We’ve reached an exciting point in our work towards the critical editions of Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris here at the Gershwin Initiative. On February 21st, the Reno Philharmonic and the Donald Sinta Quartet will be performing our current drafts of each work’s critical edition.  This test performance is key to the process of the critical edition, putting the music in the hands of live musicians who help to check and shape our work.  Also on the program are Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra, and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. All of us at the Gershwin Initiative wish everyone in Reno the best on their performance. It’s sure to be s’marvelous!

To tide the rest of us over, who cannot be in Reno, here’s a video from the An American in Paris on Broadway 2015 Tony Awards performance.

Drs. Ryan Bañagale and Mark Clague are the volume editors, respectively, of Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, and both will be present at the performance.

For more about the original premiere of Rhapsody in Blue see our previous post, “When Blue Was New,” as well as Ryan Bañagale’s podcast from Critical Karaoke, “Whiteman’s ‘Experiment in Modern Music’: ‘A Day in the Life’ for February 12, 2016.”

Kristen Clough is currently pursuing her PhD in Musicology at the University of Michigan. She has published on the operas of Francis Poulenc and researches the intersections of music, politics, and religion in 20th century France.  She joined the Gershwin Initiative team this fall as Coordinator of Public Musicology and Education Outreach.