THE VAULT: STRONG WOMEN RISING

Women of The Vault will share their intimate stories about overcoming impossible obstacles, stepping into their power and achieving extraordinary success by identifying their passions, defining their strengths and rejecting cultural/societal limitations of what it means to be a woman in the Entertainment Industry, Technology, Food/Hospitality and Finance.

The Vault was founded in 2012 by Kim Moses as an organization that celebrates women — giving each woman a safe place to use her voice as she impacts the world in unique and brilliant ways.

Vault Members who will participate in the round table

(in alphabetical order):

Aiko Accame

(Los Angeles, CA; Italy)
Regional Sales and Private Clients Director, Dorchester Collection; Hospitality

Aiko Accame has recently celebrated her 21st anniversary with leading luxury hotel brand Dorchester Collection. Following an array of high-profile hospitality roles, she found her calling as associate director of sales at The Dorchester, before moving into her current position.

Based at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Aiko works closely with private clients and the West Coast travel and entertainment community, raising brand awareness, generating revenue for Dorchester Collection hotels worldwide, and cultivating partnerships and events with other luxury brands.

She successfully launched the industry-leading Dorchester Collection Diamond Club programme to the West Coast travel community. She has also been recognised by the Southern California American Society of Travel Agents as a Hotel Representative of the Year.

Her Italian/Japanese heritage gives her a unique insight into two of the best cuisines in world, a passion she’s always eager to share with her clients.

Gail Becker

(New York, NY)
Founder of CAULIPOWER; Food Entrepreneur

Gail is best known as an entrepreneur and the Founder of CAULIPOWER, the most disruptive company in the better-for-you frozen food space named as one of the top 10 World’s Most Innovative Food Companies in 2022 by Fast Company. The hyper-growth company reached more than $100m in revenue in less than four years under her leadership as CEO, capturing more than 2% of the $5 billion US pizza market. She has received recognition for her achievements from publications such as Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. and is a frequent media guest, sought out for her opinions on female leadership, healthy food trends and building great brands.

Her career path reflects her passions spanning journalism, government service and brand building. She has held senior positions in a myriad of industries and organizations including Edelman, Warner Bros. and the US Department of Health & Human Services.

As the mother of two sons diagnosed with celiac disease at an early age, Gail was disappointed with the gluten-free options lacking in nutrition and taste. Frustrated by the lack of action by the “big food” companies, Gail decided to solve the problem herself. She left corporate America behind with no regrets and launched CAULIPOWER in 2017 with a mission to reinvent America’s favorite comfort foods to be tasty, convenient and nutritious.

Gail’s idea was initially rejected by manufacturers and the investor community, but she ignored them all and proved them wrong.

CAULIPOWER is recognized as the true disruptor of what was one of grocery’s most stagnant categories, Within its’ first two years, CAULIPOWER became a top 10 frozen pizza brand and captured more than 2% of the $5 billion US pizza market.

CAULIPOWER did not stop at pizza; the brand has entered a myriad of new frozen food categories including chicken tenders, nuggets and now pizza bites. Today CAULIPOWER is the #1 Cauliflower Crust Pizza, #1 Gluten-Free Pizza. #1 Better-For-You pizza and is available in more than 30,000 stores and 5,000 restaurants nationwide.

Gail has been widely recognized for her contributions to business and entrepreneurship including 50 over 50 (Forbes); Woman Business Owner of the Year (National Association of Women Business Owners); Trailblazer Working Mother of the Year (She Runs It); Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young); Person of the Year (NOSH Best of Awards); Entrepreneur of the Year (Stevie Awards) Executive of the Year (Best in Biz). CAULIPOWER was also named one of the 100 Best Led Companies in America (Inc.) under her leadership.

On October 13th, 2021, CAULIPOWER hit the height of popular culture when the company (and Gail) were featured in a question on the television show Jeopardy!

Brooke Breton

(Los Angeles, CA)
Senior Producer/Executive Producer/Expert on Modern Film Making Techniques; Hollywood; Governor at the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; Film/TV

Brooke Breton has been principally involved in a wide variety of prominent live action films, animated films, television series and theme park projects which have received Academy, BAFTA, Emmy, Annie and VES awards and nominations. Key projects include: Avatar, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, Solaris, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Dick Tracy.

Ms. Breton has also served as a producer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum, where she focused on modern filmmaking techniques and acquisitions.

Prior to that, Ms. Breton was a Senior Production Executive and in-house producer for Illumination Entertainment where she produced the film content for the Despicable Me theme park attraction, Minion Mayhem, for Universal. The attraction was awarded an Annie Award for “Best Animated Special Venue Production” as well as a VES award for “Best Visual Effects for a Theme Park Attraction.”

Ms. Breton was instrumental in launching James Cameron’s effects house Digital Domain, where she served as Senior Vice President of Production for several years. During Breton’s tenure, Digital Domain created the effects for such blockbusters as True Lies, Interview with a Vampire, and Apollo 13. They also created the theme park attraction Terminator 2 – 3D. Breton was also very involved in the start-up of DreamWorks Animation in addition to producing DreamWorks Pictures’ animated comedy adventure, The Road to El Dorado, which received eight Annie Award nominations.

Ms. Breton is a Visual Effects Branch governor for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and currently serves as VP on the Academy Foundation Board. She also serves on the AMPAS Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and the Science and Technology Council. Breton is a long-standing member of the Producers Guild of America and has served as a three-term board of director member of the Visual Effects Society.

Ms. Breton recently helped create an exhibit at the Academy Museum featuring the innovations of the Dykstraflex camera system and wrote, produced, and directed an AMPAS member program on AI. She was also the creative director and producer of the Sci-Tech Council’s public program: Virtual Production: Are you Game? and was creative director of the public program: Galactic Innovations: Star Wars and Rogue One, 40 years of Pioneering Cinematics.

In current development under the Breton Productions banner are three feature film projects.

Kim Campbell

(Florence) 

19th Prime Minister of Canada

After holding elected office at all three levels of Canadian government, Kim Campbell served as Canada’s nineteenth and first female Prime Minister in 1993.

Kim Campbell is a founding member of the Club of Madrid now the largest international forum of former heads of government and state who work to promote democratic values. She is also a member and Chair Emerita of theCouncil of Women World Leaders and a member of the International Women’s Forum, where she served as its global president.

Ms. Campbell’s most notable achievement in recent years has been the design and launch of a ground breaking leadership program for undergraduates at the University of Alberta:The Peter Lougheed Leadership College. She served as its Founding Principal from 2014-2018.

In 2021, Ms. Campbell joined the board of the Glen Gould Foundation and the advisory board of The Vancouver Anti-Corruption Institute. VACI is a project of The International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy (ICCLR), which was created during Ms. Campbell’s tenure as Minister of Justice.

Sara Christensen

(New York, NY)
Angel Investor/Advisor; Finance/Entrepreneurs

SARA R. CHRISTENSEN is an active angel investor, advisor and board member mainly focused on early stage, female founded consumer companies. Miss Christensen’s experience spans over 20 years working in both venture capital and family offices, investing in over 200 companies across tech, media, sports and consumer products. Prior to becoming an investor, Miss Christensen was a partner in the first all organic fresh pressed juice company which launched in NYC in 2000. Prior to that, Miss Christensen started her career in marketing compiling consumer insights, which helped hone her skills for studying consumer behavior and trend forecasting. She is currently based in New York.

Kay Kramer

(Los Angeles, CA)
Founder of Step-Up; Entrepreneur/Leadership Coach

Kaye Kramer is a dynamic entrepreneur, founder, senior executive, non-profit board member, and certified coach specializing in leadership, executive strategy, and career transitions. Her career story is distinguished by her ability to successfully transition between industries and leadership roles across the corporate, start-up, and non-profit sectors, where she has consistently fostered organizational growth and generated new business opportunities.

Kaye has held a variety of prominent roles, including talent agent at UTA (United Talent Agency), where she represented stars like Renee Zellweger; executive at Interscope Films, and Executive Vice President at Nielson Entertainment where she launched their film online testing division. Her entrepreneurial ventures include serving as COO of The Babybox Co., facilitating the company’s evolution from a social initiative to a venture-backed growth start-up, and co-founding Nursery works, a manufacturing firm specializing in design-savvy children’s furniture and accessories. Kaye expanded Nurseryworks into 300+ stores in 8 countries within 6 years, before selling it to Million Dollar Baby in 2010.

Kaye’s proudest achievement is founding the philanthropic network, Step Up, (www.suwn.org) in 1998. Over the past 25 years, Step Up has become a premier national mentorship nonprofit, empowering young women aged 14-29 to define and achieve their unique visions of success, As founder and CEO, Kaye has led the organization’s strategic direction, fundraising efforts, and the development and implementation of educational programming through strategic marketing, and corporate alliances with companies such as Mattel, Conde Nast, Lifetime, Coach, The Container Store, Dove, Ulta, Frame Denim and many more.

In addition to her ongoing role with Step Up, Kaye is a member of the President’s Council at Tufts University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree. She received her executive coaching certification from Columbia University, and holds certifications in Hogan Assessment, DISC, and NBI. Additionally, Kaye is a member of the International Coaching Federation.

Kaye’s commitment to philanthropy is reflected in her board service. In addition to Step Up, she has served on the boards of PHASE ONE Cancer Foundation, The Women’s Guild at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, and The Board of Directors at Oakwood, a K-12 independent Los Angeles school.

 

Debbie Liebling

(Los Angeles, CA)Film and TV Producer; Programming Executive; Hollywood

Deborah Liebling is a veteran and film and television producer and influential programming executive. She just completed production on CARVED, a horror comedy film that will premiere on Hulu in October 2024. She also just executive produced TV comedy pilot BUFFALO TENS, a new series for Fox. Also, now out on streaming is the film, JULES, starring Sir Ben Kingsley, which won the Audience Award at the 2023 Sonoma Film Festival and the 2024 Humanitas Prize for Comedy Feature Film, and Columbia Pictures’ film, 65, starring Adam Driver. She is Executive Producer of Emmy-nominated Hulu series, PEN15.

In television, Deborah is executive producing MAKING FRIENDS, a new comedy series developed for Netflix AU; CAMP NADA HALA, an animated comedy set up at Nickelodeon; OONA AND THE EGG, a comedy with Sundance-award winning Maryam Keshavarz set to direct; and the dark limited series, SHARK, written by Dave Flebotte, to be directed by Reed Morano, which she is partnered with Terence Winter; and RUDIMENTAL, an AI drama set up at wiip. Additionally, Deborah is executive producing a limited drama series with Daniela Lavender and Sir Ben Kingsley and a new high-concept comedy, TRASHED, with Cinetic Media.

On the feature side, Deborah is currently in pre-production as the Producer of TREES & P.H.D.’S, starring Sosie Bacon and Tig Notaro, written and to be directed by Stephanie Allynne; IKEAVILLE, starring Kit Harington, Maya Erskine, Ke Huy Quan, Kate McKinnon and Maude Apatow, written and to be directed by Michael Vukadinovich; and OLD PALS, starring Henry Winkler and Brian Cox, written by Rick Cisario and to be directed by Wendey Stanzler. She is also attached to produce GOOD MORNING, PLEASE, written and produced by Josh Gad, with Shawn Snyder set to direct.

In 2021, Deborah produced JANE, starring Madelaine Petsch, Chloe Bailey and Melissa Leo and UNPLUGGING, a romantic comedy starring Eva Longoria and Matt Walsh. Her film PLUS ONE, starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid, won the Audience Award at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and continues to stream on Hulu.

Deborah is attached to produce the following features: HOT MESS, written by Gabrielle D’Amico and to be directed by Katie Locke O’Brien; LOVE, MARIE TANNER, written by Kirsten King and to be directed by Sabrina Jaglom; GIRL ALIEN, starring Billie Lourd, written and to be directed by Cat Grieve; LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK (based on the best-selling novel) at Shivhans Pictures, adapted by Karen Croner; and STONERS AND SELF-APPOINTED SAINTS, written and to be directed by Andrea Siegel (based on the book of poems), starring Matt Berry, Dylan Gelula, Molly Parker, Ricky Velez, Miles Robbins, and Devon Bostick. Deborah is also Executive Producer on a new animated feature for Sony Pictures Animation.

Deborah partnered with renowned film director Sam Raimi, under their POD 3 banner with a first-look deal at WIIP, where they are developing the series THE HOUSE ON HOARDER HILL, by John Glenn, Kelly Ngai, and Mikki Lish, with Rebecca Thomas attached to direct. Together they produced a horror anthology series, 50 STATES OF FRIGHT, which premiered on Quibi. Additionally, the pair teamed up with British writing duo The Stas Brothers and set up crime-thriller, SUNSET YELLOW, at Endeavor Content.

Previously, Deborah was President of Red Hour Films where she and her partner, Ben Stiller, produced four new television series: Comedy Central’s ANOTHER PERIOD (3 seasons), the critically acclaimed BIG TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA, and THE MELTDOWN WITH JONAH AND KUMAIL (3 seasons), and IFC’s THE BIRTHDAY BOYS (2 seasons), which she executive produced with Bob Odenkirk.

Deborah was President of Production at Universal Pictures where she oversaw the development and production of many hit films including BRIDESMAIDS, THE CHANGE-UP, PITCH PERFECT, TOWER HEIST, AMERICAN PIE 2, CONTRABAND, SAFE HOUSE, TED, and WANDERLUST.

In 2009, Deborah served as President of FOX Atomic Pictures, a start-up genre division of 20th Century FOX film studio that released JENNIFER’S BODY, I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER, and THE ROCKER. As Executive Vice President of Features at 20th Century Fox, Deborah was responsible for the hits BORAT, DODGEBALL, JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE, BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, IDIOCRACY, STUCK ON YOU, and many other successful films.

Deborah was the chief development and production executive (Head of Original Programming) for Comedy Central for the previous 7 years. There she was solely responsible for the development and realization of the cultural phenomenon SOUTH PARK (where she was Executive Producer on the multiple Emmy-award winning series, as well as Producer on the film SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT), THE MAN SHOW (starring Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla), WIN BEN STEIN’S MONEY, BATTLEBOTS, PRIMETIME GLICK (with Martin Short) and many other original series on the channel. Prior to that, Deborah produced multiple series for HBO, NBC and ABC. She began her career as a producer at MTV in New York in the 80s, when MTV was cool.

Deborah is a graduate of Boston University, College of Communications where she was asked to come back and deliver the Commencement Speech in 2010 and received a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Deborah served on the board of Women In Film for 8 years and serves as an ambassador for Reframe, an organization that works to promote women in key roles behind the camera. Deborah is a proud member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy, and Producers United, a recently formed organization of successful film and TV producers to create new dialogue around the role and rights of the career producer. She serves on the Screen Producers Australia (SPA)’s SCREEN FOREVER programming advisory board, the advisory board of The Harold Ramis Film School in Chicago, IL, and IOCUS (an LA-based film fund that invests, develops, produces and sells content in film, television & new media).

Ali McCartney

(New York, NY)
Managing Director with UBS Private Wealth Management

Alli McCartney is a Managing Director with UBS Private Wealth Management in New York City. She has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry working with families, endowments and foundations to streamline their financial, investment, trust and estate and philanthropic planning. Alli specializes in executive compensation working with founders and C-suite executives around complex liquidity situations. She is known by the moniker “Financial Feminist” for her passionate work around women and money & the imperative of women having a financial seat at all tables. She is a regular on CNBC & Fox Business, is frequently published and is a sought after speaker at industry conferences given her unique ability to make finance and macro-economics accessible. Alli lives between Soho in NYC, Montauk & LA with her two boys, is bi-lingual (Spanish) and spends her time obsessively following live music and supporting The Jazz Foundation of America & Vital Voices.

Catherine McCord

(Los Angeles, CA)
Founder of Weelicious/cookbook author/TV presenter/food & tech

Catherine McCord is the founder of the popular Weelicious brand, a trusted content resource synonymous with family, food and lifestyle. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, she has created online how-to videos that have amassed more than fifty million views and celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Sarah Michelle Gellar & Keri Glassman, RD, swear by her food as a medicine approach to healthy meals.

Catherine has written four cookbooks including her latest Meal Prep Magic and the Smoothie Project. Catherine has appeared on TODAY, Good Morning America, California Live, The Doctors, and is a regular on the Emmy-winning NBC show Naturally, Danny Seo as well as Food Network’s #1-rated Guy’s Grocery Games. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.

Recent brand partnerships: Amazon, Williams Sonoma, Whole Foods Market, LOMI, Yasso, Nature’s Made and Dietz and Watson.

Catherine co-founded family focused meal company, One Potato, and exited in 2023.

 

Kim Moses

(Los Angeles, CA)
Founder of The Vault; Co-Founder of OptIn Studios; Executive Producer/Director; Hollywood

KIM MOSES is the proud Founder of THE VAULT — an organization that gives women a safe place to use their voices while impacting the world in unique and brilliant ways.

Kim Moses is also an Executive Producer who has produced more than 700 hours of premium scripted content on traditional and non-traditional platforms and is a DGA Director. Creatively, fiscally and technically, Kim has managed well-over a half a billion dollars in development and production all over the world — delivering on time and on budget while hitting creative bullseyes (including GONE, RECKLESS, THIS IS EVERYTHING: GI GI GORGEOUS and GHOST WHISPERER which are all currently streaming.) As an innovator in the Entertainment Industry, Kim has achieved a series of ‘firsts’: NBC International’s first domestic-based straight-to-series drama with international partners; YouTube’s first feature film; American TV’s first Turkish format remake; Marriott Hotel’s first international feature film and created network TV’s first interactive digital experience embedded in a scripted drama series. Kim pioneered the Total Engagement Experience(c) — the strategic brand build-out on all platforms of series, feature films and products, creating new revenue streams, and exponentially increasing engagement loyalty. Before crossing over to scripted content, Kim worked in live broadcast sports productions, reality series and music specials. As Co-Founder of OptIn Studios, SLAM Digital Media and Sander/Moses Productions, Kim was named to Newsweek’s Women and Leadership Advisory Committee, honored with a Women In Film Woman of the Year award, was the recipient of the 36th Annual Vision Award as well as the Elly Impact Award, and had the honor of giving the Commencement Speech for USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Class in 2016. (Oprah gave the commencement speech the following year
https://www.optinstudios.com/

Keri Selig

(Los Angeles, CA)
Founder and President of Intuition Productions; Executive Producer; Hollywood

Keri Selig is a Golden Globe and 5-time Emmy nominated producer and the Founder and President of Intuition Productions, a feature film and television production company in Hollywood. Before Intuition, Keri spent over a decade as a studio Executive. She was Executive SVP of Production at Warner Bros based Bel-Air Entertainment (Collateral Damage, Pay It Forward). Before that, Keri was SVP of Production for Kopelson Entertainment at Twentieth Century Fox (Se7en, The Fugitive), and SVP of Production for Cort/Madden at Paramount Pictures (Save the Last Dance, Run Away Bride). Keri most recently executive produced the miniseries, After Camelot starring Katie Holmes and Matthew Perry, based on the acclaimed book by fifteen-time NY Times bestselling author, J. Randy Taraborrelli. It received 3 Canadian Screen nominations and a Canadian SAG award. Prior, Keri executive produced the miniseries, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe for Lifetime, also based on a book by J. Randy Taraborrelli. The miniseries stars Susan Sarandon & Emily Watson and received 17 nominations, including three Emmys. Keri’s additional credits include Passengers, starring Anne Hathaway for Sony Pictures; The Stepford Wives starring Nicole Kidman for Paramount; Point of Origin for HBO starring Ray Liotta and John Leguizamo; Harlan County, the Golden Globe and triple Emmy nominated movie for Showtime starring Holly Hunter; Three to Tango starring Matt Perry for Warner Brothers & Village Roadshow; and the award winning In The Company Of Spies for Showtime starring Tom Berenger, written by Roger Towne (The Natural) and directed by Tim Matheson (West Wing). Keri recently wrapped production for Netflix’s upcoming Six Triple Eight written and directed by Tyler Perry, starring Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Sam Waterston, and Susan Sarandon. She also has projects set up with The CW, CBS, Sony, 101 Studios, PictureStart, The Tannenbaum Company, and ITV America, and is working with talent including Bryan Cranston, Benicio Del Toro, Scott Derrickson & C Robert Cargill, Anthony Kiedis, Rebecca Miller, Marc Forrester, Bill Collage, Dana Stevens, and Will Gluck, to name a few. Keri is an active member in the philanthropic world and works with a myriad of organizations including: A Sense of Home, Wags and Walks, Oceana and Selig serves on the board of advisors for Children Mending Hearts.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

(Madrid, Spain; Washington, DC)
Senior Executive; Thought Leader; Author; Journalist


Over the past two decades, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon has served as a senior executive and thought leader committed to mobilizing capital to spur innovation, development and decarbonization, and to expanding the way we think about the investable universe.

Prior to MBA study, her career began in media, covering public policy and presidential elections at the ABC News Political Unit and CNN.com. She was on the launch team for “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” She has written three New York Times bestselling books on women transforming their communities amid war; all have been translated into multiple languages. Two of her books are in the Hollywood screen adaptation process. She also has authored pieces for The World Bank, CNN, Fast Company, Foreign Affairs, HBR, and Bloomberg, among others. on the urgency of tapping global talent, including women, to spur economic development. Her first TED Talk, on new models to invest in global entrepreneurs, was a TED Talk of the Day. She has spoken at Harvard Business School, Aspen Ideas Festival, Clinton Global Initiative, the World Bank, the Supreme Allied Command in Europe and Aspen Security Forum, among others.

Currently, Gayle advises funds, founders and philanthropies focused on climate change and energy transition in developed and emerging markets. Gayle consults for a Silicon Valley-based impact fund investing directly in technology ventures at the intersection of emerging markets and climate. These include early-stage companies in West and North Africa whose technologies address climate change. She also is a consultant to The Rockefeller Foundation, focused on catalyzing private sector capital to speed the global transition to decarbonized power systems. Specifically, she is focused on leading private sector engagement for initiatives including the Energy Transition Accelerator, an innovative carbon finance platform aimed at unlocking private funding for the just energy transition in emerging economies. She also develops go-to-market strategies for venture capital-backed, early stage founders in the energy transition space focused on creating new markets for their climate-focused products. This work comes alongside her role as a senior fellow with Mission Possible Partnership, dedicated to decarbonizing the hardest-to-abate sectors.

Earlier in her career, Gayle served on the leadership team at Andreessen Horowitz-backed, early-stage AI companies. She also served in the Executive Office and as an Emerging Markets Product Manager at the financial services firm PIMCO. During the 2008 global financial crisis, she helmed policy analysis for the Executive Committee and the Investment Committee under Mohamed El-Erian and Bill Gross. She also worked for more than a decade as Deputy Director and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, focused on the intersections of finance, climate and economic development. In this capacity she regularly wrote about the urgency of investing in entrepreneurs in developing nations. She also regularly briefed members of Congress and the White House on these topics.

A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Harvard Business School, she is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and the International Center for Research on Women’s advisory council. A Fulbright Scholar and Robert Bosch Fellow, she speaks Spanish, German, conversational French, and is conversant in Dari and Kurmanci.

Dana Stevens

(Los Angeles, CA; Charleston, SC)
Screen writer; Executive Producer; Hollywood; Governor at the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; Sundance Lab

Dana Stevens has had a long career writing features and television. Her most recent film was “The Woman King,” starring Viola Davis and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, for which she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Other films include “Fatherhood,” starring Kevin Hart, “Safe Haven,” “City of Angels,” and “For Love of the Game.” She created and produced “Reckless,” a legal drama for CBS, and “What About Brian,” an ABC series. Dana was recently elected a Governor of the Writers Branch at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and is a frequent advisor at the prestigious Sundance Writing Lab.

Chiara Tilesi

(Florence, Italy; Los Angeles, CA)
Director; screenwriter; producer; activist; Founder of WE DO IT TOGETHER

Chiara Tilesi is an Italian Producer and Director. She has produced the 2023 Academy Award® nominated film “Tell It like a woman”. She is Founder of We Do It Together (WDIT), a 501(c)3 non-profit film production company dedicated to the advancement of women and minorities. In 2018, Chiara also established Frequency Production, a venture focused on creating media that fosters positive societal impact.

 The Academy Award® nominated film, “Tell It Like A Woman” features seven segments helmed by a diverse and internationally renowned group of women filmmakers: Margherita Buy, Cara Delevingne, Jacqueline Fernandez, Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Hudson, Eva Longoria, Pauletta Washington, and Anne Watanabe. Moreover, Chiara took on the role of music video producer for the film’s theme song, “Applause,” composed by Diane Warren and performed by Sofia Carson. The song, which celebrates women’s empowerment, was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 2023 Academy Awards®. 

March 2023 presented WDIT at the UN Nation General Assembly, where she inaugurated the women’s month by hosting a “Tell It Like A Woman” screening in collaboration with UN Women, the Mission of Italy to the United Nations, and governments including the USA, UK, Japan, Chile, and Argentina. 

Chiara’s contributions extend to a multitude of impactful projects, including “All the Invisible Children,” “Teach Me Again,” “Giving Back Generation” (Seasons 1-3), “One Of Us” (Seasons 1- 2), “Be The Subject, Not The Object,” and “The Longevity Revolution,” among others. These undertakings underscore her unwavering dedicaHon to driving social transformation through the medium of film and media. 

Recognized as a Cultural Leader at the 2019 World Economic Forum, Chiara delivered an address titled “The Female Icon” at the organization’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. This speech delved into the disruption of existing paradigms and the capacity of women’s narratives to effect change. Renowned as a compelling public speaker, Chiara has shared her insights and expertise at distinguished global institutions, including TED X WOMEN and the United Nations. Her potent messages of empowerment and societal change have captivated audiences, galvanizing individuals and organizations alike to take affirmative acHon and foster positive change worldwide.

Rachmaninoff and the Tsar

Performed in English with Italian Surtitles

Having safely fled Russia during the 1917 revolution, legendary pianist-composer Sergei V. Rachmaninoff made his home in the United States. In 1942, at the age of 68, he received American citizenship and bought a home in Beverly Hills, but his soul never left Russia. Six months thereafter, a terminal illness brought forth the memory of a long ago encounter with Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II, and the Tsar’s daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia. This  memory would haunt him until the end.

RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR features Sergei Rachmaninoff’s most beloved and enduring compositions including Prelude in C# minor, The 2nd Piano Concerto, The Paganini Variations, Preludes, symphonic selections and more.

With  Hershey Felder as Sergei Rachmaninoff,  for the first time on stage, Felder will appear opposite another artist, British-Italian Jonathan Silvestri in the role of Tsar Nicholas II.

For More Information on Rachmaninoff and the Tsar visit https://RachandtheTsar.com

HERSHEY FELDER

(Sergei Rachmaninoff/Book)

Hershey Felder has recently been named Artistic Director of Florence’s historic Teatro della Signoria as well as Florence’s Teatro Niccolini. Creator and President of FirenzeOnStage, an international theatrical and presentation house in Florence Italy, American Theatre Magazine has said, “Hershey Felder, actor, Steinway Concert Artist and theatrical creator is in a category all his own.” Following 28 years of continuous stage productions and over 6,000 live performances throughout the U.S. and abroad, Hershey Felder created Live from Florence, An Arts Broadcasting Company, based in Florence, Italy, which has produced more than eighteen theatrical films to date. They include the recently-released Noble Genius – Chopin & Liszt; The Assembly; Violetta, the story of Verdi’s Traviata; Dante and Beatrice; Mozart and Figaro in Vienna; the world premiere musicals Nicholas, Anna & Sergei; the story of Sergei Rachmaninoff; Puccini, the story of famed opera composer Giacomo Puccini; Before Fiddler, a musical story about writer Sholem Aleichem; Great American Songs and the Stories Behind Them, Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic, a documentary, and the popular Musical Tales in the Venetian Jewish Ghetto. Two seasons of programming are currently available at www.hersheyfelder.net  with season 3 being launched in spring of 2024. Hershey has given performances of his solo productions at some of the world’s most prestigious theatres and has consistently broken box office records. His shows include George Gershwin Alone (Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre, West End’s Duchess Theatre); Monsieur Chopin; Beethoven; Maestro (Leonard Bernstein); Franz Liszt in Musik, Lincoln: An American Story, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Our Great Tchaikovsky, and A Paris Love Story and Monsieur Chopin. His compositions and recordings include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano; and An American Story for Actor and Orchestra, and the opera IL QUARTO UOMO that premiered in Fiesole, Italy in the summer of 2023 with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Hershey is the adaptor, director, and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music The Pianist of Willesden Lane with Steinway artist Mona Golabek; producer and designer for the musical Louis and Keely: ‘Live’ at the Sahara, directed by Taylor Hackford; and writer and director for Flying Solo, featuring opera legend Nathan Gunn. Hershey has operated a full-service production company since 2001. He has been a scholar-in-residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Rt. Hn. Kim Campbell.

 

Jonathan Silvestri

(Tsar Nicholas II)

Jonathan Silvestri began his career at BAC Youth Theatre in London’s Clapham district later studying with Simon Furness. He is known for his roles in the international television HBO hit series “Borgia” as Cardinal Fonsalida; his recent film with Tim Rozon as a US Marine in “DAKOTA,” the television series “The Young Pope,” “ Dangerous Lies,” “Devils,” “Fangs,” and more. He is a regular on Italian TV, in particular RAI’s ‘Impazienti’ in a starring role with Max Tortora and Enrico Bertolino. Jonathan recently appeared as Eugene Delacroix in Hershey Felder’s feature film Noble Genius-Chopin & Liszt and the feature film “Hey Joe,” with James Franco. A regular on Roman stages, Jonathan’s notable theatre credits include “Closer” by Patrick Marber, “Julius Caesar,” “Our Country’s Good,” and “Chinatown” at the Teatro Manhattan as well as many other productions. He is both an actor specializing in International character accents and he is of British-Roman origin.

Love Letters, A Play

Performed in English with Italian Surtitles

LOVE LETTERS by A.R. Gurney

The story of Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III – their 50 years of love and loss, hopes and dreams, victories and defeats and love. A beloved play performed by many stars over the years, now Florence will have Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy, a couple in real life. Linda, known to audiences for her many television roles and Patrick, television star, beloved by Italian audiences for his role as “Bobby Ewing” in Dallas among many other character roles will be sure to move you. 

Linda Purl 

(Melissa Gardner)
 
Purl is known for her running roles on multiple, iconic television series. Besides being Richie Cunningham’s girlfriend, Fonzie’s fiancée on Happy Days, Matlock’s daughter Charlene Matlock, Pam’s Mom/Steve Carell’s girlfriend on The Office, she has starred in over 45 made-for-TV movies.  Current recurring, After Forever.  Theatre credits (partial listing) Broadway: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Getting and Spending. Off-Broadway, Mr. Toole, The Baby Dance. Westend, The Year of Magical Thinking. UK Bill Kenwright tour of Catch Me If You Can. Over 65 regional productions at such theatres as: Long Wharf, The Old Globe, Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Santa Fe Opera, Cleveland Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, The Lensic Santa Fe, Williamstown Theatre Festival (six seasons); Theatre Princesse Grace, Monaco; Imperial Theatre, Tokyo, Japan; Westend’s The Other Palace. Highlights include, Mame, The Year of Magical Thinking, The Merchant of Venice, The King and I. Partial film: Paul’s Promise, Mighty Joe Young. Upcoming: Hollywood Grit .  Past concert venues include 54 Below, Dizzy’s and Rose all at Lincoln Center Jazz, Birdland, Catalina Jazz Club, Naples Philharmonic, Feinstein’s at Carmichael, Crazy Coqs in London, Club Raye in Paris and Satin Doll in Tokyo. She has performed with the Glenn Miller, Diva Jazz and Orlando Jazz Orchestras and Colorado Springs Symphony. Solo albums include, Midnight Caravan, Up Jumped Spring, Taking a Chance on Love and most recently This Could Be the Start.

Patrick Duffy

(Andrew Makepeace Ladd III)

A celebrated actor who discovered his talent as a young teenager, Patrick Duffy has captivated audiences for 34 years as a familiar face on some of television’s most beloved series. 

Duffy reprised his iconic role as “Bobby Ewing” in the TNT continuation of the 1980’s drama series Dallas.  Duffy was an original cast member of the 1978 series, starring in all 14 seasons. The series was nominated for numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards and won the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite TV Dramatic Program” for three consecutive years from 1980-1982 and again in 1987. In the 2012 series Duffy starred opposite a notable cast including original cast members Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, as well as new cast members Brenda Strong, Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo.  The series aired for three seasons. 

Patrick is the voiceover narrator of the avant-garde 2016 feature film “Hotel Dallas,” which riffs on the series “Dallas” and which was shot in Romania at the Hotel Dallas-a life-size replica of Southfork. The narrative alternates with documentary segments on the role of “Dallas” in Romanian history. The film is currently appearing at various film festivals in the U.S. and abroad.

Duffy was also previously seen on the popular ABC sitcom, Step by Step where he starred as “Frank Lambert,” the husband of Carol Lambert played by Suzanne Somers.  The series, which had a successful run from 1991 to 1998, was set in Port Washington, Wisconsin and was based on the typical situations that arise when two families are brought together under one roof, and as one big stepfamily.  The series was part of ABC’s TGIF lineup. 

Additionally, Duffy has had a longstanding role in the CBS daytime soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, starring as “Stephen Logan.” Since its premiere in 1987, the show has become the most-watched soap in the world, with an audience of an estimated 26.2 million viewers.  Patrick reprised his recurring role in early 2023. Duffy was originally introduced to viewing audiences as the lead character in the sci-fi adventure series, Man From Atlantis starring as “Mark Harris,” who was believed to be the only surviving citizen of the lost civilization of Atlantis. He possessed exceptional gifts, including the ability to breathe underwater and superhuman strength. Harris is recruited by the Foundation for Oceanic Research, a governmental agency that conducts top secret research and explores the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine called the “Cetacean.” In addition, Duffy has made dozens of movies for television and hosted dozens more specials. Other roles have included stints on Freeform’s “The Fosters” and a recurring role on Amazon’s “Welcome to Sweden.” Patrick guest-starred in the ABC series “Station 19” concluding episode of the 2018/19 season, having previously guest-starred on Fox’s “Cool Kids” and ABC’s “American Housewife.” Patrick’s recent work has included guest-starring appearances on CBS’ “All Rise” and “NCIS,” respectively. He also recurred on the recent series for Netflix “On The Verge.” Fall of 2021, Patrick completed the Hallmark movie “Christmas Promise.” For Lifetime, he co-starred in a supporting lead role opposite Linda Purl in “Doomsday Mom,” in 2021. He had appeared the previous Christmas season in Lifetime’s “Once Upon a Main Street.” In September 2023, Patrick completed the key leading supporting role in the Hungarian Made For Television Movie “Rebound.” Patrick plays a recurring role on the BET series “The Family Business,” which completed its fifth season Spring of 2024.

On the big screen, Duffy appeared in the 2010 romantic comedy “You Again” opposite Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis. Duffy played Weaver’s high school sweetheart, “Richie Phillips.”  Patrick is the voiceover narrator of the 2016 avant-garde feature film “Hotel Dallas,” which riffs on the series “Dallas” and which was shot in Romania at the Hotel Dallas-a life-size replica of Southfork. The narrative alternates with documentary segments on the role of “Dallas” in Romanian history. The film played at various film festivals in the U.S. and abroad. He could also be seen in Will Wallace’s directorial debut “Trafficked.”  It is written by Siddharth Kara and stars Ashley Judd, Elizabeth Rohm, Sean Patrick Flannery and Anne Archer.  Inspired by real characters, it follows three young women who are trafficked through an elaborate network and enslaved in a Texas Brothel from which they attempt a daring escape. Patrick appeared in the feature film “April, May And June,” in which he co-starred for director Will Koopman, in Amsterdam, which opened to a fall 2019 European premiere. Patrick has the feature film “Lady of The Manor,” which was directed by and stars Justin Long, currently in release through Lionsgate. He played a supporting role in the independent film noir feature film “L.A. Grit” late Winter of 2024.

As for the stage, Duffy appeared on the West End in London in Art in 2000 and also had a stint in the UK’s traditional Panto. Patrick toured the UK in 2022 in Producer Bill Kenwright’s production of Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert’s hit play, the thriller “Catch Me If You Can,” opposite Linda Purl. He preparation toured the UK late Fall of 2023 in Producer Bill Kenwright’s production of Playwright Reginald Rose’s celebrated play “Twelve Angry Men.”

Klezmerata Fiorentina

SUPERSTARS OF THE ITALIAN MUSICAL SCENE PLAY EASTERN EUROPEAN MUSIC!
 
The Klezmerata Fiorentina was established thirty years ago by Igor Polesitsky, first viola for 40 years of the Maggio Musical Fiorentino Symphony Orchestra. With Polesitsky on violin, Riccardo Crocilla on Clarinet, Francesco Furlanich on accordion and Riccardo Donati on Double Bass, the KLEZMERATA FIORENTINA known throughout the world for their staggering virtuosity and sense of fun will play in their home town and light up the Teatro Niccolini with sounds that will stay with you for a long time!

Klezmerata Fiorentina is a quartet comprised of principal players of one of the leading Italian operatic and symphonic orchestras, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,In 2005, the violinist and violist Igor Polesitsky, clarinetist Riccardo Crocilla, accordionist and bassoonist Francesco Furlanich, and double bass player Riccardo Donati formed the ensemble to explore new ways of creative, unwritten elaboration of authentic Yiddish folk material, the musical heritage of the group’s founder, Igor Polesitsky.

Old traditional melodies, collected in the early twentieth century through the groundbreaking fieldwork of a handful of pioneering ethnomusicologists, are seen in their full emotional complexity and interpreted by Klezmerata as the living voice of a now vanished, European Yiddish civilization.

Since the group’s debut in 2005 at the Progetto Martha Argerich Festival in Lugano, Switzerland, Klezmerata Fiorentina has appeared on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. Of special note are their performances at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Italy, at the Great Hall of Congresses in the Kremlin, Moscow’s Dom Musyki, the Rachmaninov Hall of Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic society, Società di Quartetto in Milan, Amici della Musica in Florence, the Skirball Center in Los Angeles, the Italian Festival delle Nazioni, the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Natalia Gutman’s Kreuth Festival in Germany, the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto, the Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver, the Telavi Festival in the Republic of Georgia, the Summertime Festival in Jurmala (Latvia), etc.

The Italian state broadcasting company RAI, as well as Canadian, Slovenian and Russian television networks, have devoted a number of specials to the group.
Klezmerata Fiorentina’s work has attracted the attention and support of some of the world’s foremost classical music personalities. Zubin Mehta described the ensemble’s art as the “…perfect expression of both joy and sorrow. It is not just great entertainment, it is great music making!”

Boris Giltburg

Titans of the Piano Across Time

Fryderyk Chopin and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Towering Bb Minor Sonatas.

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) revered and performed Fryderyk Chopin’s “Funeral March” Sonata in his performances, and went on to create a mirror of this sonata in his own magnificent sonata in the same key. Played by International piano superstar, Boris Giltburg, this promises to be an evening that takes us traveling through time.

Boris Giltburg, Piano

Boris Giltburg is lauded across the globe as a deeply sensitive, insightful and compelling interpreter. Critics have praised his “singing line, variety of touch and broad dynamic palette capable of great surges of energy” (Washington Post) as well as his impassioned, narrative-driven approach to performance.

Giltburg regularly plays recitals in the world’s most prestigious halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Brussels’ Bozar, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, London’s Southbank Centre and Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Prague’s Rudolfinum and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. Throughout the 2024/25 season, he embarks on a series of eight concerts performing the entire cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas at the Wigmore Hall, all of which will be live-streamed.

Giltburg is widely recognized as a leading interpreter of Rachmaninov: “His originality stems from a convergence of heart and mind, served by immaculate technique and motivated by a deep and abiding love for one of the 20th century’s greatest composer- pianists.” (Gramophone). To celebrate Rachmaninov’s 150th anniversary in 2023, Giltburg released the last disc in his acclaimed Rachmaninov concerto cycle which received a Choc de Classica award and a 5* review in The Times. In recent years Giltburg has engaged in a series of in-depth explorations of other major composers, including Ravel (performing solo works at Bozar, Flagey, the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw and the Wigmore Hall, and concerti with the Orchestre National de France, Brussels Philharmonic and Residentie Orkest) and most recently Chopin, including three recitals at the Wigmore Hall last season.

This season’s Beethoven cycle continues such an exploration as, in 2020 to celebrate the Beethoven anniversary, Giltburg embarked upon a unique project to record and film all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas across the year: “these interpretations are enormously pleasurable and at times revelatory… Giltburg’s pianism is ideally suited to late Beethoven” (five stars, BBC Music Magazine). He also recorded the complete concerti with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, appeared in the BBC TV series Being Beethoven.

Giltburg’s list of orchestral collaborators includes the Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Oslo Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra and Santa Cecilia di Roma. In the 2024/25 season, Giltburg explores concerti by a range of composers: he performs Rachmaninov with the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony and Gulbenkian Orchestra, Prokofiev with Belgian National and Stavanger Symphony, Tchaikovsky with London Philharmonic, Mozart with Hamburger Symphoniker, Shostakovich with Enescu Philharmonic, Bartók with Teatro Colon, and Grieg with Dresden Philharmonic.

Giltburg is a consummate recording artist and has been exclusive to Naxos since 2015, winning the Opus Klassik Award for Best Soloist Recording for Rachmaninov concerti and Etudes Tableaux; a Diapason d’Or for Shostakovich concerti and his own arrangement of Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet; and a Choc de Classica Award for Rachmaninov concerti. He also won a Gramophone Award for the Dvořák Piano Quintet on Supraphon with the Pavel Haas Quartet, as well as a Diapason d’Or and Choc de Classica for their joint release of the Brahms Piano Quintet.

Giltburg feels a strong need to engage audiences beyond the concert hall. His blog “Classical Music for All” is aimed at a non-specialist audience, which he complements with articles in publications such as Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, The Guardian, The Times and Fono Forum.

Rhapsody and the Blues

Rhapsody and the Blues

Featuring International Trumpet Virtuoso Jens Lindemann and
The FIRENZE ALL STAR JAZZ BAND

Music of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Glenn Miller and more!

ARTISTS:

International Trumpet Virtuoso Jens Lindemann With Guest Stars

  • Andrea Tofanelli – Trumpet
  • Hershey Felder – Piano

  • And the FIRENZE ALL STAR JAZZ BAND
    • Andrea Tofanelli – trumpet / tromba
    • Federico Trufelli – trumpet / tromba
    • Francesco Cecchetti – trumpet / tromba
    • Francesco Cangi – trombone
    • Marcello Angeli – trombone
    • Renzo Telloli – alto sax / sax contralto
    • Michele Tino – alto sax / sax contralto
    • Luca Signorini – tenor sax / sax tenore
    • Dario Cecchini – baritone sax / sax baritono
    • Antonino Siringo – piano / pianoforte
    • Guido Zorn – acustic bass / contrabbasso
    • Michele Vannucci – drums / batteria

Featuring a brand new big band arrangement of George Gershwin’s iconic “Rhapsody in Blue” which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

“Jens Lindemann gave a sizzling, high energy performance in the American premiere of the trumpet concerto ‘Dreaming of the Masters’ at Carnegie Hall”
-New York Times

 

Jens Lindemann

As the first classical brass soloist to ever receive the Order of Canada, Jens Lindemann is hailed as one of the most celebrated artists in his instrument’s history and was recently named “International Brass Personality of the Year” (Brass Herald). Jens has played both jazz and classical in every major concert venue in the world: from the Philharmonics of New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Moscow and Tokyo to Carnegie Hall and even the Great Wall of China. His career has ranged from appearing internationally as an orchestral soloist, being featured at the 2010 Olympics for an audience of 2 billion people, national anthems at the Rose Bowl and for the San Francisco Giants on Memorial Day, performing at London’s ‘Last Night of the Proms’, recording with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to playing lead trumpet with the renowned Canadian Brass and a solo Command Performance for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Jens has  also won major awards ranging from Grammy and Juno nominations to winning he prestigious Echo Klassik in Germany and British Bandsman 2011 Solo CD of the year as well as receiving several honorary doctorates.

Classically trained at the renowned Juilliard School in New York and McGill University in Montreal, Jens’ proven ability to perform as a diverse artist places him at the front of a new generation of musicians. He has performed as soloist and recording artist with classical stars such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Angel Romero, Pinchas Zukerman, Doc Severinsen, Charles Dutoit, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue, Bramwell Tovey, Kent Nagano, Lior Shambadal, Boris Brott and Jukka Pekka Saraste. Having recorded for BMG, EMI, CBC and the BBC, Jens is helping to redefine the idea of the concert artist by transcending stylistic genres and the very stereotype of his instrument by performing with “impeccable attacks, agility and amazing smoothness” (The Clarin, Buenos Aires).

A prodigious talent, Jens Lindemann performed as a soloist with orchestras and won accolades at numerous festivals while still in his teens. A prizewinner at numerous jazz and classical competitions including the prestigious ARD in Munich, Jens also placed first, by unanimous juries, at both the Prague and Ellsworth Smith (Florida) International Trumpet Competitions in 1992. Since then, he has performed solos with orchestras including, the
London Symphony, Berlin, Philadelphia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Beijing, Bayersicher Rundfunk, Buenos Aires Chamber, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Montreal, Toronto, National Arts Centre, Vancouver, Warsaw, Mexico City, Costa Rica, Bogota, Welsh Chamber, I Musici de Montreal, St. Louis, and Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center.

Heralded internationally as an outstanding artist, critics have stated: “He played with golden timbre and virtuosic flair” (New York Times)“, “a world-class talent” (Los Angeles Times), “it was one of the most memorable recitals in International Trumpet Guild history” (ITG), “performed brilliantly in the North American premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Concerto with the Toronto Symphony” (Toronto Star), and “he gave the virtuoso highlight of the evening with the Montreal Symphony”.

Based in Los Angeles as Professor with High Distinction at UCLA, Jens is also director of the summer brass program at the Banff Centre in Canada. Jens Lindemann is an international Yamaha artist playing exclusively on 24K gold plated instruments.

I Found My Horn – A Musical Play

Written By Jonathan Guy Lewis and Jasper Rees,
Directed by Harry Burton
Based on Rees’ best selling memoir “I Found My Horn.”

I FOUND MY HORN, musical one man play based on the best selling book by International Journalist JASPER REES and written by JONATHAN GUY LEWIS and JASPER REES, starring JONATHAN as JASPER. The result of a mid-life crisis is that a man finds the French Horn of his youth, and confronts his entire life as he tries to make music once again.

“A WRYLY FUNNY, INFINITELY TOUCHING account of the joys and hazards of making music and confronting one’s private demons. Spectacular!” – Michael Billington, The Guardian

“This musical show provides what’s need in such dark days: the occasional lift out of the humdrum and a shot of pure joy. LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY!” – Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph

“This is A GEM. VIRTUOSO ACTING full of humour, and a passion for music. Lewis fills the house with the feeling that if music be the food of love, it must also be the food of life.” – John Peter, The Sunday Times

Jonathan Guy Lewis

(Playwright/Jasper)

Jonathan Guy Lewis has worked extensively as an actor, writer, director, teacher, mentor and coach for over thirty years and has won a number of awards for his work. An ex-army scholar, he has a degree from Exeter University in Politics & Society and is a graduate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Whilst there he adapted and performed a highly acclaimed one-man musical, ‘Skylark’, which he subsequently performed with the National Student Theatre Company. After leaving Drama School he worked in Repertory Theatres up and down the country, including Harrogate, Colchester, Leeds, York. Plays included ‘She Stoops to Conquer’,  ‘Colours’, ‘London Assurance’, ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’, ‘How The other Half Loves’. He then joined the NT and was in the production of ‘Peer Gynt’ directed by Declan Donnellan as well as helping to develop a number of projects at the NT Studio. He went on to play Gerald Croft in Stephen Daldry’s highly acclaimed production of ‘An Inspector Calls’ at The Aldwych Theatre in The West End. He toured the US with a production of ‘Hamlet’ and appeared in Derby Playhouse and Hampstead Theatre’s European premiere of Andrew Bovell’s ‘Speaking in Tongues’ as well as Neil Simon’s ‘Gingerbread Lady’ with Lesley Joseph. Another highlight was acting alongside Rob Lowe and Suranne Jones in the West End premiere of Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway hit which subsequently became the movie ‘A Few Good Men’ at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He also starred in Ayckbourn’s ‘Absent Friends’ at Watford Palace, and ‘Protest’, ‘Mountain Hotel’, and ‘Green Wash’, all at the Orange Tree in Richmond as well as ‘Myth, Propaganda, and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America’, by the Australian playwright Stephen Sewell. Further productions at Hampstead include ‘Alphabetical Order’ and ‘Elephants’, and ‘Perfect Pitch’ at The Soho Theatre. Since then, he has played Eddie Carbone in a National Tour of ‘A View from The Bridge’ for The Touring Consortium, directed by Steve Unwin. And Dr John Hall in Peter Whelan’s ‘The Herbal Bed’, directed by James Dacre, originating in Northampton and then a UK tour. He also starred in a production of his play, ‘The Be All & End All’ at York Theatre Royal and on tour. It was directed by Damian Cruden.

Back in the late 90’s, his regular television roles made him a familiar face on the small screen. They included Sgt Chris McCleod in ‘Soldier, Soldier’, and Station Officer Chris Hammond in ‘London’s Burning’, both for ITV. Whilst starring as Ian Bentley inCoronation Street, over twenty million viewers tuned in to see bride-to-be, Sharon’s (Tracie Bennett) attack on Ian at the alter! He was then seen as Ray Winstone’s brother-in-law in the series for Granada, ‘Vincent’. Other television credits include, ‘Skins Redux’, ‘Endeavour’, ‘Desperados’, ‘Silent Witness’, ‘Sea Of Souls’, ‘Holby’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Inspector Morse’, ‘Peak Practice’, and ‘The Governor’. His most recent television appearance will be in the forthcoming reboot of the classic UK detective series Bergerac.

His first play as a writer was ‘Our Boys’. Based on his own experiences of being invalided out of the military, it won The Writers’ Guild Award for Best New Fringe Play, and he was named as the TAPS new Television Writer of The Year, as well as being nominated for The Lloyds Bank Playwright of The Year. His other work includes ‘A Comedy of Arias’ at The Pleasance, Edinburgh and as part of ‘A Pick Of The Fringe’ season at The New Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End, as well as his own play ‘All Mouth’ at The Menier Chocolate Factory. He wrote and directed ‘Pitch Perfect’ at Soho Theatre, and again at Tristan Bates, and a further production at The Tabard, as well as writing and performing in ‘My First Trainers’, also at The Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden. He has also freely adapted a German play, ‘Rock and A Hard Place’, which he directed at The Tristan Bates Theatre and at the Brighton Fringe Festival. More recently he co-wrote ‘I Found My Horn’ which he has performed all over the world – from London’s Hampstead Theatre and The West End to theatres and festivals in Buxton, Bridport, Ludlow, and in Copenhagen, Lisbon, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Bangalore, Zurich, Toronto, New York, LA and The Laguna Beach Playhouse. He has also directed ‘The Club’ by David Williamson and Chris England’s hit, ‘Breakfast with Johnny Wilkinson’ also at The Menier Chocloate Factory and at the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as Chris England’s comedy ‘Twitstorm’ at The Park Theatre. He has also written for television, including primetime dramas for Granada, Carlton, LWT, Pearson and The BBC as well as writing and directing a number of short films.

 

Jasper Rees

(Playwright) Jasper Rees is a journalist who has written regularly for many newspapers and magazines, principally about arts, books and entertainment. On Saturdays in the 1990s he moonlighted as a football reporter, culminating in his first book, a biography of Arsène Wenger. His next book, Blizzard: Race to the Pole, was about the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. I Found My Horn: One Man’s Struggle with the Orchestra’s Most Difficult Instrument (published as A Devil to Play in the US) was followed by Bred of Heaven: One Man’s Quest to Reclaim His Welsh Roots. Both were abridged as a Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4. More recently he wrote Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood, and edited an anthology of her archival treasures in Victoria Wood Unseen on TV. He is also the biographer of Florence Foster Jenkins. The stage version of I Found My Horn, co-adapted with Jonathan Guy Lewis, is his only play.

Harry Burton

(Director)

Harry Burton is an actor, director, teacher, coach, writer and film-maker. As an actor he has played many Shakespearean roles at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park. He created roles in theatrical world premieres by Noël Coward & Harold Pinter. As a director his West End revival of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter won many awards. His West End directing credits also include the world première of Barking in Essex by Clive Exton. On TV he directed the acclaimed Channel 4 documentary Working With Pinter. He also co-produced the Emmy-winning documentary A Thousand Years of Joy, about the late American poet, mythologist and activist Robert Bly. Last year his London production of I Found My Horn transferred from the White Bear Theatre to Riverside Studios. Harry regularly directs and teaches internationally at various universities and drama schools.  His recent acting work includes Bob Marley: One Love and FBI International. Harry lives in London with his wife, and has recently become a grandfather for the first time.

Francesco Libetta

Program:

  • F. Liszt (1811-1886), C. F. Gounod (1818-1893)
    • Valse de l’Opéra Faust de Gounod     À Monsieur le Baron Alexis des Michels
  • F. F. Chopin (1810-1849)
    • Etudes op. 25 n. 1, 2, 5, 8, 12.    à Madame la Comtesse d’Agoult
    • Berceuse op. 57.    à Mademoiselle Elise Gavard
    • Valzer
      • op. 64 n. 1.    à Madame la Comtesse Delphine Potocka
      • op. 64 n. 2.    à Madame la Baronne Nathaniel de Rothschild
      • op. 64 n. 3.    à Madamoiselle la Comtesse Catherine Branicka
    • Scherzo op. 31.    à Mademoiselle la Comtesse Adèle de Fürstenstein
  • van Beethoven (1770-1827)
    • Sonata Op. 109.    dem Fräulein Maximiliana Brentano gewidmet
  • Ravel (1875-1935)
    • Jeux d’eau.    à mon cher Maitre Gabriel Fauré
    • La Valse.    à Misia Sert

Francesco Libetta

For the New York Times Libetta is “Poet-aristocrat with the profile and carriage of a Renaissance prince,” while for Le Monde de la Musique “l’éritier des Moritz Rosenthal, des Busoni et des Godowsky,” and for Corriere della Sera “a lordliness we thought lost in the archives of piano performance.” D’Avalos dedicated all his solo piano pieces to him, and Paolo Isotta called him “the greatest living pianist.” He has made piano integrals of Beethoven, Händel, Chopin, Godowsky, Paisiello, Bosso; he has released recordings of Schumann, Liszt, Ligeti, Ravel, Debussy. His recordings are multi-awarded by Diapason, Le Monde de la Musique, Classique, Amadeus among many others. He has collaborated with conductors such as Pappano, Andreae, Mandeal and artists such as Sollima, Caterina Antonacci, Devia, Italian actors such as Boni, Laurito, Preziosi, Marchini, dancers such as Carla Fracci and founded the dance group Corerofonie. After studying composition with Marinuzzi in Rome and Castérède in Paris, he wrote music for theater, cinema, acousmatic, chamber, symphonic, and the opera L’Assedio di Otranto, staged in Puglia and Rome and published on CD. “Libetta composer is poet doctus,” Isotta wrote, enshrining the profile of one of the world’s most esteemed and versatile Italian artists, from conducting to working as a musical essayist, director of visual art and in turn starring in documentaries by Monsaingeon and Battiato, after teaching at the Miami Piano Festival and now in Martina Franca with the Grassi Foundation, Libetta is Steinway Artist.

MUSICA&… | Musica Differenziata

TETRAKTIS PERCUSSIONI

“Playing with an empty can is fun for every self-respecting child.”

Objects often have more than one use. A bag can become a mask or a balloon, an empty can can be a ball or a maraca, a sheet of paper turns into an airplane.

Taking inspiration from this simple truth, we want to address a very current issue, such as the separate collection of waste, focusing on a particular topic that characterizes our research: SOUND.

We start from the concept that every material has its own sound. Each of us surely notices this when we go to throw empty bottles into the glass bin (just to evoke a sound that remains impressed). But it’s not just glass that sounds! Wood sounds, plastic sounds, paper sounds, iron sounds, and if we think about it, organic matter sounds too.

Percussionists know well that every material has its own sound: in the infinite percussion instrumentarium, there are instruments made from all possible materials (or almost). And every object can become an instrument on which to create RHYTHM.

The ever-growing attention of society towards the problem of waste, its excessive production, and the way to reuse it concerns all sectors of the economic and social fabric of all continents of the earth, but it is in the West that, at the beginning of the 20th century, people began to worry and seek political, economic, and cultural solutions to this problem.

On one side, politicians, scientists, and economists seek practical solutions, on the other, the world of education, philosophers, and artists with their works contribute to the development of a collective consciousness around the topic.

It is on the basis of these brief considerations and the attention to “sound” and “rhythm” that the idea of ​​creating a project that addresses this topic from a musical point of view was born.

The project includes six sections distinguished by the materials used. The selected music comes from the modern and contemporary repertoire (Steve Reich, John Cage,) and from popular traditions of the world that use everyday objects as instruments.

TETRAKTIS PERCUSSIONI

  • Gianni Maestrucci
  • Laura Mancini
  • Leonardo Ramadori
  • Gianluca Saveri
  • REICH: Music for pieces of wood
  • PIVAK: Music for paper bags
  • CAGE: Living Room Music
  • SAVERI: Cucchiai
  • RAMADORI: Tubi n. 2
  • CAGE: Third Construction
  • SOLLIMA: Millennium Bug
  • TRADIZIONALE: Batuquada

Hershey Felder’s Great American Songbook Sing-Along

Internationally-acclaimed pianist and performer Hershey Felder takes the stage for one night only with his Great American Songbook Sing-Along. For this special musical event, Felder will share stories and lead the audience through 100 years of American music, featuring a selection of songs by beloved composers including Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and many more.