Arts Interview With Nancy Kranzberg

Stéphane Denève, Music Director of SLSO, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the goings on at the symphony. ------ Stéphane Denève is Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, and from 2023 will also be Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. He recently concluded terms as Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic, and previously served as Chief Conductor of Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR) and Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. ------  Recognised internationally for the exceptional quality of his performances and programming, Stéphane Denève regularly appears at major concert venues with the world’s greatest orchestras and soloists. He has a special affinity for the music of his native France, and is a passionate advocate for music of the 21st century. ------ 

Lyah LeFlore-Ituen, President and CEO of The Arts and Education Council, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the happenings at the organization. Lyah B. LeFlore-Ituen serves as President and CEO of the Arts and Education Council. In this role she oversees all institutional matters including fundraising and grant making. ------ She is a bestselling author, television and film producer, and music supervisor.  As a 30 year entertainment veteran she has worked at Nickelodeon, Uptown Records/Entertainment, Wolf Films/Universal, and ran Alan Haymon Development for over a decade.  LeFlore has also written eight critically-acclaimed books.  She is the co-founder and executive director of the literary arts-based nonprofit, The Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation/Creative Arts and Expression Laboratory, which honors LeFlore’s late mother, St. Louis Poet Laureate Emeritus, and 2Leaf Press author, Shirley Bradley Price LeFlore.

As Vice Provost and University Librarian, Mimi Calter oversees Washington University Libraries and its staff of expert librarians, curators, and archivists. She is charged with strengthening print and digital collections; developing programming in support of research, teaching, and learning; and collaborating with scholars on- and off-campus. ------  Before joining Washington University in September 2021, Calter worked at Stanford Libraries for 16 years. During her time there, Calter helped develop the libraries’ $84 million budget, lead its 400-person staff, expand digital technologies and repositories, and manage capital projects, including relocation of the second-largest campus library and development of the David Rumsey Map Center. ------  Calter earned her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania and graduate degrees in business administration and library and information science from Drexel University. ------ 

Sue Greenberg, Executive Director for VLAA, stopped by to talk about the organization and its works. St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA) supports the creative community by providing free legal and accounting assistance and a wide variety of affordable educational programs. They serve artists of every discipline and career level, nonprofit cultural organizations and small arts-related businesses. Their organization enhances the region’s cultural fabric and offers volunteer opportunities. ---- About VLAA: Their volunteer accountants and lawyers donate their time and expertise to help their appreciative clients navigate the complicated world of finance and law. VLAA also provides information and skills training designed to help the creative community develop sound business practices and protect their rights. ----- Founded in 1982 by St. Louis University School of Law and the city’s Arts and Humanities Commission, VLAA is housed in the High Low in Grand Center. Our primary service area

About the New Jewish Theatre: The New Jewish, St. Louis’ Premier Small Professional Theatre, is dedicated to the exploration of universal themes and issues and the examination of the full range of the human experience filtered through the lens of the Jewish experience. Through the medium of theater, we build bridges of multicultural understanding, tolerance, communication and education. ——— About Rebekah Scallet: Rebekah served as the Producing Artistic Director for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, an Equity summer Shakespeare festival, from 2011 to 2020.  During that time, she produced 32 plays and musicals, directed eight, and oversaw the creation of 2020’s “Revisiting Shakespeare,” an online festival celebrating and investigating Shakespeare and his work’s role and relevance today. ——- Notable accomplishments during her time at AST include: more than doubling AST’s audience size; expanding the performance season by one week; establishing a hugely successful educational touring program; and founding the AS

David Brinker, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, stopped by to talk with Nancy about the museum as well as the current exhibition by Jordan Eagles and a selection of works from the MOCRA collection through December 18th. About MOCRA: Through exhibitions, collections and educational programs, MOCRA highlights and explores the ways contemporary visual artists engage the religious and spiritual dimensions. MOCRA serves the diverse Saint Louis University community, and the wider public, by facilitating personal discovery, experience and inspiration, while contributing to a wider culture of interfaith encounter and dialogue. About: Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE The 2017 auction sale of a purported Leonardo da Vinci painting prompts a consideration of the value systems of art, religion and healthcare. Whose lives, experiences and stories are acknowledged and valued, in what contexts and by whom?

Bree Maniscalco, Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the happenings at the organization. Although she had no formal training in film, Bree's lifelong love of film, moved her to volunteer at Cinema St. Louis. She later became a board member, a staff member, and was recently named Executive Director. SLIFF (St. Louis International Film Festival), Cinema St. Louis' flagship festival runs this year from November 3rd through 13th. In addition to SLIFF, Cinema St. Louis also has educational programs, as well as hosting other festivals/events throughout the year including the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, QFest St. Louis, and the Classic French Film Festival among others.

Helen Turner, Director of Education and Interpretation, for the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the happenings at the Museum. ------ The newest version of the museum opens November 2nd 2022. ------ Helen Turner, originally from England, was moved at a young age to study the Holocaust, thinking to herself, "This is a story that must be told and remembered." ------ She says what she hopes people will take away from the museum, is not only a sense of the history, but to be inspired to make changes in their own life. ------  Also discussed are the various exhibitions and educational programs. ------   

Rick Erwin, Creative Director at the City Museum, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the Museum and its offerings.  Rick Erwin, describes the City Museum as a "constantly evolving sculpture," or as the world's largest game of "Chutes and Ladders." Both educational and entertaining, the museum is located at 750 North 16th street in downtown St. Louis, and features, tunnels, an aquarium, several restaurants and bars, a ferris wheel on the roof, a circus, and many other attractions. The city museum celebrates its 25th birthday in October.       

Jody Sowell, new President and CEO, at the Missouri Historical Society, stopped by to speak to Nancy about his new job at the MHS and about some of the exhibitions at the History Museum. Though newly appointed as president, Jody Sowell has been working for the MHS for 16 years. Some of the topics covered include the St. Louis Sound Exhibit, as well as the Coloring STL exhibit at the History Museum.

The multi facets of Rich O'Donnell span 65 years as percussionist, improvisor, composer, designer and builder of percussion and electronic instruments, teacher and writer.   He was director of the Electronic Music Studio at Washington University from 1980-2018. He has encouraged and facilitated the growth of independent contemporary music in the community for 49 years as music director of the St. Louis New Music Circle, which he left in 2009.  He retired in 2002 after 43 years as principal percussionist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, he co-founded HEARding Cats Collective, an artists collective working to keep St. Louis strange and wonderful.

Chris Pieman, Director of Advancement for The Sheldon, and Laurel Wacyk, Director of Education, stopped by to talk with Nancy about the happenings at the Sheldon, and the various educational programs. The Sheldon hosts over 350 events each year. Artists like Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, José Carreras, Herbie Hancock, Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Wynton Marsalis, Judy Collins and Renée Fleming have all performed on their stage. And over 300 exhibits have shown in the Sheldon's galleries since 1998. They also present a wide range of educational programs for schools serving over 30,000 St. Louis-area students each year, and they host hundreds of weddings, community events and other celebrations in their event spaces.        

Lee Anne Mathews, Artistic Director of The Westport Playhouse, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her career as an actor and director, as well as her new position at the playhouse. ---- The Westport Playhouse is an intimate 240 seat theater in Westport Plaza, that holds all kinds of events including concerts  theater pieces, and more. ------ Upcoming events include "Songs for Ukraine" on September 17th, The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Flustered Mustard, Haunted Garage Horror Fest, and Shakey Deal: A Tribute to Neil Young. ------    

Bob Bennett, Artistic Director of Jazz St. Louis, stopped by to talk with Nancy about the happenings of this jazz institution. ------ For over 25 years, Jazz St. Louis has been the foremost presenter of jazz in St. Louis and throughout the region. We are dedicated to preserving the legacy of this musical genre. Hundreds of local and nationally renowned musicians, such as Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Harry Connick, Jr. and Al Jarreau have graced our stage. Our state-of-the-art Ferring Jazz Bistro has earned praise from artists and patrons alike as one of the best listening rooms in the country. Year after year, Jazz St. Louis strives to be the leader in showcasing unique and diverse jazz performers and preserves the shared cultural heritage embodied in jazz music through our educational programs. ------  

Gina Grafos, Director and Chief Curator of Visual and Literary Arts for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, stopped by to talk with Nancy about the happenings at the Kranzberg venues and galleries. Topics include Music at the Intersection, Exhibitions at the Dark Room Gallery, High Noon at the Hi Lo, and more. ——  

Poet and Kranzberg Resident, Lizzy Petersen, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her life and poetry. ------  Lizzy Petersen is a poet from St. Louis, MO, where she works in public media and directs a student-run, after-school literary magazine, OutsideLitMag.com, through a partnership with St. Louis Public Schools. Her poetry has recently appeared in or is forthcoming in December, Image, Ninth Letter, Pinch, and Southern Humanities Review, among others.  She has been recognized for her writing by the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission’s Artist Support Grant, the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s Interchange Fellowship, the River Pretty Poetry Scholarship, and the Dairy Hollow Writers Residency, and she was a 2019-20 Community Arts Training fellow at St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. She currently serves as a contributing editor for $: Poetry is Currency and has previously served as the Managing Editor of River Styx and Co-Poetry Editor for Sycamore Review at Purdue University, where she received her MFA in Poe

Dana Turkovic, Curator at Laumeier Sculpture Park, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the new exhibition, "Forest Through The Trees," which opens August 27th and runs through December 11, 2022.  About "Forest Through The Trees": In art and in poetry, the beauty and power of trees is an alluring subject matter with infinite possibilities. The exhibition Forest Through the Trees pulls together a group of artists whose observations range from representation through landscape to conceptual experimentation where the tree is treated as both subject and object. The exhibition also incorporates works from Laumeier’s permanent collection that utilize trees, expanding the theme to our outdoor galleries. ------ As a sculpture park focused on the conversation between art and nature, the works on view operate in harmony with and in reference to the natural landscape, both organic and manicured. Rather than viewed as a backdrop, the tree as a symbol of nature is respected and revered. Each of the artists in the exhibitio

Chris Hansen, Executive Director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, stopped by to talk about the upcoming Music at the Intersection, which happens September 10th and 11th in the Grand Center Arts District. -----  Music at the Intersection is a civic-led effort presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. First held in 2021, the festival tells the story of St. Louis’ musical, cultural and artistic heritage. It celebrates the city’s imprint on the American songbook, the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River sister cities, and the musical genres that have been birthed and fostered locally. Music at the Intersection gives a spotlight to national acts as well as St. Louis-based musicians across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, & rock and roll.————

Matthew Kerns, President & Artistic Director of St Lou Fringe, stopped by to talk about this year's festival, which runs August 15 through 21 at venues throughout the Grand Center Arts District. ------  Matthew is a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts award-winning educator, critically acclaim theatre performance artist featured in American Theatre Magazine, and a 2020 St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leaders Award recipient. ———   Matthew has been an Executive Producer, Director, and Artistic Director for Off-Loop Theatre [Chicago], Off-Broadway Theatre [New York], Reparatory Theatre [California], Regional Theatre [Iowa, Missouri, Colorado] and Educational Theatre [Chicago, California, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri]. ——   Matthew’s artistic portfolio includes original performances [Xmas Carol, Chicken, Life in the Fastlane], Immersive events [Gay Fantasia, Home], and standard plays and musicals [Noises Off, For Colored Girls…, Frost/ Nixon] ———   Students that have trained with Matthew h

Hana Sharif, the Augustin Family Artistic Director for The Rep, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her career and the upcoming season. HANA SHARIF (Augustin Family Artistic Director) has enjoyed a multi-faceted theatre career, including roles as an artistic leader, director, playwright and producer with a specialty in strategic and cross-functional leadership. She served for five years as Associate Artistic Director at Baltimore Center Stage, where she oversaw the day-to-day execution of all of the mainstage and studio productions, and was the architect of the innovative CS Digital program: a platform that pushes the boundaries of traditional theatre and looks at the nexus point between art and technology. Her other achievements at Baltimore Center Stage include prototyping the Mobile Unit, strengthening community engagement, producing multiple world and regional premieres and helping to guide the theatre through a multi-million dollar building renovation and rebranding effort. In 2012, Hana served as the i