Hello Everyone!
It looks like summer is finally about to begin with
warmer temperatures and lots of greenery everywhere. We are hoping the sunshine
and warmth will hold out through the Festivals, but it’s always a good idea to
come prepared with a jacket. That said,
we look forward to seeing all of you who can attend these wonderful events. So here we go!
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
·
The Children’s Wizard of Oz Festival
·
A Fiftieth Anniversary Message from
John Fricke
·
From Gershwin to Garland: Interviews
with:
-
Richard Glazier
-
Joan Ellison
·
A Message from John Fricke –
Remembering Judy
·
Schedules & Links
·
The Judy Garland Birthplace
Fundraiser
The Children’s Wizard of Oz Festival is now a week away – Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th. For further information on this event, please scroll down to our previous newsletter or visit the Children’s Discovery Museum Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/309422509763078/
From
Gershwin to Garland
This
program on Friday, June 21st will bring Grand Rapids two very
distinguished and talented performers, whom we are honored to welcome.
RICHARD
GLAZIER
Richard Glazier is an award-winning pianist,
narrator, and documentary film maker. He is one of the leading authorities on
American Popular Song.
Richard has visited Grand Rapids on previous
occasions, always moving people with his stories and beautiful music. In
between, he has had three award-winning national PBS specials and traveled the
country performing with numerous symphony orchestras. His passion is, of
course, the great American Songbook – songs from Broadway and films of the 20th
Century.
We thought it would be nice to know more about
Richard Glazier. Luckily, despite his busy schedule, yesterday he had some time
and we were able to become better acquainted with this very talented man.
Judy Garland Museum: Hello, Richard. Thank you for agreeing to
“speak” with us. Our first question is where did you grow up and at what age
did you begin studying piano?
Richard Glazier: I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have an older brother who was taking piano
lessons and when I was 4 or 5, I started listening to him and watching him
practice. When he finished I’d go to the piano and play what he played! I enjoyed it so much my mother and father
gave me lessons too. I wasn’t a prodigy,
just a kid who loved to play. I remember
I started playing my brother’s pieces including Beethoven’s Für Elise.
JGM:
That is fascinating. So I’d presume your early love for playing stayed
with you?
Richard Glazier: Yes. I studied from the age of 6, graduated
from Indiana University in Bloomington with bachelor and master degrees in
music and got my doctorate in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of
Music.
Someone once told
me, “If there’s anything other than music that you’d be happy doing as a
profession, do it because music is hard and it requires a lifetime of dedication.” Music is my life. I’ve never done anything else.
JGM:
There are so many stories about people struggling to be artists. Your
story is very inspiring. We have read that it was after watching the film
"Girl Crazy" that your interest in the Gershwins first occurred. What
do you think it was about George Gershwin's music that first sparked this
interest?
Richard Glazier: It was 1971, I was 9, and I stumbled on the
movie “Girl Crazy” on television. It was
the first time I’d ever seen Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in a movie or heard
Gershwin songs. When you have stars as
great as they were, singing songs as great as George and Ira Gershwin wrote, a
strong impression is made! I started
asking everyone about them. My aunt took
me to the public library where I checked out every book I could find about the
Gershwins and a passion grew that’s with me still, all these years later.
JGM:
I understand you got to meet Ira Gershwin. How did that happen?
Richard Glazier: I learned that George had been dead for
decades, but Ira was living in Beverly Hills.
My aunt suggested I write him a fan letter and I did. I could hardly believe that he answered
me. We started writing back and forth. He
was always encouraging me to keep studying and playing. When I was 12, he invited me to come visit
him in Beverly Hills. Our meeting was
wonderful and has inspired me to this day.
JG: I can only imagine what an amazing
moment that must have been. Since that
time, how many people have you been able to meet related to the Gershwin legacy
and Judy Garland's career?
Richard Glazier: I’ve produced
and starred in three nationally broadcast PBS specials. For them I interviewed Mickey Rooney (Judy’s
co-star in 10 films); Steve Allen, a friend of Judy’s, who also appeared on her
television show; David Newman (son of Alfred Newman); Lalo Schifrin, (composer
of the Mission Impossible theme); Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., (actor and son of the
great violinist), who was also a friend of Ira and Leonore Gershwin, and Daniel
Mayer Selznick, grandson of Louis B. Mayer and son of David O. Selznick. And,
there are many more.
JGM:
That’s amazing! For those interested
in attending your concert-- "From Gershwin to Garland" --- at the
Reif, what should they expect?
Richard Glazier: It’s a dazzling show with fascinating
stories, sensational videos, rare home movies, film clips, great Gershwin songs
and songs made famous by Judy Garland.
You’ll hear Gershwin’s Rhapsody in
Blue, the Judy Garland classic, “The Man That Got Away” and many, many more
wonderful songs. There will be plenty of
laughs and even a tear or two. It has
something for everyone.
I’d also like to say
about the show, “Joan Ellison has Judy Garland in her heart.” Joan, our singer has been invited by Michael
Feinstein to head up the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall Concert Restoration
Project. She is reconstructing all the original orchestrations that Judy sang
on that historic evening in April of 1961. It’s going to be a great evening so
come and celebrate Gershwin and Garland with us!
JGM: Thank Richard. This has been a wonderful
interview. We look forward to seeing you, and we’d like to add that critics
have said about you, “Richard Glazier has Gershwin in his soul!” Safe travels and we’ll see you soon!
You can learn more about Richard Glazier at: http://www.RichardGlazier.com
JOAN ELLISON
Vocalist
Joan Ellison has appeared in her one-woman Judy Garland show in theaters and
with symphony orchestras across the United States. Critics have given her rave
reviews. Michael Feinstein calls her a “rare combination of artist, archivist,
and arranger…”
Recently, Joan took time out of her
very busy schedule to chat with us.
Judy Garland Museum: At what age did you begin singing? And when did you know that you wanted to be a
professional performer?
Joan Ellison: By age 2 I knew I wanted
to be a singer, and it was because I fell in love with Judy’s singing on The
Wizard of Oz album.
JGM: So it seems you
were led to sing Judy Garland's songs at a very early age.
Joan Ellison:
Yes!
JGM:
Where did you grow up and where do you begin your formal music education?
Joan Ellison: I was born in Grand
Rapids, Michigan and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. College and grad school were
at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.
JGM:
Has your background been mainly in theatre, or music?
Joan Ellison:
Both, but I have more formal training in music.
JGM: We see from
your website that you are very much a musician and have transcribed more than
250 piano and vocal arrangements “note for note.” That is quite amazing.
In addition, the biography on your website (http://www.joanellison.com/about)
states that you played Judy Garland in “The Boy From Oz” (a musical biography
of singer/songwriter Peter Allen, Judy’s son-in-law).
Joan
Ellison: Yes, it was at TheatreZone
in Naples, Florida.
JGM:
Can you explain a bit about the work you’ve been doing to “restore”
Judy’s Carnegie Hall arrangements to their former glory?
Joan
Ellison: For a couple of years now
I’ve been serving as the editor of the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall Concert
Restoration Project, with the Judy Garland Heirs Trust and Michael Feinstein. The
goal of the project is to make all the orchestral arrangements from the concert
playable again, using the original parts and manuscripts that the Trust and
friends of the Trust have. Most didn’t have full conductor scores, many parts
are illegible in spots, and quite a few had gone missing over the years.
The short blog post which I wrote when first asked to take on the
project probably best explains the process and why the arrangements needed
restoring. http://www.joanellison.com/blog/2017/10/17/restoring-judys-carnegie-hall-concert
JGM:
Wow! It seems like you have many careers in one, and are accomplishing so
much! What are your future goals?
Joan Ellison: To keep getting to sing
the music I love for as long as possible and as often as possible! Singing Judy Garland’s original arrangements
with a full symphony orchestra is particularly thrilling. And even though
Judy’s Carnegie Hall Concert arrangements are mostly restored as of last week,
I hope to keep working on restoring many others that the Judy Garland Heirs
Trust has original parts for and bringing them back to life.
JGM:
As your time approaches to visit Grand Rapids, what are you hoping for on
this upcoming visit?
Joan Ellison: I’m excited to meet the
fellow fans who’ll be there and to visit Judy’s birthplace! I also spent
summers on Lake Vermilion near Tower, Minnesota when I was a kid, and then
lived in Hopkins, a suburb of Minneapolis, in the late 1990s, so it will be
wonderful to return to beautiful Minnesota.
JGM: Thank you so much, Joan, for taking time to
talk with us. You certainly are amazingly multi-talented and we look forward to
seeing your performance in “From Gershwin to Garland” at the Reif Performing
Arts Center with the amazing Richard Glazier. It’s going to be quite a
program! We also want to thank you for
all you are doing to preserve Judy’s legacy.
We’ll see you soon!
You can learn more about Joan, her work and upcoming concerts at: http://www.joanellison.com
From Gershwin to Garland
In Concert with Richard Glazier
and Joan Ellison
Place: The Reif Performing Arts Center,
720 NW Conifer Drive, Grand Rapids, MN
Date: Friday, June 21, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20**
** To purchase tickets, please visit the Reif website or purchase tickets directly at the box office. https://www.reifcenter.org/event/from-gershwin-to-garland/
In addition, Richard will also be playing for the event, “Sing in Judy’s House” on Saturday, June 22nd, from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
A Message
from John Fricke – Remembering
Judy 50 Years Later
As I
write this, it's only a couple of weeks before Judy Garland's ninety-seventh
birthday anniversary on June 10th. What seems more important this year, of
course, is that June 22nd marks the fiftieth anniversary of her passing – and
how nice it is to be able to say that many of us will be happily celebrating
her on that date . . . in her birthplace! (Please see the festival schedule
below.)
Across
these five decades, it’s true that no one could be more “missed” than Judy
Garland, on so many levels -- and all of them uniquely her own. Yet the joyous
bottom line is the fact that, for countless millions of people, Judy has never really
gone away. How much she would enjoy the fact that she remains an omnipresent
force (only journalistic caution prevents me from saying “THE omnipresent
force”) in the history and ongoing impact of traditional, classic entertainment.
Of course, she deserves no less, given the manner in which she ceaselessly and
profligately shared her blessed gifts, personally and professionally. Those gifts
amount to a singular amalgam of “artless artistry,” quite possibly possessed
and communicated by only Judy Garland.
Countless
statements and reflections about Judy, onstage and off, could be quoted here. One
of the presentations in Grand Rapids in June, however, will consist of such
comments and anecdotes, detailing Judy’s impact on coworkers, friends, fans,
and strangers – both during her lifetime and since then.
Thus,
it’s with great pleasure that we will gather next month to herald someone who
was chronologically acknowledged – across her brief lifetime – as “the little
girl with the big voice,” “MGM’s greatest asset,” “Miss Show Business,” and
finally, the “world’s greatest entertainer.” How perfect it is that, in
retrospect, we may proudly recognize that she has relinquished none of those
titles; that no one has come to take her place.
To reiterate some of the foregoing verbiage: It’s a joyous, happy, celebratory, blessed emotion to respond to, enjoy, and cherish Judy Garland.
To reiterate some of the foregoing verbiage: It’s a joyous, happy, celebratory, blessed emotion to respond to, enjoy, and cherish Judy Garland.
The following is a list events that
will be presented by John Fricke at the 2019 Judy Garland Festival. For a complete list of events, please visit
our website: http://www.judygarlandmuseum.com/festivals/judy-garland-festival-2019
Thursday, June 20th
3:00-4:00 p.m. – With a Laugh and a Smile and a Song: Judy and Jack Paar
Introduction by John Fricke
Friday,
June 21stIntroduction by John Fricke
1:00-2:45 p.m. – Judy in the Movies by John
Fricke
3:30–4:45 p.m. – Powerful, Sincere, Fragile,
Triumphant, Joyous, Iconic,
Legendary – by John
Fricke
Saturday,
June 22nd
10:30–11:45 a.m. – Judy in Concert
Purchase your tickets from our website, by phone or in person.
Rescuing the Judy Garland Birthplace
As most of you know, we have set up a
GoFundMePage in order to raise money for Judy Garland Birthplace repairs. With
the melting of the snow, we’ve been able to get in closer to inspect outside
conditions and are aware that the situation is urgent. The home simply cannot
wait another winter for repairs.
Our fundraising has stalled at $437.
But with our situation urgent we are searching for other ways to raise money.
We posted some of our best pictures of the house but will be posting more
recent ones soon. Please keep us in mind for donations, spreading the word and
any other ideas you may have, including donated labor.
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