- Lotte Lehmann Foundation
The
Lotte Lehmann Foundation, named for the great Germansoprano active in the first half of the twentieth century, serves to preserve and perpetuate her legacy, and to honor her dream of bringingart song into the lives of as many people as possible.Gary Hickling , the founder of the Lehmann Foundation, met Lehmann in the early sixties, observing first the private lessons she gave at Orplid, her home in Santa Barbara, and later, hermaster classes at theMusic Academy of the West [http://www.musicacademy.org] , which she helped found in 1947. Hickling became a noted expert on Lehmann’s career and work, compiling an official Lehmann discography in 1987. He continued to compile and collect material and memorabilia relating to Lehmann’s career, which now forms a significant part of the Lotte Lehmann Archive in Santa Barbara. The Foundation’s precursor, the Lotte Lehmann League, published anewsletter from 1989-1994. In the early years of its existence, Hickling was solely responsible for maintaining the Foundation, operations of which were transferred fromHawaii toNew York City in 2003. The composerDaron Hagen [http://www.daronhagen.com] was chosen as the newly-configured Foundation’s president, and an entirely newBoard of Directors was chosen at that time. Hickling retired from the Foundation in 2005 and remains an emeritus member of the Board of Directors.The Lehmann Foundation is now one of the most highly-respected non-profit musical foundations in the United States. Its activities include two competitions, the first of which, the internet-based CyberSing vocal competition [http://www.lottelehmann.org/llf/programs/cybersing/about.html] occurs every two years and solicits recordings from singers the world over. Entrants submit recordings of appropriate literature, including a song written expressly for the competition by a distinguished composer. Such songs have been contributed in past years by
Ned Rorem [http://www.nedrorem.com] ,Libby Larsen [http://www.libbylarsen.com] andDan Welcher [http://www.danwelcher.com] . Winners are chosen solely on the basis of their recorded submissions. Laureates of the 2006 competition include sopranosDebra Stanley andDanielle Talamantes [http://www.danielletalamantes.com] and baritoneAndrew Garland [http://www.andrewgarland.com] .The
ASCAP [http://www.ascap.com/index.html] /Lotte Lehmann Foundation Song Cycle Competition [http://www.lottelehmann.org/llf/programs/ascapllf] , which occurs in alternating years with CyberSing, solicits compositions by young composers resident in or native of the United States; winners receive commissions to compose individual songs or, in the case of the First Prize recipient, a song cycle. Winners of the 2005 competition includeScott Gendel andMark Buntag . Gendel’s prize-winning commission, thesong cycle "The Space Between" was published byE.C. Schirmer [http://www.ecspublishing.com] and premiered by sopranoMartha Guth [http://www.gossageartists.com/martha.html] and pianistBradley Moore on 24 February 2007 at theBruno Walter auditorium in New York under the auspices of theJoy in Singing Foundation .VoxNova Media [http://www.voxnovamedia.com] comprises another important aspect of the Foundation’s activities. The mission of this division is to produce media in a variety of forms, including audio recordings, video recordings, printed materials. VNM will reissue historical audio recordings by Lehmann and her colleagues, present new recordings of contemporary vocal repertoire and of the vocal art of contemporary interpreters, and develop and distribute scholarly resources and educational materials relevant to cultivating the vocal art in which Lotte Lehmann’s legacy lives on. Its first major print publication, critical editions of
mélodies byLadislas de Rohozinski [http://pages.videotron.com/leliwa] andBlanche Selva [http://www.blanche-selva.com] , among others, edited by distinguished Frenchtenor and Board MemberDamien Top , will be available on the VoxNova website as well as through music publisherE.C. Schirmer [http://www.ecspublishing.com] .In addition to these programs and activities, the Foundation presents an annual World of Song Award [http://www.lottelehmann.org/llf/programs/worldofsong] which alternates among composers, singers, and collaborative pianists and serves to recognize those who have devoted their creative lives to this enriching form of music. Its most recent recipient is
John Wustman , the distinguished American collaborative pianist and educator; previous recipients include composersDominick Argento [http://www.boosey.com/pages/cr/composer/composer_main.asp?composerid=2691] andNed Rorem [http://www.nedrorem.com] ,pianist sDalton Baldwin andGraham Johnson [http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artist_page.asp?name=johnson] ,tenor Hugues Cuénod andbaritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau [http://www.andante.com/profiles/DFD/biography.cfm] . The Foundation also publishes SongScape, a biannual newsletter, edited by Board MemberCraig Urquhart [http://www.craigurquhart.com] and featuring news of the Foundation’s activities. The Foundation continues to expand its programs and in future will sponsormaster class es andart song recital s.A full description of the Foundation, its Board Members and its various programs, as well as archival material on
Lotte Lehmann herself, is available on the [http://www.lottelehmann.org Foundation’s website] .
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