JULY 5 — 21, 2024
…music worth finding
Paul Smith, Director
Free admission / Free parking
Program length approximately 70 minutes
American Music for 2 Pianos
College of Marin Emeritus Professor Paul Smith and Brad Schultz, the recently appointed music director at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Belvedere, join forces to perform four outstanding works by American composers. Bernstein and Sondheim are represented by college-era compositions showing their fully formed musical styles. Cole Porter wrote this delightful ballet score while living in Paris, and Percy Grainger’s arrangement of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is one of the masterpieces of the 2 piano literature.
Leonard Bernstein — Music for Two Pianos
Cole Porter — Within the Quota (Ballet Suite)
Stephen Sondheim — Concertino for Two Pianos
George Gershwin — Porgy and Bess Fantasy
Friday, July 5, 7 ;pm
Studio Fourth Street, San Rafael
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
Saturday, July 6, 7:30 pm
James Dunn Theatre, College of Marin, Kentfield
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Sunday, July 7, 4 pm
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere
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Sunday, July 7, 7 pm
Muir Beach Community Center, Muir Beach
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Contemporary Opera Marin
2 Political Satires
Paul Smith, director
And just in time for the silly season, we present two political satires finding humor in the most unlikely places. Hans Gal, a noted Viennese composer, fled Austria in 1938, finding a welcoming home in London and Edinburgh, where he quickly became part of the musical fabric. With the outbreak of World War II, the British Government rounded up all recent German-speaking arrivals and placed them in internment camps, where Gal wrote this revue for his fellow inmates. Of course, a majority of detainees were Jewish, but no, really…it’s funny!
Rayok, a samizdat (underground) opera by Dimitri Shostakovich, presents the Soviet politburo in all its zany glory. Never publicly performed during his lifetime — doing so would certainly guarantee the loss of performing opportunities and a likely jail sentence — the private living room performances were always a hot ticket.
Stage direction by Rick Wallace.
What a Life — Cabaret Opera in 1 Act by Hans Gal (1940)
Rayok — Anti Formalist Opera by Dimitri Shostakovich (1957)
Saturday, July 13, 7:30 pm
James Dunn Theatre, College of Marin, Kentfield
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
Sunday, July 14, 2 pm
James Dunn Theatre, College of Marin, Kentfield
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
Friday, July 19, 7 pm
Studio Fourth Street, San Rafael
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
Saturday, July 20, 7:30 pm
James Dunn Theatre, College of Marin, Kentfield
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
Sunday, July 21, 2 pm
James Dunn Theatre, College of Marin, Kentfield
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
Sunday, July 21, 7 pm
Muir Beach Community Center, Muir Beach
RESERVE A SPOT FREE
For more information: (415) 485-9460
Individuals seeking access support or reasonable accommodations to attend this event may contact (415) 485-9460.