Kerrytown Concert House is honored to bring back the enormously popular lecture series, The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? featuring the incomparable Brent Wagner (University of Michigan Emeritus Professor of Musical Theatre) with pianist Tyler Driskill (U-M Asst. Prof of Musical Theatre).

Exploring Stephen Sondheim’s work is a natural ‘sequel’ to our Rodgers and Hammerstein presentation, since Oscar Hammerstein was Sondheim’s teacher and mentor. With Sondheim’s passing just 4 years ago, major revivals and re-assessments are proliferating, as we all appreciate anew Sondheim’s monumental achievements. He was surely the most impactful and inventive writer since Oscar Hammerstein himself.

Part One: Sondheim’s early years, including his work with composers Jule Styne (Gypsy), Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story), and Richard Rodgers (Do I Hear a Waltz?), along with his scores for the madcap farce A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and the zany, eccentric Anyone Can Whistle. All of these were leading to his 1970 landmark, Company.