"THE VERY BEST IN MUSIC, THEATRE AND SPOKEN WORD" at ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' JUNE SHOWCASE at THE CELL

Niamh Hyland
Niamh Hyland

 

“A remarkable evening of front-line talent. Artists Without Walls encompasses the very best in music, theatre and spoken-word. Entertainment in a thoughtful, respectful atmosphere devoid of posturing and ego. Quite refreshing. Bravo!” writer Billy Barrett.

 

 

 

Allison Sylvia
Allison Sylvia

Allison Sylvia, a recent graduate of NYU, is a thinking young woman who melds song, dance, poetry, chant and humor in her work, and on Tuesday night she had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Allison transforms her scraps into art and it’s exciting to watch her perform. “A year or more ago, I’d read snippets from journal entries Allison had written—character sketches she committed to paper as she rode the subway between Manhattan and Brooklyn.  Mark my words, she’s only coming into her own,” Poet Connie Roberts

 

 

John Moran and Rebecca Lowry
John Moran and Rebecca Lowry

 

 

John Moran, Rebecca Lowry and Courtney Torres followed, performing an excerpt from Brendan Connellan’s SAVAGE. Family issues come to a head and things get said that have long needed saying. The daughter, Torres, has only just told her father, Moran, that she is getting married and soon. Out of desperation, he calls the girl’s mother, his ex-wife, Lowry, who walked out on them when the daughter was just a baby and nobody has seen her or been in touch with her ever since.  She’s just arrived at the house….and from there we were subject to some wonderful performances from three fine actors.

 

Joe McGinty and Andrea Diaz
Joe McGinty and Andrea Diaz

Here’s what pianist Joe McGinty said about singer Andrea Diaz, “I’ve probably played piano for thousands of singers on my piano karaoke nights, but even after just one song, I knew there was something special about Andrea.”  And that’s how they met. 

 

We were thrilled to have Joe and Andrea join us on Tuesday night. The Duchess and The Fox, as they call themselves, is a throwback to an era of glamour with McGinty’s piano and Diaz’s voice combining to create highly sensual, piano cabaret music with a solid dose of New York nightlife flavor and grit. Great performance, including shouts of “Encore,” which Joe and Andrea willingly provided.  

 

Justin Phillips and Clarissa Hoffmann
Justin Phillips and Clarissa Hoffmann

What happens when a 19th century German immigrant meets a 21st century NYC casting director? Hilarity! Justin Phillips, a nineteenth century German immigrant farmer comes to America to pursue his dream of becoming a Broadway star. He meets a slick, twentieth century casting director played by Clarissa Hoffmann and all hell breaks loose.  

 

The short comedic theater piece “John,” written by Jodie Leidecker and performed by two first time Artists Without Walls’ performers was very well received by AWoW’s audience. Here’s what Clarissa wrote before the show, “I really loved the atmosphere at the April  Showcase and I think this piece “John” would be a great complement to the cultural and artistic mix of such an inspiring evening.” And that’s exactly what it was. We hope to see much more of Justin and Clarissa. 

 

Alexander A. Wu
Alexander A. Wu

Pianist Alexander A. Wu stepped up next and announced he was going to play some Gershwin.  And did he ever!  The first piece was a dazzling “Embraceable You,” which had been transcribed as a classical piece by Earl Wild.  

 

Not only did Alexander’s performance bring to life one of Gershwin’s earlier piano works, the aforementioned, “Embraceable You,” Alex also performed excerpts from one of the composer’s large scale works, “An American in Paris.” We’re excited to have Alex as our newest member and we hope that between his performances on the international stages with orchestras and chamber groups throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America and the USA it won’t keep him from performing at another Showcase in the near future.  

 

The evening was hosted and emceed by Artists Without Walls’ Artistic Directors Niamh Hyland and Charles R. Hale. Artists Without Walls next Showcase will be on Tuesday, June 28, 7:30pm at The Cell Theatre, 338 W23rd St., NYC. 

 

Photos by Vera Hoar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"POIGNANT, ENGROSSING…ORIGINAL" CHARLES R. HALE’S "JAZZ and the CITY: THE NEW YORK CONNECTION"

“Broadway is alive and kicking this season.  But the best theatrical bargain in the city was last Friday’s show at the Cell, ‘Jazz and the City: The New York Connection.’  This review of America’s great songwriters and their relationship with New York was poignant, engrossing and magical.  Charles Hale’s commentary was as relaxed as it was enlightening and insightful.  A brilliant evening!  Here’s hoping for an encore.” Peter Quinn, novelist 

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Tony Carfare
Tony Carfara

From the best of times to the worst of times, songwriters have captured every corner of New York City through music. For the past 375 years, musicians have paid homage to the city they call home with songs such as ‘New York State of Mind,’ ‘New York, New York,’ ‘Spanish Harlem’ and ‘I’ll Take Manhattan,’ but on Friday night at The Cell Theatre in Manhattan, Charles R. Hale’s Jazz and the City: The New York Connection explored some of the great tunes in the American Songbook through a different perspective. Weaving narrative and sidebars through the music of the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhdorn and others, Hale connected New York City and the songs through their composers and artists who lived here, through the venues in which the songs were popularized and through his own recollection of New York and song.  

 

David Raleigh
David Raleigh

Joining Hale were a brilliant collection of musicians, David Raleigh on piano and vocals, Tony Carfara, saxophone, Danny Weller, bass guitar and  Daniel Glass, drums. From Raleigh’s tender and moving performance of Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” to Carfara’s soaring sax on “Stormy Weather,” to Weller’s killer bass solo in Strayhorn’s “A Train,” all backed by the eminently responsive and tasteful rhythms of drummer Glass, each song was a beautifully, turned out gem. 

 

Tony Carfora, Daniel Glass, Danny Weller and David Raleigh
Tony Carfora, Daniel Glass, Danny Weller and David Raleigh

Hale pointed out that hundreds of musical compositions have been written about New York, but in addition, there are many, while not written about the city, that both evoke and paint a musical portrait of New York, such as Gershwins’ “Rhapsody in Blue.” He tied the songs to the city, introducing tidbits of information from Fred Astaire singing to Ginger Rogers on a foggy ferry deck during a trip from New Jersey to Manhattan, to a scene in which fictional New York City bus driver Ralph Cramden and his wife make up to the tunes of “Our Love is Here to Stay,” to his recollection of sitting in a bar as a young man, closing time, watching an older man, lost in his thoughts, hearing his life reflected in a Sinatra saloon song. 

 

Danny Weller
Danny Weller

Plans are in the works to do the show again. As actor Jack O’Connell said, “I hope so. It was a great evening.  The presentation was original and had NYC savvy.  Pianist and vocalist David Raleigh and his musicians were well prepared.  Hale was great using that staircase, very theatrical…and all grand.  A most convivial after show party as well…I could have hung out all night.” Jack O’Connell, actor.  

 

Charles R. Hale
Charles R. Hale

All photos by Vera Hoar

 

VERA HOAR'S PHOTOS from AWoW's HOLIDAY SHOWCASE at THE CELL THEATRE, 12/22/15

Vera Hoar’s wonderful photographs from Artists Without Walls’ Holiday Showcase at The Cell Theatre. 

Peter Stoopak and Cara DaSilva
Peter Stoopack and Cara De Silva
Rafiq Kathwari and Allison Sylvia
Rafiq Kathwari and Allison Sylvia
Sofia Stefanowicz and Sedly  Bloomfeld
Zofia Stefanowicz and Sedly Bloomfield
James Phelan
James Phelan
Erik Lawrence, Deni Bonet, Niamh Hyland and Ed Romanoff
Erik Lawrence, Deni Bonet, Niamh Hyland and Ed Romanoff
Charles R. Hale
Charles R. Hale
Honor Molloy
Honor Molloy
Cecil Hooker and Annette Homann
Cecil Hooker and Annette Homann
Mary Susan Sinclair-Kenning
Mary Susan Sinclair-Kuenning
Front Row Seats
Front Row Seats
Peter Nolan, Susan Hwang, Pagoda Will, Michael Muller
Peter Nolan, Susan Hwang, Pagoda Will, Michael Muller

VERA HOAR'S PHOTOS from ARTISTS WITHOUT WALLS' SHOWCASE at THE CELL, 6/24/14

Vera Hoar’s photos from Tuesday’s Artists Without Walls’ Showcase at The Cell Theatre. The names of the photographed appear above the photo. 

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Honor Molloy

Honor

Jenai Huff and Eugene Ruffolo

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Yvonne Cassidy

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Martina Fiserova

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Dan Yurkofsky, Matt Turk and Noah Hoffeld

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Kathleen Bennett Bastis

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Ashley Bell

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Allison Fichtelberg

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Lyndon Achee

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"SONGS of FAREWELL: SAIL AWAY" A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE by the UCD CHORAL SCHOLARS at ST PETER'S CHELSEA in NYC

“What a heavenly evening last night, a place to listen to the music of  worlds we don’t  always  remember we inhabit. And what a program; unearthly voices singing songs of the ordinary life we know, love and quarrel with, and thrill too as well. Thank you to Artists Without Walls for putting all of us together – audience singers, music. What an inspiration. We are truly very grateful.” Kathleen Hill, author of “Who Occupies This House.”

This past Saturday evening, Artists Without Walls presented the University College Dublin Choral Scholars at historic St Peter’s Episcopal Church in the Chelsea section of New York City. Led by Director Desmond Earley, the Choral Scholars performed a program entitled Songs of Farewell: Sailing Away.  Beginning with Rachmaninoff’s “All Night Vigil,” followed by traditional  and contemporary music, the Choral Scholars captivated the audience with their brilliant sound. Soloists Glenn Murphy, Emily Doyle, Sorcha Kinder, Susie Gibbons and Mark Waters were in fine voice and performed splendidly throughout the evening. 

One of the concert’s many special moments was historian and author Peter Quinn’s poignant story of his great grandparents leaving Ireland in 1847 during the Great Famine  and making a life on the Lower East Side of New York, which was followed by Sorcha Kinder’s beautiful rendition of Brendan Graham’s “Orphan Girl,” the song of a sixteen year old girl, who dreams of sailing to Australia from Westport, Ireland. 

If you’d like to hear this wonderful collection of singers they will be making their final US appearance at Lehman College’s Studio Theater, 250 Bedford Blvd West, Bronx, on Tuesday, March 18, 6:30pm. We guarantee you’ll be enraptured by the music. Reception to follow. 

Here are a number of Vera Hoar’s photos, which capture the essence of this memorable evening. 

Soloist Glenn Murphy and the UCD Choral Scholars

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Desmond Earley, Director of the UCD Choral Scholars

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Soloists Susie Gibbons(center) and Mark Waters (far right)

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Artists Without Walls’ co-founders Niamh Hyland and Charles R. Hale with the UCD Choral Scholars

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The UCD Choral Scholars

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Special guest Peter Quinn

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The UCD Choral Scholars

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Harpist Elsa Kelly

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