Marian Anderson stepped up to a microphone placed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and stared out at a crowd of more than 75,000 people. She had been barred from performing at Constitutional Hall, but thanks to clever advocacy by Walter White of the NAACP and the aid of high-powered allies like Eleanor Roosevelt, the concert was now set to make history. Continue reading
Category Archives: Opera
12/10/16 SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Christmas Concert at Notre Dame with Jessye Norman
Jessye Noman performed in a 1992 concert recorded live with Lawrence Foster and the Lyon Opera Orchestra amid the tantalizing acoustics at Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral. Continue reading
(repost) 5/1/23 O&A NYC HOLLYWOOD MONDAY: Carmen Jones- Gypsy Song – Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum
In the groundbreaking black version of Carmen Jones there is a wonderful club scene Gypsy Song -Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum featuring three sepia divas, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. But there are at least three more present and future stars in the scene. As Carmen enters the club, the stunning woman with the pony-tail is famous beauty/dancer Carmen De Lavallade. Next two are fabled drummer Max Roach, and albeit just for a couple of seconds, Alvin Ailey! Continue reading
9/16/16 O&A NYC SONG OF THE DAY: Summertime- Kathleen Battle
Summertime, Kathleen Battle and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra with conductor Charles Dutoit- 1994 Continue reading
O & A This Week: Tuesday, August 5 through Monday, August 11, 2014 Art, Dance, Film, Theatre … And More
By Walter Rutledge
The first week of August is the height of the summer, and the same is true for the arts. This week an old master of modern art returns to midtown, while an up and coming dance company debuts in Central Park. Here are a few of the many events taking place in the city that never sleeps guaranteed to get you Out and About. Continue reading