland: Chamber Jazz," a jazz-infused evening featuring members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jeff Tyzik. For 2014, Bravo! Vail's Chamber Music Series spotlights five unique concerts highlighting both well-known classics and inspiring 20th Century compositions, and features members of each of Bravo Vail's resident orchestras: the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Tickets for all Bravo! Vail concerts are on sale at bravovail.org or by calling the box office at 877.812.5700.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond.

One of the reasons I became enamored of acting as a child was the opportunity to put on period costumes and to imagine I was going back in time. It's one of the giddy pleasures of being an actor-dress up! And there are few periods that are quite as distinctive and fun as the 18th century. In this week's vlog post, I have my first fitting for my John Adams costume with designer Gail Baldoni.

When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to come to terms with what happened. Three years later, THE LEFTOVERS is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.

The Florida Orchestra (TFO) has announced the appointment of Michael Francis as its new Music Director starting with the 2015/2016 season, serving as Music Director Designate for the upcoming 2014/2015 season. Appointed as part of an initial three-year contract, his duties include being the primary conductor and providing the artistic leadership for concert programming and related artistic decisions. Although his primary role is with the Tampa Bay Times Masterworks series, he will also be conducting one concert each season for the Raymond James Pops and the morning Coffee Concert series. This reflects Francis' personal desire to be fully-integrated artistically with the orchestra and the organization.

It's the summer of 1776, and the nation is ready to declare independence...if only our founding fathers can agree to do it! 1776 follows John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia as they attempt to convince the members of the second Continental Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarchy by signing the Declaration of Independence.

My visit to the Massachusetts Historical Society was so fascinating that I had to devote two vlog posts to it! Librarian Peter Drummey and his colleague Sara Georgini know as much about the show 1776 as they do about the true history and the real John Adams. And they have great affection for the musical, pointing out some of the departures from the true story the writers took in creating a dramatically pleasing piece of theatre.

The July broadcasts of The New York Philharmonic This Week -- the weekly radio series of concerts and recordings by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by Alec Baldwin -- begin with Bramwell Tovey leading the Orchestra in an all-American program.

When 2% of the world's population abruptly disappears without explanation, the world struggles to come to terms with what happened. Three years later, THE LEFTOVERS is the story of the people who didn't make the cut.

My visit to the Massachusetts Historical Society was so fascinating that I had to devote two vlog posts to it! Librarian Peter Drummey and his colleague Sara Georgini know as much about the show 1776 as they do about the true history and the real John Adams. And they have great affection for the musical, pointing out some of the departures from the true story the writers took in creating a dramatically pleasing piece of theatre.

The National Coalition Against Censorship has added a new co-signer to its statement (read online) opposing the Metropolitan Opera's cancellation of live, high-definition screenings of John Adams' opera, The Death of Klinghoffer, to 65 countries. The International Committee for Artists' Freedom has joined as a co-signer, adding to the National Opera Association, Article 19, The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, Free Expression Policy Project, freeDimensional, Freemuse, and PEN American Center. The statement urges the Metropolitan and its director, Peter Gelb, to reconsider and proceed with the scheduled simulcast. The list of organizations joining the statement is expected to continue growing.

The Cleveland Orchestra embarks on its 14th international concert tour under the direction of music director Franz Welser-Most in September 2014, performing 13 concerts in 7 cities between September 7 and 22.

Make Music New York, ComposersCollaborative Inc, Peppergreen Media & Cornelia Street Cafe present 'IN (Key),' an extraordinary 50th anniversary celebration of Terry Riley's minimalist masterpiece 'IN C' today, June 21st featuring eleven new works by leading composer-performers. The event will begin with a special performance of 'IN C' itself, serving as a prelude to all that is to follow.

The National Coalition Against Censorship has been joined by the National Opera Association, Article 19, The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, Free Expression Policy Project, freeDimensional, Freemuse, and PEN American Center in issuing a statement (read online) opposing the Metropolitan Opera's cancellation of live, high-definition screenings of John Adams' opera, The Death of Klinghoffer, to 65 countries. The statement urges the Metropolitan and its director, Peter Gelb, to reconsider and proceed with the scheduled simulcast. The list of organizations joining the statement is expected to grow in the next few days.

The sounds of extraordinary chamber music return to the Vail Valley onTuesday, July 1 as the Bravo! Vail Chamber Music Series begins with "Gershwin and Copland: Chamber Jazz," a jazz-infused evening featuring members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jeff Tyzik. For 2014, Bravo! Vail's Chamber Music Series spotlights five unique concerts highlighting both well-known classics and inspiring 20th Century compositions, and features members of each of Bravo Vail's resident orchestras: the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Tickets for all Bravo! Vail concerts are on sale at bravovail.org or by calling the box office at 877.812.5700.

Bang on a Can: Other Primary Structures, a concert featuring Bang on a Can All-Stars Vicky Chow (piano) and David Cossin (percussion) with Dither Quartet guitarists Taylor Levine and James Moore, will take place at the Jewish Museum on Thursday, July 10 at 7:30pm. This program is the first auditorium concert of the Jewish Museum and Bang on a Can's new partnership to produce a series of dynamic musical performances at the Museum from June 2014 to May 2015, inspired by the Jewish Museum's diverse slate of exhibitions.