Strathmore's New Reasons to Celebrate: The Piano, 'Take Joy' and More

The Music Center at Strathmore announced yesterday that it is venturing into the crowded holiday music field with an original production called "Take Joy."

On his way home two Christmas seasons ago, Eliot Pfanstiehl, president of the Strathmore Hall Foundation, decided he had had enough of Scrooge and Handel's "Messiah." He enlisted a group of friends from his days at Round House Theatre to develop what he calls "a new message," scheduled for Dec. 19.

"We asked ourselves what is in the holiday that we love," Pfanstiehl says. "One thought is that it is never enough; there is never enough food, money, gifts. So the question is, what is enough? How do you find enough in the holidays?" The bulk of the show is being written by veteran composer Roger Ames; Elizabeth Bassine and Nick Olcott are writing the narrative.

Strathmore also announced the rest of the 2008-09 season at the nearly 2,000-seat Music Center and the 110-seat music room at the Mansion.

At the Mansion, there will be a series of 17 performances that will explore the history of the piano. For some of the programs, the artists will use period instruments, including Broadwood pianos from 1787 and 1850 and a replica of a 1720 Michael Mietke harpsichord. The series, called "A Celebration of the Piano: From Bach to Boogie-Woogie and Beyond," will be curated by Smithsonian scholars Edwin Good and Cynthia Adams Hoover. It will feature such performers as pianist William Bolcom and mezzo-soprano Joan Morris (Feb. 26) and pianist Geri Allen (April 2).

In addition to "Take Joy," several other premieres are included in the new season.

The Post-Classical Ensemble, a local orchestra that specializes in multimedia interpretations of many music styles, has created a children's show built around the sounds and sights of animals. "Carnival of Creatures: A Scary Family Concert," under the direction of Joseph Horowitz and Angel Gil-Ordonez, will be performed Oct. 26. Also aimed at families is a concert version of "A Chanukah Feast," adapted from the "Hungry for Music" CD series, on Dec. 27.

Strathmore will also present Anne Sofie von Otter's tribute to the Jewish composers held at the Nazi ghetto and transit camp in Czechoslovakia. The mezzo-soprano, who has explored the work of 10 composers held at the camp, will lead the program "Theresienstadt" on April 30, 2009.

"Steps in Time: A Broadway Biography," a new theatrical program from dancer Tommy Tune, will have its Washington debut on Jan. 23 and 24. The show will feature Tune with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings reviewing the Tony Award winner's career. Other Broadway stars on the calendar include Bebe Neuwirth on April 2 and Christine Ebersole and James Naughton on Nov. 9.

Strathmore has been presenting concerts in the Mansion for 24 years and in the Music Center for four years. It has sold out nearly half of its shows in the current season. Some of the folks who filled the Music Center are returning: Natalie Cole on Oct. 9; Flamenco Vivo on Nov. 30; Bernadette Peters on April 18 and 19. Arlo Guthrie, who last appeared at Strathmore in 2005, will perform Nov. 7 to mark the release of his first album in 12 years, "Lost World."

In the more intimate Mansion, Edwin Good will perform a new work by Duane Heller on Oct. 16. John Davis will salute the artistry of two blind slaves in a show about Blind Tom Wiggins and John William Boone, known as Blind Boone, on Jan. 29. Tudor Dominik Maican, the 19-year-old Romanian American composer who lives in Bethesda, will debut his new classical music on May 14, 2009.

There are plenty of flashbacks, starting with an appearance by Neil Sedaka on Sept. 27. Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell and Fabian will appear in a reunion show on Dec. 3. "I have been amazed at the number of boomer shows. These three guys still have their hair," says Pfanstiehl.

Subscriptions for the new season go on sale to the general public May 12.