Four string virtuosos — renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bluegrass fiddler Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer and mandolin wizard Chris Thile, each a prominent figure in his own musical sphere — have come together as an ensemble to create what critics are now hailing “a most remarkable and organic cross-genre project in which the fire and drive of the bluegrass world meets the clarity and class of the classical music world.”
GOAT RODEO LIVE: YO-YO MA, STUART DUNCAN, EDGAR MEYER, AND CHRIS THILE,taped before a highly engaged audience at Boston’s acclaimed House of Blues, airsFriday, May 25, 2012, 9:00 p.m. on WPBT2. Guest vocalist Aoife O’Donovan joins the ensemble on two numbers.
As viewers will quickly note, the program is an out-of-the-box experience that presents an evening of music both vibrant and varied — composed and improvised, uptown and down home, funky and pastoral — and above all, uniquely American. It is music that represents the birth of something new. Four virtuosos ignore genre restraints and take viewers along on an inspiring journey that’s full of exhilarating music that ranging from meditative to mind-spinning.
The term “goat rodeo,” often applied to a chaotic situation, is a reference to the challenges of melding classical and bluegrass music. GOAT RODEO LIVE includes interviews with the four musicians, providing background and context for their work. Viewers are privy to some of the dynamics that have emerged out of four exceptional musicians’ collaboration on a project that all are deeply passionate about.
IDINA MENZEL LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY features Tony® Award-winning Broadway star (Rent and Wicked), television actress (“Glee”) and recording artist Idina Menzel, with an orchestra masterfully
led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch, filmed at The Royal Conservatory’s beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada.
Known as a show-stopping performer, Menzel takes viewers on a special journey through a diverse repertoire of classic pop and musical theater favorites, including a fresh spin on contemporary songs. The concert is woven together by Menzel’s irresistible appeal, wit and unparalleled vocal prowess. Recently called the “Streisand of her generation” by The Denver Post, the singer has captivated audiences at sold-out concerts across the country. This show reflects all of her musical and life influences.
IDINA MENZEL LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY premieres Saturday, March 10 at 8:30pm on WPBT2. Idina Menzel will be live in WPBT2’s studio! Tune in for a special ticket offer for her upcoming concert in Miami.
UNDER THE STREETLAMP, America’s hottest new vocal group, performs an electrifying evening of classic hits from the American radio songbook in this special recorded at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. Exuding the irresistible rapport of a modern-day Rat Pack, the quartet — recent leading cast members of the Tony® Award-winning musical Jersey Boys — deliver an evening of unforgettable entertainment.
Featuring doo-wop, Motown, old time rock ‘n’ roll and favorite songs from the Drifters, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Four Seasons and many others, UNDER THE STREETLAMP premieres Sunday, March 11 at 10:00pm on WPBT2.
The members of Under the Streetlamp — Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley — have been featured on Broadway, in film and on television, and were showcased on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” “The Emmy® Awards” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show” during their Jersey Boys tenure. Accompanied by a band of seven elite musicians, Under the Streetlamp has packed concert venues across America. They are, without a doubt, a modern classic.
OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II — OUT OF MY DREAMS is a celebration of the most acclaimed lyricist and librettist of the 20th century, the man who worked in the theater for more than 40 years, writing the lyrics for more than a thousand songs and the libretti for dozens of operettas and musicals performed on Broadway, in London and in Hollywood films.
Brimming over with movie clips from his greatest musicals, this new PBS special features interviews with Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, Shirley Jones, Mitzi Gaynor, Hammerstein family members and others.
Hosted by Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Matthew Morrison (“Glee”), OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II — OUT OF MY DREAMS premieres Saturday, March 10 at 7:00pm on WPBT2.
IDINA MENZEL LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY features Tony® Award-winning Broadway star (Rent and Wicked), television actress (“Glee”) and recording artist Idina Menzel, with an orchestra masterfully led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch, filmed at The Royal Conservatory’s beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada.
Known as a show-stopping performer, Menzel takes viewers on a special journey through a diverse repertoire of classic pop and musical theater favorites, including a fresh spin on contemporary songs. The concert is woven together by Menzel’s irresistible appeal, wit and unparalleled vocal prowess. Recently called the “Streisand of her generation” by The Denver Post, the singer has captivated audiences at sold-out concerts across the country. This show reflects all of her musical and life influences.
IDINA MENZEL LIVE: BAREFOOT AT THE SYMPHONY premieres Saturday, March 10 at 8:30pm on WPBT2. Idina Menzel will be live in WPBT2’s studio! Tune in for a special ticket offer for her upcoming concert in Miami.
Tony Bennett made music history with the Grammy-nominated CD Duets II when it debuted at the top of the Billboard Album charts, making Bennett the oldest vocal artist ever to achieve the number one spot. Recently nominated for three Grammys, including Best Traditional Pop Vocal, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), the critically acclaimed album followed the 85-year-old singer’s Grammy-winning 2006 Duets CD, which had, in turn, been released in honor of his 80th birthday.
Great Performances: Tony Bennett: Duets II features the singer’s greatest hits, performed by Bennett and today's biggest stars, including John Mayer, Michael Bublé, k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Queen Latifah, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, Alejandro Sanz, Carrie Underwood and more.
The sessions, filmed to capture the magic of these performers singing with the master of the Great American Songbook, airs on Saturday, March 10 at 10:00pm on WPBT2.
Internationally renowned guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa delivers a stunning performance at the legendary Beacon Theatre in New York City in this special taped exclusively for public television. Bonamassa’s show at the Beacon Theatre is his follow-up performance for PBS, following the successful JOE BONAMASSA — LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL.
JOE BONAMASSA: BEACON THEATRE — LIVE FROM NEW YORK premieres Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 11:00pm. Tune in for special ticket offers to his upcoming concert performance in Miami.
Bonamassa’s Beacon Theatre performance, captured by the same producers and directors who filmed his performance at the Royal Albert Hall, features memorable duet performances with legendary classic rock singer Paul Rodgers(lead singer for Bad Company) and John Hiatt, recipient of Nashville’s Music Lifetime Achievement Award for songwriting. In addition to these special guest appearances, Bonamassa’s show features new songs and a guitar experience audiences will be sure to remember.
The program kicks off its three-part second season February 3 on WPBT2, with a multifaceted journey through the history of American song by the acclaimed musician and five-time Grammy®-nominated vocalist.
Michael Feinstein’s American Songbookgives viewers an intimate look at Feinstein on stage, behind the scenes and onthe road, where he has all-new adventures in his quest to celebrate and preserve the gems of classic American music.
Friday, February 3at 9:00 p.m. Episode 1 - Time Machines Feinstein explores how technology has preserved and altered the way we think about the great songs and singers of the past. Feinstein goes on a cross-country quest — even stopping at Hugh Hefner’s mansion — to uncover the various ways musical performances were documented, and the eclectic array of collectors and performers who are keeping that music alive. Includes a guest appearance by Hefner.
Friday, February 10at 9:00 p.m. Episode 2 - Lost and Found Lost and Found,follows Feinstein’s discovery and authentication of an undocumented song by one of the giants of American popular music. Feinstein also persuades legendary Broadway songwriter Jerry Herman to teach him an unknown song from his own songwriter’s “trunk,” one that’s never been heard prior to this broadcast. Includes a guest appearance by Tony Award-winner Christine Ebersole.
Friday, February 17at 9:00 p.m. Episode 3 - Saloon Singers We examine the allure of musical nightlife, from Mississippi juke joints to the neon lights of Las Vegas. Feinstein delves into the history of nightclub entertainment, from the Cotton Club to Sinatra’s Rat Pack. In addition, he talks to pioneers of the form, including entertainer Rose Marie, and poet and author Maya Angelou, who once made her living doing a calypso club act in San Francisco.
This Friday, WPBT2 viewers will embark on an epic musical odyssey through 300 years of American history and culture by way of the banjo — from its earliest use by enslaved Africans in colonial America to the 21st century. Give Me The Banjo, a documentary presented by UNC-TV North Carolina, premieres Friday, November 4, 2011, at 9:00 p.m. on WPBT2.
Narrated by actor/comedian/banjoist Steve Martin,and guided by modern banjo masters such as Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Bela Fleck, Mike Seeger, Carolina Chocolate Drops and Abigail Washburn, Give Me The Banjo explores American music from minstrelsy, ragtime and blues, to folk and bluegrass. In addition to musicians, a mix of folklorists, historians, instrument makers and passionate amateurs tells stories of America’s instrument in all its richness and diversity. Rare stills, first-hand narratives, archival footage and recordings of historic banjo figures surround and expand on the expert commentary.
Great Perforances presents viewers with "Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp" as part of PBS's Art Fall Festival.
Known for being one of the most respected companies in America, Miami City Ballet will perform three classic pieces by two renowned choreographers, George Balanchine's "Square Dance" and "Western Symphony" and Twyla Tharp's "The Golden Sections," with music by Antonio Vivaldi, Archangelo Corelli, Hershy Kay and David Byrne.
PBS Arts Miami City Ballet airs Friday, October 28 at 9 p.m.
Stay tuned after the broadcast for a WPBT2 production, Miami's Island Art.
Contemporary Haitian and Cuban artists are creating new venues in their Miami neighborhoods, connecting community members to their traditions and cultural roots while drawing diverse audiences from other neighborhoods and beyond. This program centers on Afro-Caribbean art with Roberto Ramos’ Cuba Ocho Gallery along the burgeoning Calle Ocho Arts District, and the newly constructed Little Haiti Cultural Center, home of renowned Haitian artist Edouard Duval Carrié, and the African dance ensemble Delou, both of whom advocate for art as a tool to build communities.
What do you get when you mix a sarcastic, yet lovable, doctor and a blues and jazz singer? Hugh Laurie!
WPBT2 will premiere Great Performances: Hugh Laurie: Let Them Talk- A Celebration of New Orleans Jazz on Friday, September 30 at 9pm.
Versatile British actor Hugh Laurie, an American favorite for his role in the hit TV series “House,” showcases his musical side in an atmospheric special filmed in New Orleans. Defying simple categorization, Laurie finds his greatest satisfaction and inspiration from the mixture of blues and jazz that grew out of New Orleans at the beginning of the last century.
“Let Them Talk” is his personal journey into the heart and soul of that music. Including documentary and interview segments during Laurie’s travels around the city, the program features his performances with blues legends Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas, as well as a fellow countryman similarly inspired by this uniquely American music, Sir Tom Jones. With concert sequences filmed at the historic Latrobe’s building in the French Quarter, the musical selections include New Orleans blues standards along with some forgotten and neglected gems.
The Piano Man comes to WPBT2 on Wednesday, March 9 at 10:00pm with Billy Joel: Live at Shea Stadium.
Shortly before the demolition of New York City’s Shea Stadium in July 2008, superstar Billy Joel electrified audiences with two memorable concerts at the historic arena. Joel’s special guests included Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks,andSir Paul McCartney whose 1965 appearance there with the Beatles was so iconic.
Paul Crowder’s film, Last Play at Shea, a documentary about those concerts, which intertwined the history of the stadium and the New York Mets with Joel’s New York-centric biography, received accolades when it premiered at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival last October. Stephen Holden of The New York Times dubbed it “exhilarating,” noting of Joel’s musical selections, “His blunt, irresistibly tuneful songs, however autobiographical, are also nuggets of American cultural history.”
Now, those songs, mostly heard in fragmentary form in the documentary, are performed in full in Billy Joel: Live at Shea Stadium.
Joel and his band offer definitive and often transcendent versions of hits, rarities, personal favorites and crowd-pleasing surprises, including duets with guests McCartney (“I Saw Her Standing There,” “Let it Be”), Bennett (“New York State of Mind”), and Brooks (“Shameless”).
