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Pops gets a little help from good friends
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By Sarah Rodman
Boston Globe Staff
June 7, 2007
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| Old friends weren't only in the audience at the annual "Presidents at the Pops" gala last night, they were also on stage.
In addition to the corporate bigwigs -- who raised more than $1 million for the Pops' educational and community outreach programs -- raising a glass, familiar faces and voices lent their skills to a rousing night at Symphony Hall.
Pops laureate conductor John Williams was on hand to conduct from several of his Oscar-winning scores. Local legend James Taylor, Simmons College graduate and veteran television journalist Gwen Ifill -- who got her start in Boston -- and conductor Keith Lockhart's personal friend and Broadway star Maureen McGovern all lent sparkle to the night. But it was the fresh-faced exuberance of the youngsters in the Boston Children's Chorus who stole the hearts of the assembled during the 2 hour, 15 minute performance.
The night got off to a suitably lighthearted start when Charlie Baker, president of the "Presidents at the Pops" fund-raising committee and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, came onstage to announce that Lockhart would be late due to a mysterious "transportation problem." The assistant conductor then led the orchestra through its jolly version of "Charlie on the M.T.A." as a film of the maestro getting lost on the T -- and running into Mayor Thomas Menino, Williams, and Wally the Green Monster in the process-- played on screens above them.
Lockhart then swept in through the side doors leading the red-jacketed Chorus up to the stage.
The Chorus, led by their animated and encouraging director Anthony Trecek-King, performed two selections: the reverent yet joyful "Las Amarillas" and a nuanced "Deep River" that was filled with resonant lows and bright highs.
The orchestra picked the perfect match for its continuing salute to "Oscar and Tony" in McGovern, who as a film and Broadway veteran knows the terrain well.
Performing tunes by Harold Arlen, the radiant redhead was breathtaking doing a yearning, jazzy take on "Optimistic Voices," a scat-happy rendition of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," and an unamplified version of "Over the Rainbow," all from "The Wizard of Oz." That last song was truly riveting as the entire Hall went pin-drop quiet to hear the bell-like clarity of her sweet high notes.
She followed with an equally impressive medley of "The Man That Got Away," "Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)," and "Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me)" that had razor-sharp precision without sacrificing an ounce of interpretive emotion and reminded everyone of Arlen's many gifts.
Williams handled the second half of the evening conducting spirited passages from his scores of the "Harry Potter" films and "Cowboys." He also had the pleasure of hearing the Chorus flawlessly perform his jubilant "Dry Your Tears Afrika" from "Amistad" for a deserved standing ovation.
The night closed on a patriotic note with Taylor and Ifill providing narration to the iconic historical images of Steven Spielberg's "Celebration 2000: American Journey" --commissioned by Bill Clinton for the millennium celebrations-- and Williams's score. The words, from great American literature, poetry, and public record, worked in concert with music filled with bold, brass figures and contemplative string arrangements. Although the orchestra occasionally threatened to drown out Taylor and Ifill, who also experienced some minor microphone problems, a balance was struck.
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Photo by Matt Stone
for the Boston Herald |
Presidents at Pops' raises $$$, and the roof
Copyright Boston Herald Library Jun 7, 2007
Philanthrophy mixed with music at Symphony Hall last night for the Boston Pops' annual "Presidents at Pops" benefit, where nearly $1 million was raised for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its youth and community outreach efforts.
Legendary musician James Taylor, Broadway star Maureen McGovern and longtime Washington journalist Gwen Ifill headlined the fund- raiser. Taylor and Ifill narrated John Williams' "American Journey," and the Boston Children's Chorus lighted up the stage in front of a packed house.
A Boston staple since 1982, the concert has raised more than $35 million in its history, organizers said. |
McGovern gives voice to Songbook
'70s pop songs brought her fame, but American classics are her specialty
By Pat Craig
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
04/30/2007
IF SOMEONE SAYS "Maureen McGovern" and your mind fills with teary nostalgia for disaster-film theme songs and images of a gracefully aging woman flogging 30-year-old hits in the showroom of a remote Indian casino, you've really missed a lot.
Since she had the Oscar-winning hit versions of "We May Never Love Like This Again" (from "The Towering Inferno") and "The Morning After" (from "The Poseidon Adventure"), McGovern has enjoyed a remarkable career as a Broadway star, actress, voice-over artist, and as a singer who is considered to be the greatest living interpreter of the Gershwin catalog.
She will pull out some of the Gershwin big guns on Sunday when she appears in the Commandant's Ballroom at San Francisco's Marines' Memorial Club. And she will assure you that she doesn't have any bitter feelings about being a disaster diva during the early years of her career in the '70s.
"It kind of depends," says McGovern during a telephone interview; "I'm grateful for the hits in the '70s, but they were other people's choices. They were just a lot of songs chosen by other people who decided on the key, the arrangement and everything else. I was sort of a background singer on my own albums."
As both a well-trained musician and member of a musical family (her dad sang barbershop and she recalls loving to sing along), McGovern knew she could do much better with control of her own musical destiny. She has been a Broadway, road show and regional theater regular since 1981,when she appeared in the Broadway production of "Pirates of Penzance" (her most recent Broadway appearance was in 2004-05 in "Little Women"). Along with that, she established her own singing career, which includes a hands-on approach to every aspect of the craft.
Her specialty is the Great American Songbook. Not only has she recorded albums that highlight the work of the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Harold Arlen, but she also was on the classic concert re-creation of the Gershwins' Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, "Of Thee I Sing."
"The lyrics are timeless, and the material is so rich and layered, one can find delicious interpretations," she says. "One never gets tired of that material."
It was a particularly rich time for writers and composers; an amazing time when you consider the list of contemporaries that included Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael and dozens of others who provided the tunes to the singers who created the soundtrack of America.
Part of today's "musical averageness," she says, can be blamed on the notion of the singer/songwriter -- the idea that performers must write their own tunes as well as sing them.
"There are great writers out there, but there is a lot of poverty in our music," she says. "But there are some who can do both -- listen to Mary Chapin Carpenter."
What appeals to her about the older tunes is the basic emotion and sense of feeling many of them convey.
"I think of a song as a musical conversation, as if I'm speaking to you," she says. "Certainly it's a heightened conversation with music. What I look for is timeless music by asking myself, why something from 1932 is still relevant in 2007."
While some of these standards have been "lounged to death," they may still contain possibilities that have been overlooked. "Sometimes, you can find something fresh by going back to the song the way the author intended," says McGovern. "I always try to have a new take and a fresh point of view when I look at a song."
That she is able to take such a personal effort in selecting her material and her music is what makes her work appeal to her most these days.
"Really I just sort of walked away from pop music," she says. "I didn't want to record until I could have a say in what I was doing."
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McGovern helps theater raise money
by
By Paul Clark,
PCLARK@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
April 22, 2007 1
ASHEVILLE - The Diana Wortham Theatre's
The Music Never Ends gala benefit features not only vocalist/performer
Maureen McGovern but also a pre-performance reception with hors
d'oeuvres and fine wines and a post-performance one with dessert
and champagne.
McGovern typically plays to large, sold-out
halls in the United States and Europe. She recently starred as
Marmee in "Little Women" on Broadway and on the play's
national tour.
McGovern, a two-time Grammy nominee known
popularly for her Oscar-winning, gold record hit "The Morning
After" from the film "The Poseidon Adventure," has
been composing, recording and performing at concerts, on Broadway
and radio and in films and television for more than 35 years.
Her voice moves comfortably through jazz,
movie themes, classical pop standards and operetta. Coupled with
her love of George and Ira Gershwin's music, this Academy Award
winner's tonal quality and dexterity has made her sought out
by major symphonies, including the Boston Pops, New York Pops
and the National Symphony.
The gala benefit (was) in support of the
ongoing programs of the Diana Wortham Theatre, the most utilized
live and active performance venue in Western North Carolina. The
event is sponsored by Carolina First and the Grove Park Inn. |
Photo Coverage: Songs for Darfur Benefit
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
- by Linda Lenzi
Broadway stars opened their hearts and joined forces Monday evening, March 26 to raise awareness and humanitarian aid for Darfur with Songs for Darfur: The Water Project at the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew in Manhattan.
Proceeds from the event benefit UMCOR Sudan to improve access to water and sanitation and increase food security for displaced people living in camps in Darfur and the surrounding communities of Adilla and Al Daein. Proceeds also go to The Darfur People's Association of New York, to help raise funds for school supplies to be sent to refugee camps in Darfur and Chad.
Songs For Darfur: The Water Project featured performances by co-hosts Victoria Clark (The Light in the Piazza), Cheyenne Jackson (All Shook Up), and Jane Kelly Williams, and appearances by celebrated Broadway stars including Maureen McGovern (Little Women), Kelli O'Hara (The Light in the Piazza), Everett Bradley (Swing), Malcolm Gets (A New Brain), Elizabeth Stanley (Company), Marilyn Torres (The Agony and the Agony), and world-renowned opera singer Marvis Martin; with musicians Ted Sperling and Dave Richards. |
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Photo by Linda Lenzi |
Photo by Linda Lenzi |
Cheyenne Jackson and Maureen McGovern
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Victoria Clark and Maureen McGovern
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Salvation Army Spring Gala
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Brian Stokes Mitchell and Maureen McGovern
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Eight hundred guests attended The Salvation Army in Greater New York's first Spring Gala on March 23rd, raising over $1 million for the Division's Emergency Disaster Services. The event honored William Jefferson Clinton for his extraordinary disaster relief and humanitarian service and featured entertainment by Tony-award winner Brian Strokes Mitchell. Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts was the evening's engaging MC. Dinner chair Robert B. Catell, Chairman and CEO of KeySpan addressed the audience, as did the Reverend Dr. Calvin Butts, Pastor of New York's Abyssinian Baptist Church, who delivered a stirring benediction. (Gala Sponsors)
See article and photos at: Broadwayworld |
Clark, Jackson, McGovern, O'Hara and More to Be Part of Songs for Darfur: The Water Project
By Andrew Gans
15 Mar 2007
PLAYBILL
Tony Award winner Victoria Clark, All Shook Up's Cheyenne Jackson and singer-songwriter Jane Kelly Williams will host Songs for Darfur: The Water Project.
The March 26 benefit concert will be held at the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew in Manhattan. In addition to Clark, Jackson and Williams, the 7 PM performance will also boast the talents of Maureen McGovern, Kelli O'Hara, Everett Bradley, Malcolm Gets, Elizabeth Stanley, Marilyn Torres and opera singer Marvis Martin. Musicians Ted Sperling and Dave Richards will also perform.
In a statement actress Clark said, "Nearly half a million people have been killed in Darfur over the past three years, and more than two million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and are living in displaced person camps in Sudan or refugee camps in neighboring Chad. More than 3.5 million men, women, and children are totally dependent on international aid for their survival, and the water and sanitation projects UMCOR operates in Darfur will provide potable water to hundreds of thousands of people in the region. By joining forces and hearts with my friends in the New York theatre community to raise funds for this very important cause, I hope we can help relieve the suffering of people in Darfur and help them begin their healing process."
Rev. Paul Dirdak, former head of The United Methodist Committee on Relief, and Motasim Adam, president of the Darfur People's Association of New York, will be present to discuss the crisis in Darfur and their organizations' efforts to provide humanitarian aid for the people of Darfur. Proceeds from the concert will benefit The United Methodist Committee on Relief and The Darfur People's Association of New York.
Tickets, priced $40 (adults) and $20 (students, seniors and individuals with limited income) are available by calling (212) 362-3179. They will also be available at the door the night of the performance (cash only). Patron tickets, priced $100, include a pre-concert reception with the performers and reserved seating. For more information visit www.songsfordarfur.com.
The Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew is located in Manhattan at 263 West 86th Street at West End Avenue. |
Star-Filled BC/EFA's Nothing Like a Dame March 19
The 12th annual Nothing Like a Dame concert took over New York's Marquis Theatre to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Actors' Fund's Phyllis Newman Women's Heath Initiative with a dazzling line-up of talent on March 19.
The annual star-studded gala performance and event featuring Liz Callaway, Aana Gasteyer, Maureen McGovern, Lynn Redgrave and, among others, the Tony-winning trio of Lea Salonga, Beth Leavel and original Dream Girl Jennifer Holliday. This year's Nothing Like a Dame benefit, presented by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on Monday at the Marquis Theatre, raised $300,000 for the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of The Actors' Fund.
Check out backstage photos at BroadwayWorld
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MDA Shamrocks On Sale Through St. Patrick's Day
TUCSON, Ariz., From now until St. Patrick's Day, millions of Americans will be joining the Muscular Dystrophy Association's battle against neuromuscular diseases. Through March 17, thousands of business patrons nationwide are assisting MDA's lifesaving mission by purchasing and signing $1 and $5 Shamrocks mobiles. To make MDA's Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign a success, supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants and other businesses are decorating their ceilings, walls and windows with layers of green and gold Shamrocks mobiles.
Internationally renowned singer Maureen McGovern, a member of MDA's Board of Directors and a popular performer on concert and club stages and the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, is serving her seventh year as Shamrocks chairperson. She's featured in print and broadcast public service announcements, reminding people to buy Shamrocks and support MDA's quest for better treatments and cures.
"Thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers, participating businesses and sponsors nationwide, the Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program continues to offer help and hope to families served by MDA," said McGovern, whose niece is affected by one of the muscle-wasting disorders covered by the Association. "We're creating a future of hope, and we're doing it one Shamrock at a time. Shamrocks Against Dystrophy is the perfect way for people to share the green, and show their generosity and compassion for 'Jerry's kids.' Americans in every community can support MDA's quest for cures and contribute to colorful displays of Shamrocks at local businesses."
MDA's Shamrocks program is in its 24th year.
Shamrocks Against Dystrophy, the nation's largest charitable campaign associated with St. Patrick's Day, raised more than $13 million in 2006 to support MDA's programs of worldwide research, life-enhancing services and vital education. MDA funds nearly 400 research projects, maintains 225 hospital-affiliated MDA clinics, offers summer camps for youngsters with neuromuscular diseases, and assists with purchase of wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices.
MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.
To learn more about MDA or the Shamrocks program, call (800) 572-1717 or visit www.mda.org. |
TALK OF THE TOWN with Brenda Nelson
FRIDAY, Mar 16 - 12:45 PM - 1 PM KTLO FM
Before St. Patrick's Day,
Oscar/Grammy-winning singer Maureen McGovern
talks about her musical career and
the "Shamrocks Against Dystrophy" (MDA) Campaign
(WebCast available here for one week after airdate Mar 16 - 22)
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TUCSON, Arizona
Celebrities to dedicate Tucson MDA building
Jerry Lewis and several other celebrities will be in Tucson Monday to dedicate the Muscular Dystrophy Association headquarters building at 3300 E. Sunrise Drive to the late Robert Ross. Ross, who served as MDA's top executive for more than 50 years, died in 2006.
Also expected to attend the invitation-only event are MDA board members Ed McMahon, singer Maureen McGovern and former Olympic gymnast Bart Conner; and MDA national vice president and former Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Gov. Janet Napolitano has proclaimed Monday Robert Ross MDA Day in Arizona, as has Mayor Bob Walkup for Tucson.
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Star-Filled BC/EFA's Nothing Like a Dame Coming March 19
Make way for the Dames! Coming March 19, 2007 at 8:00 PM at the Marquis Theatre (1565 Broadway), Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS presents The 12th Annual NOTHING LIKE A DAME benefiting The Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of The Actors' Fund of America. Sure to be a night to remember, NOTHING LIKE A DAME features performances from the first ladies of Broadway.
NOTHING LIKE A DAME will feature Stephanie Block, Liz Callaway, Victoria Clark, Kate Clinton, Joyce DiDonato, Jill Eikenberry, Melissa Errico, Sutton Foster, Jenn Gambatese, Ana Gasteyer, Milena Govich, Jennifer Holliday, Judy Kuhn, Beth Leavel, Julianna Margulies, Maureen McGovern, Varla Jean Merman, Julia Murney, Bebe Neuwirth, Lynn Redgrave, Lea Salonga, Jennifer Smith, Julie White, young dancers of the Westchester Dance Academy, the women of IN THE HEIGHTS, and the women of COMPANY.
NOTHING LIKE A DAME has a variety of ticket packages including General Seating starting at $50 to the Benefactor package at $5,000, which includes two tickets to the performance, cast party, pre-performance VIP reception, and Benefactor listing in the invitation and program. For a full list of ticket packages please call BC/EFA or online at www.BroadwayCares.org.
Tickets may be purchased by calling BC/EFA at (212) 840-0770, extension 268 or online by visiting www.BroadwayCares.org. |
Nightlife Awards, Honoring Maureen McGovern,
Presented Jan. 29
By Andrew Gans
29 Jan 2007
The 2007 Nightlife Awards, honoring the best in New York cabaret, comedy and jazz, will be presented Jan.29 at Town Hall. Little Women's Maureen McGovern, who will perform, will receive the Nightlife Legend Award.
The annual event will also feature performances by Christine Ebersole, John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Freddy Cole, Paula West, Judy Gold, Tom Wopat, Rupert Holmes, Laurel Masse, Larry Gatlin, Daniel Reichard, Charles Busch and Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet.
The evening will be hosted by cabaret critic-producer Scott Siegel. Instead of offering acceptance speeches, winners of the Nightlife Awards perform.
The complete list of 2007 Nightlife Award go to PLAYBILL
...and a stunning vocal turn by Maureen McGovern, who received the 2007 Nightlife Legend Award and performed with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall on February 9.
more photos: THEATER MANIA
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Entertainment
Maureen McGovern, BSO salute Richard Rodgers
Marie Gullard, The Examiner
Jan 17, 2007
BALTIMORE - A few years back, film and theater composer David Shire wrote that Maureen McGovern was a "Stradivarius of a voice."
Symphonies and reviewers soon picked up on the moniker including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
"I'm honored and thrilled [and it] beats being called 'The Disaster Singer ' as I was in the '70s with my hits from the 'Poseidon Adventure' and the 'Towering Inferno,' " said McGovern, an Academy Award-winning vocalist.
This weekend, the perfectly tuned "Stradivarius" comes to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore City to celebrate what she calls a "canon of one of our greatest national treasures the music of Richard Rodgers."
In her show, titled "Everything's Coming Up Roses," McGovern teams with the BSO and SuperPops Conductor Jack Everly in a program that opens with orchestral arrangements of Broadway's biggest hits, including the overtures to "A Chorus Line" and "West Side Story."
The remainder of the program highlights McGovern's phenomenal vocal register in songs such as "My Favorite Things" from the "Sound of Music," "Out of My Dreams" from "Oklahoma!" and the haunting ballad "My Funny Valentine" from "Pal Joey."
Though these classic songs have been performed and heard countless times, McGovern prides herself on the freshness she has brought to the music, as noted in countless reviews.
A favorite critique, and one she posted on her Web site, came from composer Marvin Hamlisch, who praised the perfect pitch and emotional depth she brings to her work.
"Maureen McGovern can make a song sound new and exciting even to its composer," he wrote.
A longtime favorite with area concertgoers, McGovern last appeared with the BSO in 1999.
"I have always had a wonderful time in Baltimore, performing many times with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra [and] recently with the Broadway National Tour of 'Little Women, The Musical,' " she said. "Baltimore is a great city with great audiences."
The feeling is mutual, both on the part of loyal patrons and BSO staff.
"Maureen McGovern is one of many amazing artists featured on our SuperPops series, and we're glad to welcome her back," said Beth Mealey, BSO vice president of marketing.
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McGovern to Join Feinstein at Carnegie Hall for Yip Harburg Celebration
By Andrew Gans
January 10, 2007
PLAYBILL
 Maureen McGovern
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Maureen McGovern, who will receive a Nightlife Legend Award at the 2007 Nightlife Awards, will be a special guest at Michael Feinstein's Jan. 31 concert at Carnegie Hall.
The 7:30 PM concert, part of the "Standard Time with Michael Feinstein" series, is entitled Beyond the Rainbow: The Songs of E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. In addition to McGovern, Feinstein will also welcome Noah Racey and Catherine Russell.
E. Y. Harburg wrote the lyrics for Finian's Rainbow and "The Wizard of Oz." Among his most famous songs are "April in Paris," "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" and "It's Only a Paper Moon."
Maureen McGovern's performing credits are numerous and varied. She appeared on Broadway in Little Women, Nine, The Pirates of Penzance and The Threepenny Opera, and her many recordings include the Grammy-nominated "The Pleasure of His Company" and the Academy Award-winning song "The Morning After." She was also seen in the films "The Towering Inferno," "Airplane!" and "The Cure for Boredom," and she appeared at the Sundance Theatre in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Jerry Herman's Dear World.
A four-time Grammy nominee, Michael Feinstein is often credited with reinvigorating the American popular song. The crooner has performed in concert halls around the world and on Broadway and now co-owns his own nightclub, Feinstein's at the Regency. His numerous solo recordings include "Michael and George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin," "Big City Rhythms" "Romance On Film, Romance On Broadway," "Michael Feinstein with The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra" and "Only One Life: The Songs of Jimmy Webb."
For tickets, priced $82, call CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800 or visit www.carnegiehall.org
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Ebersole, McGovern, Molaskey, Pizzarelli, et al. Win Nightlife Awards
By: Brian Scott Lipton
The winners of the The 2007 Nightlife Awards for cabaret, comedy, and jazz have been announced. The all-performance ceremony will take place at 7pm on Monday, January 29 at Town Hall; the awards were created by TheaterMania contributor Scott Siegel and are voted on by a panel of New York City writers and editors (including myself).
Maureen McGovern, last seen on Broadway in Little Women, will receive the annual Nightlife Legend Award. Special awards will also be presented to Jim Caruso's Broadway at Birdland series, co-sponsored by TheaterMania.com, and the Metropolitan Room, the new club on West 22nd Street, "for successfully bringing Broadway stars onto cabaret stages at affordable prices."
In the cabaret categories, the winners are Jessica Molaskey (Female Vocalist in a Major Engagement); her husband, John Pizzarelli (Male Vocalist in a Major Engagement); Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch (Duo/Group in a Major Engagement); Lisa Asher (Female Vocalist); Scott Coulter (Male Vocalist); Lorinda Lisitza (Musical Comedy/Characterization); Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter, and Tim Di Pisqua (Group/Variety); and David Colbert (Piano Bar).
In the jazz categories, the winners are Paula West (Female Vocalist); Freddy Cole (Male Vocalist); Cedar Walton (Soloist); and Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Band (Combo). In the comedy categories, the winners are Demetri Martin (Male Standup); Sarah Silverman (Female Standup); and TJ & Dave (Unique/Group).
For more information, including guest stars and presenters, visit www.SiegelPresents.com.
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Thanks to everyone who has written and left guestbook entries!
Always for Da Diva,
Brian (Buddy) Daher
For previous news about Maureen, please click on Previous Latest News
Update12/2007
  
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