Allison Charney and Benjamin Loeb

Pianist Benjamin Loeb, joins series host, soprano Allison Charney in this premiere episode of the series, discussing and performing works by Scott Joplin, Harold Arlen, Kurt Weill and Ernesto Nazareth and exploring the theme of hope – a commodity that feels hard to come by in our current world.

Musical Selections:

Gladiolus Rag/Joplin – preformed by Benjamin Loeb, piano

Over the Rainbow/Arlen- preformed by Allison Charney, soprano; Benjamin Loeb, piano

My Ship/Weill – preformed  by Allison Charney, soprano; Benjamin Loeb, piano

Vem ća, branquinha/Nazareth – preformed  by Benjamin Loeb, piano

Zuiegnung/R. Strauss – preformed by Allison Charney, soprano; Craig Ketter, piano

In its pre-pandemic live incarnation – the innovative classical concert series PREFORMANCES ™ with Allison Charney invited audiences to experience celebrated classical musicians in anticipation of their upcoming engagements on the world’s most prestigious stages. When live classical music had all but stopped, thus curtailing any upcoming engagements, acclaimed opera singer and series founder and host, Allison Charney, asked the existential question: If classical musicians are playing music but there’s no one there to hear it, have they really made music?
Her answer:  Not without an audience.

Enter PREFORMANCES™: Season of Hope presented by NYC’s historic Town Hall

In this seven-episode concert and conversation series, we continue the PREFORMANCES™ mission of blurring the traditional barriers which exist between classical musicians and their audiences by providing an intimate and personal glimpse into top-level artists’ practices along with our signature “un-Google-able” insights – all with a focus on the series’ theme of hope. In addition, Allison and her guests will perform multiple virtually-recorded musical selections on each episode.

All episodes are available on YouTube and as a podcast on iTunes and Spotify.