Composing A Heart and other immigrant stories…collecting and studying the fragments of a life
Friday, November 16, 10.45 a.m.-12.30 p.m.
Nadine M. McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion, G13 on the Ground Floor
Refreshments and interactive discussion to follow
To register go to http://apps.uflib.ufl.edu/Registration/ and click on Schedule then Composing A Heart and Register. Space is limited.
Presenters:
Rebecca Jefferson, head, Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica
Jim Liversidge, curator, Popular Culture Collections
Bess de Farber, clarinetist and storyteller
Sponsored by the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, Center for the Arts and Public Policy, and Center for Humanities and the Public Sphere
Dedicated to the children of immigrants, Composing A Heart combines spoken word, taped recordings, music box, original music for clarinet, and photographs. Co-created by award winning musical theatre composer Craig Ames and clarinetist/storyteller Bess de Farber, the presentation engages the audience in a series of skillfully-delivered and captivating stories about de Farber’s life and immigrant family history. Poignant and often comical, Composing A Heart celebrates the lives of her parents with stories of their emigration to Miami Beach from Poland and Argentina.
Composing A Heart has been presented in concert at such noteworthy venues as the Caldwell Theatre, Jewish Museum of Florida, and Steinway Hall in NYC, as well as both recorded and live on National Public Radio.
A special performance of Composing A Heart and other immigrant stories will be preceded by two short presentations from curators Rebecca Jefferson and Jim Liversidge focusing on immigrant songs and stories found in the Special Collections at the George A. Smathers Libraries.
Clarinetist, Bess de Farber has spent her life performing recital and chamber music concerts. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the University of Southern California where she studied with Mitchell Lurie, one of the most respected clarinet professors in the world. She also was fortunate to study and perform with former CBS Symphony conductor and composer, Alfredo Antonini. In the 1980’s, she served as the musician-in-residence in Pinellas County, Florida, and has performed chamber music concerts for extensively throughout Florida for the past 25 years. de Farber has been featured in recital and chamber music programs in such venues as the Norton Museum of Art, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Rollins College, Jewish Museum of Florida, Flagler and Vizcaya house museums, and Steinway Hall in NY.
