Walt Whitman News

Cake, coffin, gavel, choir, composers, live musical trolling! On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the much lauded homo-poet Walt Whitman's birth, a group of Philly queers and misfits known as The Bearded Ladies Cabaret gathers to put this ancestor and his legacy on trial. Should Whitman be canceled? Can he be? Come with friends, complaints, heroes and villains alike. All are welcome. Presented by La MaMa, the New York premiere performances will take place in the Ellen Stewart Theater (June 20 - 29).

To conclude Red Clay Dance Company's 10th anniversary season, Red Clay Dance Academy presents the 7th Annual Dance4Peace Youth Concert and Community Hug Award Saturday, June 1 at Benito Juarez Community Academy, 1450 W. Cermak Rd., Chicago.

For Whitman's 200th birthday, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret are throwing a birthday funeral unlike anything that the queer poet ever experienced. Part of the 'Whitman at 200' celebration, CONTRADICT THIS! A BIRTHDAY FUNERAL FOR HEROES, directed by The Bearded Ladies' Artistic Director and Founder John Jarboe, comes to Cherry Street Pier (121 N. Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia) from May 28 to June 2, 2019. Reviewing press are invited to the May 31 show at 7:30PM.

Having recently brought their latest hit to life performing live together at Patchogue's Nahcho Papi, Singer-Songwriter Sammi Rae Murciano and Reggaetón artist Los Vegas have dropped their brand new single “Escápate”, OUT TODAY!

Compagnia de' Colombari, an international collective of performing artists founded and directed by Karin Coonrod, presents More Or Less I Am, a music-theater piece drawn entirely from Walt Whitman's revolutionary free verse long poem, 'Song of Myself,'one of the original twelve pieces that comprise his 1855 collection Leaves of Grass. The first performance in this series, spanning multiple venues throughout the five boroughs, will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2019, at 2:30pm at Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. The event is free and open to the public.

Cake, coffin, gavel, choir, composers, live musical trolling! On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the much lauded homo poet Walt Whitman's birth, a group of Philly queers and misfits known as The Bearded Ladies Cabaret gathers to put this ancestor and his legacy on trial.

This June, in celebration of his 200th birthday, the Morgan Library and Museum will present Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy, a fascinating, and beautiful, exploration of the poet's life, times, work, and legacy. 

Students of Adelphi University's Department of Music will present a spring concert by the Adelphi Chorale and Adelphi Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Karen Faust Baer at Adelphi's Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Sunday, May 5. The program, I Hear America Singing, is a celebration of the bicentennial of Walt Whitman's birth in song.

Compagnia de' Colombari, an international collective of performing artists founded and directed by Karin Coonrod,celebrates the bicentennial of the birth of America's most influential poet, Walt Whitman, with a revival of their acclaimed production More Or Less I Am. Performances begin May 18, 2019 at multiple venues throughout the five boroughs, with most performances being free and open to the public. More information can be found at www.colombari.org.

Compagnia de' Colombari, an international collective of performing artists founded and directed by Karin Coonrod,celebrates the bicentennial of the birth of America's most influential poet, Walt Whitman, with a revival of their acclaimed production More Or Less I Am. Performances begin May 18, 2019 at multiple venues throughout the five boroughs, with most performances being free and open to the public. More information can be found at www.colombari.org.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic and Music Director Donato Cabrera announced the 2019 2020 concert season today, which will include 11 performances from September 7, 2019 through May 9, 2020 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra's 21st season offers an exhilarating mix of Masterworks and Pops concerts that celebrate cherished classical works by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Vivaldi in addition to energetic programs including a night of movie music from Danny Elfman and Tim Burton film collaborations, a nod to Opera and Broadway in an all Kurt Weill program plus two distinct holiday concerts including a nostalgic celebration featuring beloved seasonal melodies to an all Baroque program with Handel's Messiah.

Hailed as "one of the great amateur choruses of our time" (New York Today) for its "full-bodied sound and suppleness" (The New York Times), The Dessoff Choirs ends its 94th season on the 200th anniversary of the birth of American poet and journalist Walt Whitman (1819-1892). For the final concert of a season-long celebration of Whitman's bicentennial, Dessoff's 50 singers will perform exquisite choral settings of Whitman's poetry, including works by Howard Hanson and Gregg Smith as well as the world premieres of Eve Beglarian's None More Than You, Ian Sturges Milliken's Quicksand Years, and Matthew Aucoin's choral settings of Crossing, both commissioned by Dessoff. (Please read below for complete program details.)

This summer, the Bard Music Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary season with a two-week, in-depth exploration of 'Korngold and His World.'

Horatio Alger's Boys will be presented by Off-Broadway's Saint Luke's 2nd Monday Play Reading Series, part of their 2018-2019 season. Written by David Lally, Horatio Alger's Boys imagines the real-life meeting between Alger and his friend, William James, brother of Henry and Alice, one Spring night in 1870. Alger has come to share the truth of his life, and James, his friend, later to become known as 'the father of psychiatry', will listen. The saga of Horatio Alger did not begin and end with his 'rags to riches' stories.

The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce that Li-Young Lee has selected Leah Naomi Green as the recipient of the 2019 Walt Whitman Award for her manuscript, The More Extravagant Feast, which will be published by Graywolf Press in April 2020.

I And You is the final play in Wharton Center's Illuminate Series that runs this weekend, Friday and Sunday, for two performances only and the limited-engagement of Lauren Gunderson's play is sure to leave audiences wanting more. One afternoon, Anthony (Greg Hunter) arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's (Tess Galbiati) door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, with an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound, Caroline hasn't been to school in months, but she is as quick and funny as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this poetry project unlocks the deep mystery that has brought them together. I And You is a funny and touching ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness with an eye-popping, heart-pounding, and totally unexpected ending. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak with Bert Goldstein, the director of I And You, about the show and how it's special. Check out what he had to say below:

Hailed as "one of the great amateur choruses of our time (New York Today) for its "full-bodied sound and suppleness (The New York Times)," The Dessoff Choirs continues its 94th season with Whitman and the Civil War: a spring concert inspired by the American poet and journalist Walt Whitman (1819-1892) and his relationship with the Civil War. As part of a season-long celebration of Whitman's bicentennial, Dessoff's 50 singers will perform exquisite choral settings of Whitman's poetry by Van, Clausen, Weill, and Stanford as well as the world premiere of Ian Sturges Milliken's Whispers of Heavenly Death. (Please scroll below for complete program details.)

The Kansas City Chorale conducted by Charles Bruffy presents Fables, Stories, and Tales: March 17 & 19, 2019.

The Cecilia Chorus of New York, Mark Shapiro, Music Director will present Sing Me the Universal, a Walt Whitman Bicentennial Concert on March 2 at 8:00 PM at the Church of St. Francis Xavier, 46 W. 16th St., between 5th and 6th Avenues in Manhattan. This event celebrates the 200th anniversary of the poet's birth.

The Opera Company of Middlebury and Town Hall Theater proudly presents a very special concert featuring celebrated Cuban-American composer and Middlebury resident Jorge Martin. Mr. Martin will perform his works with tenor Brian Downen and mezzo-soprano Cherry Duke.