Words Spoken, Words Sung: An Evening with Ricky Ian Gordon

“Words Spoken, Words Sung: An Evening with Ricky Ian Gordon,” Friday, November 20, 5:30pm: Describing Hermitage Fellow Ricky Ian Gordon’s work, The New York Times wrote, “If the music of Ricky Ian Gordon had to be defined by a single quality, it would be the bursting effervescence in fusing songs that blithely blur the lines between art song and the high-end Broadway music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim… it’s caviar for a world gorging on pizza.” Gordon’s songs have been recorded by some of the best singers in the world, including Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara, and many more. His works have been performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, and he has collaborated with Hermitage Fellows Lynn Nottage and Mark Campbell, among many other notable playwrights and librettists. Gordon is also known for setting the literary work of contemporary poets and writers such as Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Parker, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, to music for his song collections. In this program, Hermitage Fellow Thea Lobo and five Sarasota Opera Resident Artists will perform selections of this iconic composer’s songs, and Gordon will share insight into his artistic practice in the beautiful bayfront setting of Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point. Presented in partnership with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Sarasota Opera. Ricky Ian Gordon’s Hermitage Residency is generously sponsored by Steve & Dale Adler. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org ($5/person registration fee). Estimated running time: 60-70 minutes; Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point, 401 North Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229