2019 Molly Blank Concert Series - Program

2019 MOLLY BLANK CONCERT SERIES Celebrating Jewish Contributions to Music

Exclusively at the Breman Museum

From The Breman Museum LORI SHAPIRO Music plays an important role in Jewish religious practices and culture. The music we create and play reflects our experiences and the communities in which we live. As a child, some of my fondest memories are of attending religious services filled with music, of singing with my family and friends, and of attending musical shows, performances and concerts.

The Molly Blank Concert Series is an integral part of the Breman’s mission to connect people to Jewish history, culture and arts, and our goal to be a Jewish cultural center and gathering place for the Atlanta community. The series focuses on Jewish composers, themes, content and performers. I am excited about attending this year’s series, which includes a concert showcasing Jewish connections to the music of Hollywood, a performance of NPR’s From the Top, featuring Jewish music, and an entertaining concert by Theatrical Outfit, highlighting the influence of their Jewish heritage on the comedy and music of the Marx Brothers.

Thank you for being here!

LESLIE GORDON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Welcome to the 2019 Molly Blank Concert Series Celebrating Jewish Contributions to Music!

We’re excited to be partnering again with the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival and Theatrical Outfit, and proud to be part of the NPR family broadcasting throughout the U.S. with Lara Downs and From the Top. Just as I am being welcomed into my new role of Executive Director, I want to welcome you to our amazing museum. The Breman is a place of remembrance and of discovery, of sorrow and, today, of music and laughter.

After the concert I would like to invite you back to see our newest exhibition INESCAPABLE: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini, April 14 – August 11, 2019.

Just show this program at the admission desk for one free adult ticket.

We’re happy you’re here, enjoy the show!

A Celebration Of Life MOLLY BLANK (MAY 21, 1915 – JANUARY 7, 2015)

“I expect to pass through this world but once.

Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it; for I shall not pass this way again.”

Molly Blank lived her life, in word and deed, consistent with her favorite quote.

Manhattan – the first one I ever saw was Aida.”

Her goals accomplished, Mrs. Blank, mother of Michael and Arthur M. Blank, died in 2015 at the age of 99.

Over the years, she developed her own artistic interests, as an accomplished painter and sculptor.

Mrs. Blank was a tough-as-nails New Yorker with a passion for the arts. From the start, family and friends say, she had an insatiable curiosity to try new things – and do them her way. She grew up on the Lower East Side of NY and always carried strong memories of attending the Yiddish theatre. After the early death of her husband, Max, she ran the family pharmaceutical business and raised her two sons in Queens, NY.

In 1997, Molly wrote her autobiography, You Pass Through Once: The Life of Molly Blank, to ensure her grandchildren would not be put in the same position that she had been of not knowing where her family was from or what life had been like for her grandparents. In it, she noted that her fondest wish was that her grandchildren and their descendants would live the ethics and lessons of their Jewish heritage. “In so doing they will eliminate bigotry and discrimination when they can. Justice to all will follow.

With this as a guide, their lives will be meaningful and fulfilling.”

Her son, Arthur, often credits his mother with his early exposure to and love of the arts. “My mother brought me to the Carnegie Hall children’s series when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. We were living in Queens and we took a bus and a train to get there. She also brought me to see free opera in

Molly lived the last years of her life near her children and grandchildren in Atlanta, GA.

Salute to Hollywood

Robert “Bob” Spiotto

Deb Bowman

ROBERT “BOB” SPIOTTO is currently the Director of Programs/Special Events at New York’s famous Friars Club. Bob has worked extensively as an arts administrator, producer, director, actor and teacher in the New York, Long Island and Washington, D.C. areas. His acting credits include M.C. (Cabaret), John Adams (1776), Guido (Nine), Tateh (Ragtime), The Cat in the Hat (Seussical), Fagin (Oliver), and Bill (Me and My Girl), to name a few.

He toured the tri-state area and created the character of “The King of Pizza,” based on the popular children’s book.

Additionally, he created and appeared in numerous one-man shows exploring the lives of P.T. Barnum, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Primo Levi, Michelangelo, Sholom Aleichem, and others. A trio of his critically acclaimed one-man musical tributes include That’s Amore: A Tribute to Mr. Hollywood Musical – Harry Warren, Shades of Grey: A Musical Tribute to Joel Grey, and Courting the Jester: A Salute to Danny Kaye, which was re-worked and presented at Lincoln Center.

JOE ALTERMAN: A native of Atlanta Joe studied music at New York University, where he received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Jazz Piano Performance. Alterman performs at worldrenowned venues including the Kennedy

Joe Alterman

Center, Lincoln Center, Birdland and New York’s Blue Note, where he opened multiple times for Ramsey Lewis. Joe Alterman has released five criticallyacclaimed albums, his most recent being 2018's “More Cornbread". Dick Cavett referred to Alterman as “one fine, first class entertainer” and Ramsey Lewis called him “an inspiration to me” and his piano playing “a joy to behold.” In addition to his piano work, Alterman is the Director of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival.

DEB BOWMAN: This multi-talented dynamo has been thrilling people of all ages worldwide with her appealing song styles and unmatched acting skills. Whether belting out Broadway and big band ballads or softly seducing you with sultry standards.

Deborah Bowman is an incomparable must -see performer. She began playing piano and singing in the southern gospel church from an early age. With a BA focus on classical Theater and Dance from University of Alabama, Deb relocated to New York City in 1999 and began a professional career in entertainment where she has performed worldwide in TV, film, theater, cabaret shows and has since relocated and been embraced as one of Atlanta’s finest entertainers.

NPR’s From The Top

Guest Host Lara Downes

NPR’S FROM THE TOP: Founded in Boston in 1995 by Gerald Slavet and Jennifer Hurley-Wales, From the Top originated as a variety-style radio show.

More than 20 years later, From the Top has grown into a multi-media and arts education powerhouse, transforming the lives of hundreds of young musicians each year, inspiring millions of fans, and pioneering new ways to unite communities around the promise of great young talent.

Broadcast on more than 200 stations nationwide to an audience of nearly half a million listeners, NPR’s From the Top is the most popular weekly one-hour music program on public radio. From the Top musicians can also be seen in From the Top’s See the Music video series, that brings together young classically-trained musicians with collaborators from multiple artistic genres and disciplines. Distributed on YouTube and social media, See the Music reaches millions of additional fans who do not listen to From the Top’s radio program or attend its live events.

From the Top prepares young musicians to be instruments of positive social change in their communities through

intensive leadership training offered by From the Top’s Center for the Development of Arts Leaders (CDAL).

Both in Boston and on FTT’s national tour, CDAL empowers young musicians to explore their individual leadership pathways while planning and delivering programs to diverse audiences in schools, senior centers, hospitals, and museums.

From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation award twenty $10,000 scholarships each year to exceptional young musicians with financial need.

Learn more about how you can support our young musicians at fromthetop.org.

Lara Downes is among the foremost American pianists of her generation, an iconoclast dedicated to expanding the resonance and relevance of American music for diverse audiences. A trailblazer on and off-stage, she follows a musical roadmap that seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory. Downes’s playing has been called “ravishing” by Fanfare Magazine; “luscious, moody and dreamy” by The New York Times; and “addicting – Downes plays with an open, honest heart,” by the Huffington Post.

Music of the Marx Brothers

In the first half of the Twentieth Cent ury, T he Marx Br ot hers revolutionized American comedy, creating indelible comic personas in their Broadway shows and films.

Credited with mainstreaming a Jewish sense of irony and absurdity into American culture writ large, their hilariously anarchic style made them pop culture icons. Their comedic styles—Groucho’s verbal wit, Chico’s zany antics, and Harpo’s libidinous pantomime—are so pervasive they’re embedded in the public imagination.

However, their musicianship is far less widely known. They all got their start in show biz first as musicians, and virtually all of their films are chock full of songs and musical breaks, whether it’s a densely worded song for Groucho, a piano interlude for Chico, or a virtuoso harp performance by Harpo. They commissioned the best composers and lyricists of the era, Irving Berlin, Yip Harburg, and Harold Arlen, among many others, to write songs for them.

This comic concert blends songs as well as amusing and poignant anecdotes, painting a picture of the Marx Brother’s comic and MUSICAL accomplishments.

The cast and band features seven accomplished local musicians and musical theater veterans. Laugh out loud to dozens of songs AND learn about the ways that the Marx Brothers’ Jewish heritage impacted their artistry and point of view.

THEATRICAL OUTFIT, Atlanta’s second oldest professional theatre company, was established in 1976 by a company of actors and has made its way from a converted laundromat in Virginia Highlands to a one-time Five & Dime store in Midtown to, in 2004, its permanent home, the Balzer Theater in downtown Atlanta.

An extensive renovation and restoration of Herren’s, the first Atlanta restaurant to voluntarily integrate in 1963, The Outfit’s state-of-the-art 200-seat theater is the first in the United States to achieve LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The company produces a seasonal average of six plays, musicals, regional and world premieres, a yearly summer youth camp, a new play festival, and a Southern Writers Onstage reading series – varied and dynamic selections that consistently stir the soul.

Its programming explores themes of diversity, equality, ethnicity, race, religion, and often features writers of the American South. Theatrical Outfit is deeply committed to cultivating the creative lives of artists living and working in Atlanta, envisions a compassionate, joyful and just community and produces world-class theatre that starts the conversations that matter.

Our Partners ATLANTA JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL The Atlanta Jewish Music Festival (AJMF) was founded in early 2009 under the auspices’ of Limmud Atlanta & Southeast to feature contemporary Jewish music in an effort to entertain and educate the general public on Jewish culture and unite Atlanta’s young Jewish community through the power of music.

This cultural initiative is now launched as a separate non-profit entity with its own board of directors and paid staff. AJMF was established to expand innovative Jewish programming for the Greater A t la n t a c o m m u n it y . L a u n c h in g programming in 2010, AJMF’s first season included an extended artist residency and a one day Spring Festival (June 6, 2010).

Now in its tenth season and under brand new leadership, the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, hoping to excite and engage the entire Atlanta community (both Jewish and at-large), showcases artists who best reflect the rich cultural heritage and contributions Jewish people (both by themselves and in collaboration with others) have made to the world of music, as well as the stories within.

Upper Level Members Thank You to Our Members!

The Breman Museum greatly appreciates the generosity of our supporters.

Listed below are our 2019 Circle Level members (updated February 1, 2019)

LEVISON CIRCLE ($10,000) Spring & Tom Asher Family Hugh Asher Joey Asher Johanna Asher Juliet Golden Michael Golden

The Dinerman Family Laura and Marshall Dinerman Kim and Michael Dinerman Jennie and Alex Medeiros

Jarvin Levison Carol and Robert Nemo

Marlene J. Schwartz Rosenberg Family Foundation Karen and Mark Musa Dulcy and Jerry Rosenberg Karen and Kenneth Rosenberg Michelle and Alan Rosenberg

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL ($5,000) The ARGO Family Fund

Jeanette Arogeti Beth and Joel Arogeti Amy and Robert Arogeti Jane and Mitch Durham Barbara and Larry Perlis

Blonder Philanthropic Fund Lois Blonder Suzanne Blonder Dale and Jeff Dyer Leslie and Doug Isenberg

Corky and Roger Gelder Lana and Richard Krebs

Billi and Bernie Marcus The Zaban Foundation

Carol Z. and Larry Cooper Laura Z. and Marshall Dinerman Sara Z. and Robert Franco Judy Zaban

GUARDIAN ($2,500) Elaine and Miles Alexander Shirley Blaine Carol and Laurence Cooper

Marilyn Eckstein Sara and Robert Franco Barbara and Sanford Orkin

Judith and Mark Taylor Bill Weiller Judy Zabin

Lori Shapiro and Cary Goldenthal Doris and Martin Goldstein Lynne and Jack Halpern Pearlann and Gerald Horowitz Leslie and Doug Isenberg Mimi and Dan D. Maslia Dedi and Julian Mohr

The Selig Foundation Linda and Stephen Selig Cathy Selig-Kuranoff and Steve Kuranoff Suzanne Wilner

Lila and Doug Hertz Cindy and Dale Hughes Barbara and Alan Kaplan Ann and Michael Kay Jacob Kerker Carole and Sidney Kirschner Joslin LeBauer and David Sarnat Sandy and Bob London Jackie and Anthony Montag Brenda and Leon Novak Cathy Papadopoulos

Daniel Pentecost Phyllis and Sidney Rodbell Melissa and Philip Russ Virginia and Milton Saul Joyce and Henry Schwob Joyce Shlesinger Phyllis and Stanley Slutzky Kerri and Jeffrey Snow Stanley Srochi Halina and Aleksander Szlam

CHAI ($1800) Ellen Arnovitz and Michael Plasker Arthur M. Blank Sheryl Blechner Ronit Walker and Matt Bronfman Judy and Ronald Cohen Sally and Samuel Coolik Jana Eplan and Craig Frankel

BENEFACTOR ($1000) Suzanne and Lawrence Baker Shirley and Perry Brickman Lisa and Ron Brill Judith, Elliott and Jill Cohen Ann and Jay Davis Howard Fagin Ellen and Howard Feinsand Rachel and Curt Friedberg Jack B. Gordon and Peter Gordon Barbara and Jerry Greenbaum Diane and Marc Hamburger

If you believe there is an error or omission in this list, please contact the Membership Department at 678-222-3758.

Breman Museum Board 2018-2019 Breman Museum Board Executive Committee and Committee Chairs Board Chair

Lori Shapiro

Vice Board Chair

Adam Koplan

Treasurer

Cathy Papadopoulos

Secretary

Lana Krebs

Collections Chair

Marilyn Eckstein

Governance Chair

Rachel Finglass

Planning & Evaluation Chair

Margie Stern

Development Chair

Howard Fagin

Membership Chair

Judy Bauer Cohen

Volunteer Museum Educators Chair

Joslin LeBauer

Board Members

Emeritus

Elaine Alexander Sheryl Blechner Judy Bauer Cohen J. Samuel Coolik Marilyn Ginsberg Eckstein Karen Lansky Edlin Howard Fagin Rachel Finglass Elissa Fladdell Craig Frankel Curt Friedberg Robin Friedrich Marc Huppert Leslie Isenberg Evan Kananack Adam Koplan Lana Krebs Joslin LeBauer Hank Lewin Anita Lynn Cathy Papadopoulos Leanna Rinzler IJ Rosenberg Lori Shapiro Carla Silver Margie Stern

Miles Alexander Spring Asher Thomas J. Asher Lois A. Blonder Laura Dinerman Gail H. Evans Peter Fishman Carole B. Goldberg S. Jarvin Levison Valerie Needle Carol Nemo A.J. Robinson Jerry Rosenberg Marlene J. Schwartz Joyce Shlesinger Judith Taylor Norman Zoller

The Molly Blank Concert Series Celebrating Jewish Contributions to Music is made possible through the generosity of:

Concert Hosts: Elaine and Miles Alexander The Spring and Tom Asher Family Shirley Blaine Sheryl S. Blechner and Family Lois Blonder Laura and Marshall Dinerman Marilyn Eckstein Ann and Marvin Goldstein Pearlann and Gerald Horowitz Jarvin Levison Carol and Robert Nemo Dulcy and Jerry Rosenberg Marlene J. Schwartz Betty and Alan Sunshine Judith and Mark Taylor

Jeannette and Michael Zukor

In-kind support has been provided by:

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