February 16, 2021 – 7pm Eastern

Dive into the Great American Songbook this winter with performances celebrating Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim, and a new five-class online course taught by Rob Kapilow exploring George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Richard Rodgers and Leonard Bernstein.

Virtual performance filmed in Merkin Hall.
Hosted by Rob Kapilow and featuring Sally Wilfert & Michael Winther

The witty and urbane Cole Porter joyfully pushed the envelope of musical theater in the 1920s, 30s and 40s with ultra-sophisticated, often risqué songs banned by the censors and adored by theatergoers. Unlike most of the 20th century’s great songwriters, Porter grew up in a world of unbelievable wealth and privilege that included Yale, Harvard and astonishingly lavish travel. Yet beneath his socially perfect public persona was a hidden private life that influenced nearly all of his music and lyrics. Broadway stars Sally Wilfert and Michael Winther join Rob Kapilow for a musical tour through Porter’s extraordinary life and career, as they take a fresh look at Porter’s complex highbrow/lowbrow sensibility in the classic songs “You’re the Top,” “Night and Day,” “All Through the Night” and “Begin the Beguine.”