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Memorial Day Piano Concert at MIT to Feature "Babar the Elephant"
Cambridge, MA...Youngsters and adults alike
will enjoy the sounds of elephants playing in the forest, driving
cars and dancing at a wedding in Francis Poulenc's musical setting
of "The History of
Babar" for piano and narrator to be performed Monday, May
26 (Memorial Day) at 1:30 p.m. in MIT's Killian
Hall.
The concert is a charity benefit, with proceeds benefiting organizations
providing food assistance for the hungry. Suggested donation
is $15 for general admission and $5 for students. The concert
is co-sponsored by MIT
Hillel and the MIT
Plasma Science and Fusion Center.
In addition to "Babar the Elephant" with text by Jean
de Brunhoff, the performance will include piano music by Chopin
and Improvisations on themes suggested by the audience during
intermission, performed in classical, folk and jazz styles. The
pianist is Dr. Daniel Goodman G'89, and the narrator for the
Poulenc is actor and musician Jack McCreless.
This will be the 11th "Participatory" piano concert
at MIT since Dr. Goodman introduced the concept in 1983. These
concerts combine classical piano music with improvisations, allowing
the audience to participate both by suggesting themes and also
helping select which themes will be used. The program is designed
to appeal to all ages, and children ages 7 and up who can be
quiet during the program are welcome to attend.
Dr. Goodman received his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT in 1989 and
is a visiting scientist at MIT and the engineering manager of
a local start-up company that produces tools for semiconductor
processing.
Jack McCreless works in the human services field and is currently
a staff trainer for the Mass. Dept. of Mental Retardation. He
sings and plays with the Revels Repertory Company, a touring
ensemble that offers programs on the sea, harvest, immigration,
and the Hutchinson Family Singers of New Hampshire.
The two performers have appeared together for more than twenty
years. In the 1980's they performed international folk music
and toured New England as musicians with the Mandala Folk Dance
Ensemble. In the 1990's they formed a Klezmer and Jazz band named "Neshama." They
also appeared together in the 1991 Universal Pictures film, "Once
Around," which starred Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter.
Further information is available at www.DLGoodman.com or
by calling (781) 674-2440.
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