The Library of Congress awarded country music singer and songwriter Willie Nelson with the eighth annual Gershwin Prize, which he received at a memorable music-filled award ceremony on Nov. 15.   Singer and songwriter Willie Nelson was honored with this year’s Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The tribute concert took place on Nov. 15 at the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The Gershwin Prize tradition began in 2007, when the Library of Congress selected its first recipient, Paul Simon. Since then, a total of eight outstanding songwriters have been recognized by […]

Will Burton graduated from the University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre program in 2011.  Since then, he has appeared in The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, and My Fair Lady.  He is currently in the chorus of Christopher Wheeldon’s Broadway production of An American in Paris. In this short interview, he shares his thoughts on the Gershwins and the show. What is your role in An American in Paris? I am in the ensemble, and I understudy two of the three principal men, Brandan Uranowitz (who plays Adam) and Max Von Essen (Henri). What is it like to work with Christopher Wheeldon? Before […]

The University of Michigan Gershwin Initiative bids farewell this month to Dean Christopher Kendall, who has completed his second and final 5-year  term at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Deans at the University of Michigan can serve for a maximum of 10 years. Dean Kendall leaves behind a legacy of transformation, crowned by the Brehm Pavilion addition to the School’s Earl V. Moore Building. Yet, those of us affiliated with the University’s George and Ira Gershwin Critical Edition and the broader educational efforts of the Michigan Gershwin Initiative feel that these projects, which place some of the most […]

Congratulations to the 2015 Broadway production of An American in Paris, directed by Christopher Wheeldon! The Gershwin-inspired ballet-musical made a strong showing at the 2015 Tony Awards with 12 nominations and 4 wins, the latter including: Christopher Wheeldon for Best Choreography Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, and Bill Elliott for Best Orchestrations Bob Crowley and 59 Productions for Best Scenic Design of a Musical Natasha Katz for Best Lighting Design of a Musical Congratulations to the actors, producers, and those who brought Ira and George’s music to the stage. Thank you for keeping their artistry alive! Note that the Gershwin Critical Edition’s new score and […]

The U-M Gershwin Initiative is pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Jessica Getman as the inaugural Managing Editor of the George and Ira Gershwin Critical Edition. With Dr. Getman in the office we will increase production efforts to bring the first volumes of the project to press, namely Rhapsody in Blue (1924, jazz band version, edited by Ryan Bañagale) and the landmark opera Porgy and Bess (1935, edited by Wayne Shirley). Dr. Getman recently earned her Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Michigan, writing a dissertation on music in the original series of Star Trek (1966–69). Before joining the […]

The events of October 10, 2014 will resonate for me for the rest of my years at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.  On that Friday, the School offered to the world a reborn Steinway Model A once owned by George Gershwin, and generously donated by his nephew Marc Gershwin.  All the anticipation, all the work had finally merged into programs offered at Hill Auditorium that featured the works of George and Ira Gershwin, and lauded the partnership between the U of M and the Gershwin Archives. That Friday, the SMTD also offered a view of itself as a […]

Word travels fast these days, and whether by Twitter or word of mouth, news of the Gershwin piano’s restoration has traveled “out there”.   I’ve been observing the excitement build, as during the past month faculty and students have poked their head through the open door of the piano technology shop and inquired about the piano, or requested a moment or two to try it out.  Reactions have been favorable, ranging from “Oh my!  How long is this piano?” to “Wow, man!  I can really dig this piano!”  Whether polite or hip, the expressions on their faces tell me a […]

Piano technicians talk a great deal about voicing, it’s true.  Voicing, the process of tone manipulation  through the use of hardeners or softeners on the hammers, including the use of needles for poking the felt, is one of those topics about which one can devote volumes.   In the final analysis, though, it always comes down to the one question that matters most:  Can you make it sound like a Steinway? Of course, I don’t mean this in the sense of, “Can you make “Any Piano” sound like a Steinway?”.  I mean it in the sense of “Can you make this […]

Long since I was but a young boy, my older brother (and best friend) once insisted on the motto:  “There is no substitute for excellence!”  I think about that each and every time I put my marque on a keyboard action.  (Thanks, Frank!) There was a time when a man’s word was his reputation.  Even greater significance was put on his signature, or “marker”, as it was also known.  In piano building and restoration, the pride of one’s own signature on a keyframe, or a cheek block, is accompanied with the satisfaction of knowing that one has put one’s all […]

My piano restoration “brother” in the Gershwin Piano Restoration, Patrick DeBeliso, continually reminds me of the old adage:  “The Devil is in the Details”.  It’s a truism for so many things, and piano restoration is no exception.  Time and again, he and I have encountered “restored” pianos that have suffered from that one or two items, small as they may seem, that weren’t fixed, and yet have come to the fore and asserted themselves as a problem down the line.  The pedals, lyre, and trapwork always seem to fall victim to neglect.  Perhaps it’s because we put such emphasis on […]