"In memory of the many composers and musicians who have died of AIDS"

The Benson AIDS Series was founded in 1990 by Mimi Stern-Wolfe to promote the work of gifted composers and musicians who are fighting HIV/AIDS, and to preserve the creative legacy of those who have already died. The series was named for Eric Benson (1946-1988), a singer, actor, director and consummate musician.

1990-2001 BENSON AIDS SERIES PROGRAMS

All concerts were given at Middle Collegiate Church in New York, unless otherwise noted.
Listings are in alphabetical order by composer, not in order of performance.
Poetry readings and musical works not by composers with AIDS are listed at the end of each concert.
See composer entries for more details on each piece.
*Indicates presence of or performance by a composer living with AIDS.
+Indicates a musical work addressing AIDS (see MUSICAL WORKS ADDRESSING AIDS for more information).

December 2, 1990

*CHRIS DeBLASIO:
+All The Way Through Evening (1990) for baritone and piano (world premiere)
    Chris DeBlasio, piano
    Michael Dash, baritone

CALVIN HAMPTON:
Bach's Firework Music (1977) for saxophone quartet
Fanfares for Organ (1975)
I Will Be Your Mouth Now from Live or Die: A Celebration of Life (1982) for mezzo-soprano and ensemble
Three Carols (1977) for soprano and piano

DEOLUS HUSBAND:
Nocturnes (1989) Two movements of an incomplete song cycle for soprano, clarinet, viola and piano

WILLIAM TURNER:
Nine songs from A Lyrical Opera Made By Two (1978)
Rondeau Redouble for vocalist and piano

LOUIS WEINGARDEN:
Sonata: "Les Violons du Bal" (1989) for violin and piano

December 1, 1991

JACK BRIECE:
Passacaglia and Allegro (1965) for viola and piano
Four Songs on Poetry of John Ciardi (1965) for baritone and piano

ROBERT CHESLEY:
Little Concerto (1968) for 2 flutes and strings
Songs:
All But Blind (1966)
Autumn (1966)
Crumbs (1969)
New Feet Within My Garden Go (1966)

DEOLUS HUSBAND:
Three Poems of Louise Glück (1989) for soprano, flute and piano

*KEVIN OLDHAM:
Theatre Songs:
Across the Sea (1990)
It's All Your Fault
Nobody Knows This Little Rose (1966)
Lullaby (1967)

CALVIN HAMPTON:
Three choral works:
    Jacob's Ladder
    God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen
    We Plough the Fields and Scatter (1971)

WILLIAM HIBBARD:
Portraits (1963) for flute and piano (first movement)
Not Even If I Try (1989)
    Kevin Oldham, piano and voice
    Rosanne Gully, voice

+Names (1988), music by Dave Brunetti, words by Bill Von Hoene
Remembering Chuck (1987), poem by Ilsa Gilbert

December 2, 1992

ROBERT CHESLEY:
Songs:
    Autumn (1966)
    I Was No Longer Waiting (1976) for two treble voices

*CHRIS DeBLASIO:
+All The Way Through Evening (1990):
    An Elegy to Paul Jacobs
    Poussin
    Walt Whitman in 1989
        Michael Dash, baritone
        Chris DeBlasio, piano
Villagers (1989):
    Rushes
    Lyric 4
        Sandra Goodman, mezzo-soprano
        Chris DeBlasio, piano

*LEE GANNON:
+Derelict (1989) for flute
+The Time Was Gold (1989) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano

CALVIN HAMPTON:
I Will Be Your Mouth Now from Live or Die: A Celebration of Life (1982) for mezzo-soprano and ensemble

FRED HERSCH:
Child's Song
Tango Bittersweet
    Eric Friedlander, cello
    Fred Hersch, piano
blues for an imaginary valentine for baritone and piano
    Joseph Liggett, baritone
    Fred Hersch, piano

MARK KYRKOSTAS:
Ellis Island, Op. 3 (1987) for percussion and piano

*KEVIN OLDHAM:
Ballade for Piano, Op. 17 (1992)
Songs:
    I Won The Lottery (1990)
    Zabar Dance (1990)
    Not Even If I Try (1989)
        Kevin Oldham, baritone
        Karen Kushner, piano

WILLIAM TURNER:
Rondeau Redouble for vocalist and piano

+Dear Sarah by Sarah Young, from a letter by Jimmy Sindoni (1949-1992)

December 1, 1993

ROBERT CHESLEY:
Autumn (1966)

CHRIS DeBLASIO (died July 21, 1993):
Prelude and Fugue (1991) for soprano saxophone, string quartet and bass
Whatever You Say, He Sings (1990) for voice and piano

*LEE GANNON:
Echo (1992) for mezzo-soprano and piano

MICHAEL SEYFRIT:
And Still The Night Stars Shine (1991) for marimba, violin and cello
Eight Love Poems (1988) for oboe and piano

ROBERT SAVAGE (died 1993)
Cowboy Nocturne, Op. 2 (1975) for piano
+Sudden Sunsets (1989) for flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello and piano
Nashville, Lower Broad (1983) for clarinet, viola and piano

GUSTAVO A. MOTTA (died February 6, 1993):
Songs:
    Through The Music
    Joe & Marie

KEVIN OLDHAM (died March 11, 1993):
Variations on a French Noel, Op. 7 (1981-1985) for piano
Tune From Mount Tremper (date unknown) for solo flute

+The AIDS Quilt Songbook (excerpts):
I Never Knew by Ricky Ian Gordon; A Dream of Nightingales by Ned Rorem; Fury by Donald Wheelock
+Dear Son from The Letters by Sarah Young (world premiere)

December 2, 1994

CHRIS DeBLASIO:
+Walt Whitman in 1989 (1990) from All The Way Through Evening for baritone and piano

*LEE GANNON:
Meditation and Scherzo (1994) for oboe and piano (world premiere)

*FRED HERSCH:
Three Brass Songs
    Lyric 2
    How Lucky I Was
    Pegasus
        Joseph Wiggett, baritone
        Fred Hersch, piano
Works for Solo Piano
    Fred Hersch, piano

KEVIN OLDHAM:
Sarabande, Op. 19 (1992) for piano

NICHOLAS SCHAFFNER:
Songs:
Journey's End (1990?)
Snow Sirens (1990?)
Perfect Stranger (date unknown)

MICHAEL SEYFRIT:
+A Dance of Life (1989) for violin and piano

LOUIS WEINGARDEN:
Things Heard and Seen in Summer (1965) for violin, cello and piano

Dance Cuba and Chris at 34 and Beyond, poems by Ilsa Gilbert
My Friends and There isn't any death, poems by Perry Brass
The Piano (excerpt), music by Stephen Weinstock, poetry by Paul Hidalgo-Durand (1962-1992) (died of AIDS)
Are You In Or Are You Out? (1993) by Sean Hartley
Wherever You Are (1994) by Ann Hampton Callaway

June 14, 1995

"Sudden Sunsets: Highlights from the Benson Series"
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York

ROBERT CHESLEY:
Songs:
     Autumn (1966)
     Nobody Knows This Little Rose (1966)

CHRIS DeBLASIO:
+All The Way Through Evening (1990):
     An Elegy to Paul Jacobs
     Poussin
     Walt Whitman in 1989
Butcher from Villagers (1989) for soprano and piano

KEVIN OLDHAM:
Not Even If I Try (1990) for baritone and piano

ROBERT SAVAGE:
+Sudden Sunsets (1989) for flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello and piano

NICHOLAS SCHAFFNER:
Journey's End (1990?) for voice, guitar, violin, flute, clarinet and cello

LEE GANNON:
Echo (1992) for mezzo-soprano and piano

CALVIN HAMPTON:
I Will Be Your Mouth Now from Live or Die: A Celebration of Life (1982) for mezzo-soprano and ensemble

DEOLUS HUSBAND:
Here Are My Black Clothes from Three Poems of Louise Glück (1989) for soprano, flute and piano

MICHAEL SEYFRIT:
Eight Love Poems (1988)for oboe and piano

WILLIAM TURNER:
Rondeau Redouble for vocalist and piano
+Dear Sarah by Sarah Young from a letter by Jimmy Sindoni (1949-1992)

December 1, 1995

RICHARD JETTER:
Simple Piece (1982) for piano (New York premiere)
Journey (early 1980s) for high voice and piano

*LEE GANNON:
Wet on Wet (1990) for clarinet
Aurora (1995) for cello

*C. BRYAN RULON:
+Acceptance from Self-Requiem (1994) for ensemble and electronic tape
+The AIDS Quilt Songbook (excerpts): Vaslav's Song: Dasvedanya Mama by William Bolcom; Positive Women: Susan by Janika Vandervelde
+Elegies for Rog (1992) by Jeffrey Brody
The Hill (1995) by Robert Ward
+The Jester Sings (1995) by Perry Townsend

December 2, 1996

LEE GANNON (died September 2, 1996):
Prickly Heat (1990) for chamber orchestra
Three Pieces in Crystal (1990) for flute and harp
Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (1995)
The Waking (1994) for mezzo-soprano and piano
A Dirge (1995) for mezzo-soprano and piano
(other works)

November 18, 1997

CHRIS DeBLASIO:
Villagers (1989) for mezzo-soprano and piano

Songs of Love and Remembrance by Ronald Hirsch
Ready O.K. by Allan Tibbetts
Four Walt Whitman Songs by Ned Rorem
To A Friend Dying and Love If You Leave, I Will Not, by Richard Peaslee, poetry by Mark Campbell
Nanna's Lied by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Bertold Brecht

November 30, 1998

Ombra Mai Fu by George Frederick Handel
Song from Howl by Elodie Lauten, poetry by Allen Ginsberg
Dance Cuba by Isabelle Ganz, poetry by Ilsa Gilbert
In The Distant Quiet by Davide Zannoni, poetry by Perry Brass
Come Ready and See Me by Richard Hundley, poetry by James Purdy
Song of Black Max by William Bolcom, poetry by Arnold Weinstein
Where The Music Comes From by Lee Hoiby
Raft of the Medusa by Roger Trefousse, lyrics by Joe Pintauro

June 12, 2000

*GERALD BUSBY:
Dissolver of Sugar (2000) for soprano and string quartet

CHRIS DeBLASIO:
Whatever You Say, He Sings (1990) for voice and piano

*MARTIN HENNESSY:
Mother To Son for soprano and piano
In the Stillness for baritone and piano

KEVIN OLDHAM:
Across The Sea (1990) for soprano and piano

ROBERT SAVAGE:
Tune From Mount Tremper (date unknown) for solo flute

Matthew's Lullaby by Craig Carnahan, poetry by Perry Brass
Letting Go by Jack Gottlieb
Still We Dance by Mary Carol Warwick, poetry by people living with AIDS
A Ditty for Jeff by Jonathan Dobin
The Music Box by Daniel Eichenbaum

December 2, 2001

JACK BRIECE:
Four Songs on Poetry of John Ciardi (1965) for baritone and piano

*GERALD BUSBY:
Cometango (1984) for piano

CHRIS DeBLASIO:
Villagers (1989) for baritone and piano

YVAR MIKHASHOFF:
Dances for Davia (1958) for flute and piano
Casta Diva from Norma (Bellini) arr. Mikhashoff for piano (1991)
Vissi D'Arte from Tosca (Puccini) arr. Mikhashoff for piano

KEVIN OLDHAM:
Not Even If I Try (1989) for baritone and piano

+Threnodies and Anthems by Bruce Lazarus
Fromage Dangereux by William Schimmel
D.H. Remembered and Chris at 34 by Mary Carol Warwick, poetry by Ilsa Gilbert (world premiere)

DOWNTOWN MUSIC PRODUCTIONS
Mimi Stern-Wolfe, Artistic Director
www.downtownmusicproductions.org

For over twenty years, Downtown Music Productions and its performing ensemble, the Downtown Chamber & Opera Players, has presented the works of hundreds of composers, including many premieres and commissions. Its goal is to educate and inspire audiences with repertory challenging to musicians and accessible to listeners by producing operatic, chamber and orchestral works for adults and extensive concerts and educational events for children. Downtown Music Productions has received the Laurel Leaf Award for "distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American Music" from the American Composers Alliance, and two ASCAP/Chamber Music America awards for "adventuresome programming." Artistic Director Mimi Stern-Wolfe has been honored with the Mayor's Very Special Arts Award in music for her "exceptional contribution to the arts and multicultural life of New York City."