Bernstein's Songfest in Berlin!
"I, Too, Sing America" - Bernstein's "Songfest"
- A timely work for today, organized by American musicians in Berlin amidst the Black Lives Matter movement and theCoronavirus pandemic.
“Songfest” was originally commissioned to celebrate the bicentenary of the USA (1976), yet speaks directly to today's audiences with its timeless message. It's a fascinating and timely work to experience amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the American Black Lives Matter movement. Through the inspired words of thirteen American poets including Gertrude Stein, Edgar Allan Poe, and Walt Whitman, Bernstein composed a masterful score that touches on racial injustice, women's rights, gay rights, and much more. 
A diverse cast of international opera singers comes together for this project. Our cast, until the pandemic closed most major venues, have been regularly singing major roles with such prestigious houses as the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Staatsoper Hamburg, Finnish National Opera, Prague National Theatre, and the Royal Swedish Opera just to name a few.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 - the first of what we expect will be several upcoming invitations from other presenters and festivals in Europe.
BERNSTEIN: Songfest (in concert, two piano version)
Berlin, Theater im Delphi Garrett Keast, Conductor & Artistic Director Meechot Marrero, Soprano Sidney Walker, Mezzo Soprano Edith Dowd, Alto Michael Weinius, Tenor Daniel Keeling, Baritone Andrew Munn, Bass Tim Ribchester & Chelsey Padilla, Piano
BUDGET
350 EUR - Fee per singer, pianist, conductor, 9 in total
1160 EUR - Rental cost of two pianos
300 EUR - Rehearsal room rental
750 EUR - Filmographer
175 EUR - Rented film equipment
80 EUR - Rehearsal piano tuning
100 EUR - Program printing
350 EUR - Graphic design for program and social media
200 EUR - Extra coaching for singers
For more background information, please see Garrett Keast's recent article published by the Medium.
How the Coronavirus lockdown and Black Lives Matter protests led to Bernstein’s “Songfest” in Berlin
https://medium.com/@garrettkeast/i-too-sing-america-734d92203f97