Pianist Jacqueline Schwab. Photo courtesy Pasadena Senior Center
Pasadena Senior Center is launching a new master series dedicated to the folk songs of America, starting on Tuesday, October 20.
Pianist Jacqueline Schwab, noted for her work on the soundtracks to many of Ken Burns’ award-winning documentaries, will host this two-part series, “Folk Songs of America,” that will take place two Tuesdays in a row.
Schwab plays “gorgeously spare piano,” according to The Boston Globe, yet “sounds as if she has an orchestra at her fingertips,” says Sing Out. Chosen by Ken Burns for numerous public television documentaries due to the emotional expression in her playing, she has performed on the soundtracks for the Grammy award-winning “Civil War,” the Emmy award-winning “Baseball” and “Mark Twain,” among others.
She performed at the White House for President Clinton in 1997 to celebrate Burns’ “Lewis and Clark” series and also at the Smithsonian in 2000 to celebrate its exhibition on the Presidency. In May, 2009, she accompanied Scottish singer Jean Redpath, on “Late Show with David Letterman.”
“Mark Twain’s America” takes place on October 20, when vintage American “heart songs” and dance tunes for piano celebrates Stephen Foster “Heart Songs,” brooding Irish airs and rousting Scottish fiddle tunes, side by side with soulful African-American spirituals, Civil War songs, Tin Pan Alley ragtime tunes and classical music.
Tuesday, October 27, is “Lift My Lamp,” celebrating America’s immigrants, their vibrant spirit of community music-making, and their multicultural contributions to the American heritage. Schwab will perform music out of her own experience, from the British Isles, Western and Eastern Europe, the African-American community, the Caribbean and South America, along with Tin Pan Alley American standards.
“Folk Songs of America” will be on from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuition for the two lectures is $25 for Pasadena Senior Center members and $30 for non-members.
To register, visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org/the-masters-series-lifelong-learning-cv19.
