Thursday, February 28, 2019

Paul Bowles: A Musical Portrait in Fez


Paul Bowles: A Musical Portrait by Irene Herrmann (piano) & Carole Blankenship (voice) Monday, March 4 at 7 PM ALIF Riad, 6 Derb Drissi, Batha

Irene Herrmann and Carole Blankenship present a music/spoken word concert of Paul Bowles’ music that includes solo piano, songs, storytelling, and readings from Bowles’ writings.

Irene Herrmann, accompanist at the University of California Santa Cruz, is executor of the Paul Bowles Music Estate. Her musical acquaintance with Bowles began in 1992 with a visit to the composer in Tangier. It quickly grew into a lively friendship of discussing, editing, disseminating, and performing his music. Her CD of Bowles’ music includes chamber music, solo and duo piano works and features several performance premieres. Her recitals often use the lecture/performance format, replete with Bowles anecdotes, personal insights into his music, and readings from his essays and works of fiction. The collaborations include vocalists who perform songs from Bowles’ prolific output in the genre of American art song and highlight his musical friendships with Tennessee Williams, Gertrude Stein, and William Saroyan.

Carole Blankenship, soprano, is Associate Professor of Music and Elizabeth G. Daughdrill Chair in the Fine Arts at Rhodes College. She is heard regularly in recitals, chamber music concerts, and oratorio performances. In October 2010, she presented a paper for the International Paul Bowles Conference at the University of Lisbon, Portugal and has presented lecture recitals on his works recently in Brisbane, Australia and in the U.S. With Irene Herrmann she co-edited two sets of songs by Paul Bowles for Classical Vocal Reprints.

This concert, organised by the ALC-ALIF Music Club and Book Club, is free and open to the general public.

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