DAN'S PAPERS, August 20, 2010 Page 29 www.danshamptons.com
Who’s Here By Judy S. Klinghoffer Jorn Weisbrodt, Managing and Creative Director of the Watermill Center, is not spending the last weeks of summer lazing on the beach and eating strawberries. On August 28, Weisbrodt will see the culmination of months of preparation in the Watermill Center’s third annual end of summer concert, The Last Song of Summer. That’s only a part of what Weisbrodt does and what he has accomplished. Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Weisbrodt went to Berlin to study opera directing, a discipline that requires fluency in many languages, and enough fortitude to wrestle divas and set directors to the ground when necessary. For five years he was an Artistic Director at the Berlin State Opera, and in the late ‘90s, contacted Robert Wilson, the avant-garde stage director. Wilson is perhaps best known for his collaborative works, notably with Philip Glass on Einstein on the Beach. Weisbrodthad long admired Wilson and his manner of embracing every aspect of a production, even down to the props. Texas native Wilson responded to Weisbrodt’s letter and in a relatively short period of time, Weisbrodt became Wilson’s personal assistant. It was a natural extension of Weisbrodt’s association with Wilson to become involved with the Watermill Center, a creative arena for artists. “It’s the 21st Century version of a Soho studio loft,” said Weisbrodt, referring to the sense of freedom the Watermill Center offers in its many residential programs which run year round. “It’s not a museum. There are no security systems keeping you from the art.” Artists apply to the Watermill Center to “work to their highest standards.” It is “a pool of incredible talent.” Along with Sherry Dobbins, Director of Program and Operations, Weisbrodt is kept busy not only with the residential programs of visiting artists, but also opening the Watermill Center and all it offers to the community. With input from “an amazing community board,” there have been programs for Ross School students, inviting them into the Center to examine photographs, ceramics, sculptures, and then write a story about the objects that resonate with them. Originally a full-time city dweller, Weisbrodt is thrilled to have a second home in Montauk. “I love it here! The Hamptons are blessed with beautiful beaches…the light is incredible, and it’s close to the city.” Right now, “The Last Song of Summer,” the Watermill Center’s end-of-summer event, is first and foremost on Weisbrodt’s mind. Guests can, in his enthusiastic words, “sit on the South Lawn on a picnic blanket and sip wine and
Jorn Weisbrodt, Creative Director enjoy.” Those picnic blankets are, of course, specially designed, and there will be goodies and gifties packed into a picnic bag for those attending. Performing will be singer/songwriter, Rufus Wainwright, whose work has ranged from contributions to numerous film scores to performances at Carnegie Hall and the London Palladium of the entire Judy Garland album recorded at her 1961 Carnegie Hall appearance. Elton John has called Wainwright “the greatest songwriter on the planet,” and there are many happy to agree. Wainwright has collaborated with a range of artists such as Sting, Burt Bacharach, David Byrne and the Pet Shop Boys. Even when he’s performing a song he hasn’t penned, such as Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” Wainwright puts his own stamp on the music with a tenor that is both angelic and gritty. Wainwright will be joined by Kylie Minogue, the Australian pop singer whose dance anthem, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” hit number oneon the charts in no less than 40 countries. 40 countries. That means if you were ship-
wrecked on a desert island with a group of people and none of you spoke the same language, you could all bond over “la, la, la.” Weisbrodt assures me that Wainwright and Minogue will duet on the tune at the event. Weisbrodt shares how he and Wainwright contacted Minogue about participating in the event. “He admired her voice,” he said. The pair attended Minogue’s Town Hall concert with mutual friend Alan Cummings and went backstage to meet the singer and her parents, who were also attending that evening. Wainwright immediately wanted to invite her to the Last Song of Summer. “He emailed her, a few days later, she emailed back, and it was done.” Weisbrodt is also incredibly excited about the young singer who will be opening the concert, KrystleWarren, a completely original artist with a voice that sounds effortless, expressive and fills your ears like honey. “Watermill is all about emerging talent,” Weisbrodt says, clearly pleased to have Warren on the bill. Last year, the 2009 Last Song of Summer Concert moved indoors to the Ross Lower School as nasty weather intervened, but the event went on without missing a note. Celebrity guests Mary Louise Parker, Angelica Huston, Isabella Rosselini, Jay McInery and many more gamely trooped into the Ross School Fieldhouse to enjoy performances by Wainwright and guest artist Norah Jones. This year’s event, weather cooperating, will be on the six acre compound, which includes sculpture gardens and sprawling lawns, perfect for lazing on blankets and enjoying the music. The structure, once a research facility for Western Union, got a new lease on life in 1992 when Robert Wilson decided it was the perfect location for a laboratory for the arts, a place where artists of all genres and mediums could flourish. Weisbrodt comments that “Watermill is an inspirational environment.” Proceeds from “The Last Song of Summer” will go to continue and expand all of these programs, keeping Weisbrodt busy. With such a big bash coming up, I can’t help wondering what Weisbrodt does on a day off, if he ever takes a day off. “I love the beach.” He’s also an avid gardener, but his thoughts are never far from his work at the Watermill Center. His greatest ambition? For the most prestigious art institutes to look to Watermill for the next great movement in the arts “If they want to know what’s going on,” Weisbrodt muses, “they’d ask us.” For information on the Watermill Center’s Last Song of Summer, go to watermillcenter.org