Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Our special Songs of Summer series explores some of the most covered songs of all time in any genre! Join us for coffee and discussion as we dive deep into a song’s historical and cultural context, learning about the song’s original composers and the story behind its creation. We’ll listen to the music and lyrics, seeking to try and answer the question: what makes this song great? Finally, we’ll explore different interpretations of the song and discover how great artists can truly make a song uniquely their own.
First appearing in Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 Broadway musical A Little Night Music, “Send in the Clowns” became a popular pop hit after being recorded by both Frank Sinatra that same year, as well as Judy Collins in 1975.
An extraordinary masterpiece that blends music and lyric, the song explores the ironies and disappointments of life as the character Desirée realizes her regret in turning down marriage years earlier from her lover Fredrik, who now as they’ve rekindled their romance with an affair, will not leave his much younger wife for her. Join us as we explore the complexity of this emotional arc that is quintessential Sondheim, and why the song resonates so much beyond the original story itself. We’ll also glean an insight from Sondheim himself about his creative process, shedding light on why he remains a giant in musical theatre as a songwriter.
Instructor
Josh Condon
As a pianist equally adept in the genres of jazz, pop, and classical, Josh Condon has served as music director/supervisor for over 40 musical theatre productions, in addition to leading concerts with symphony orchestras, choirs, jazz ensembles, and pop/rock bands. He has traveled the world as a music director and pianist for the Norwegian, Celebrity, and Princess Cruise Lines where he worked with numerous Broadway and West End performers.
Currently, Josh serves as Resident Artist and Director of Community Music Programs for Arizona Musicfest in Scottsdale, an organization which features concert performances of the music industry’s top talent. In addition to serving as Assistant Conductor for the Musicfest Festival Orchestra, he lectures on topics surveying a huge breadth of music history and analysis, including popular song, symphonic repertoire, jazz performance practice, musical theatre, and everything in between.
He also serves as Assistant Conductor for the North Valley Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as Guest Conductor with the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, the Scottsdale Philharmonic, and the Arizona Musical Theatre Orchestra. Josh is passionate about using flexibility, positivity, and encouragement to create spaces where all can learn and perform to their best ability. He holds a BM in Jazz Studies from Ithaca College and an MM in Musical Theatre/Opera Music Direction from Arizona State University, and resides in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Lexy, their son Arlo, and their cat Sadie.