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Are you a senior who wants to make the arts part of your life?
Cultural Connections provides seniors with opportunities to participate in the artistic and cultural life of the city by offering a diverse program of collective experiences throughout the year. Events include Classical Music, Broadway/Off Broadway Plays and Musicals, Jazz and Museum Tours – the backbone of traditional American culture. We continue to expand our offerings at Lincoln Center and have included programs at Avery Fisher Hall, the Ballet and Opera. Our cultural events are specifically designed for our participants and anyone over 60 is welcome to join us. UNITED NATIONS TOUR AND LUNCHEON
THURGOOD AT THE BOOTH THEATRE
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART – TURNER EXHIBITION Our journey through the first retrospective in this country dedicated to Turner began with his watercolor depicting a view of Salisbury Cathedral bathed in pale sunshine and complex shadows which is a virtuoso testament to his training as a topographical artist beginning about the age of 14. Our next stop was at “Fishermen at Sea,” Turner’s first oil painted at the age of 21. Art historian, Catherine Lawrence was quick to point out that in this work we see an early example of the natural sublime: the awesome strength, emotion and power of nature. In The Shipwreck” Turner creates a metaphor for human vulnerability before the forces of nature. He explored a wide range of genres – from landscapes to historical subjects and scenes from his own imagination. GAME DAY AT SHEA
KYKUIT, THE ROCKEFELLER ESTATE
NEW YORK CITY BALLET – DEFINITIVE CHOPIN This tribute to Jerome Robbins opened with Dances at a Gathering which premiered in 1969. CENTRAL PARK BIRD WALK
MEET THE ARTIST AT LINCOLN CENTER - SONGWRITER, JULIE GOLD
HARKNESS HOUSE MANSION Guests gathered beyond the entrance hall in the reception room as our knowledgeable docent shared the story of the Harkness House and a time of gracious living in a city that was just entering the 21st century. The tone of the room was French with walnut paneling on the walls and a ceiling painted in the chinoiserie style. Next, the group proceeded across the entrance hall to the dining room. The ceiling in this room was inspired by Venetian/Renaissance precedent with gilded rosettes of plaster of paris. The windows, which were leaded glass, depicted classical women with the themes ‘abundance of the sea and earth.’ The room still contains the original dining table as NEW YORK CITY BALLET – THEN AND THERE Our program began with Peter Martin’s gift, Thou Swell, which pays elegant homage to the Art
CITY CENTER ENCORE SERIES - NO, NO NANETTE PERFORMANCE
WALL STREET WALKING TOUR
CENTRAL PARK SPRING BIRD WALK
HILLSTEAD HOUSE MUSEUM & LUNCHEON As we traveled route 84 we enjoyed the lush green of the Farmington Valley with azaleas and
Cassatt to name a few. We also learned about the family, how they acquired the works and the hospitality they extended to the town folk. All too soon we were heading out on Route 84 and back to the city. It was a long and rewarding day and we look forward to our trip to the Rockefeller Estate in June.
SIGNATURE THEATRE COMPANY - EDWARD ALBEE’S OCCUPANT
MEET THE ARTIST AT LINCOLN CENTER - VINCE GIARDANO & THE NIGHTHAWKS Once again, the Nighthawks delighted their audience at the Kaplan Penthouse as they recreated
CHELSEA GALLERY TOURS
In Hemingway’s only drama and forerunner to For Whom The Bell Tolls, we aretransported to a Madrid hotel during the Spanish Civil War. What unfolds is a tale of love and espionage reminiscent of Casablanca. At the heart of the play is the romance between two war correspondents – Philip Rawlings, the troubled but determined Hemingway hero who drinks his breakfast and Dorothy Bridges, a self-absorbed, vapid Vassar grad and Veronica Lake look- MERKIN CONCERT HALL - STEPHEN BEUS piano Cultural Connections members were delighted by the piano virtuosity of Stephen Beus, Julliard
Another Nearly Lost Treasure Nourished to New Life at City Center’s Encores! For its final show of the season, Encores! chose NO, NO, NANETTE, originally presented in the early twenties. (Its Broadway debut in 1925 was after lengthy engagements in Chicago, on the road, and even London.) For years it was thought of as an old warhorse, and later as more of a quaint relic until it was rediscovered by an enterprising team for a splashy Broadway revival in 1971 which headlined Ruby Keeler, a tapping sensation of many popular musical films of the 1930s. The team behind that production, including Bert Shevelove as book reviser and director, Donald Saddler as choreographer, and Ralph Burns and Luther Henderson as orchestrators, put a stamp on the show that made it a must-see production and preserved the flapper-era style of music, attire, and movement. _____________________________________________________ LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU! |
Next Event: Current offerings include:
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| © 2007 The Carter Burden Center, 1484 1st Ave, New York, NY, 10075 (212) 879-7400 info@burdencntr.org |
Our guided tour of the UN began with a brief overview of the organization including its history, 
structure, and composition. On our next stop we saw gifts of art which were donated by Member nations including a magnificent ivory carving from China and a replica of the Royal Thai barge. We also had an opportunity to view the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights before moving on to the exhibit on disarmament. Among the articles presented 
were remnants of the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima and landmines of various types and shapes. Our next stop was The General Assembly Hall, the largest meeting room at the UN. This is where 192 Member nations, that stretch from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, convene to discuss global issues. The final part of our visit included a presentation of the Security Council and the contributions of peacekeepers around the globe. 
Lawrence Fishburne brings a great man to life and engages his
audience from the moment he takes the stage. This one-man biographical drama is based on the life and momentous times of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court. Thurgood, a descendent of slaves, was a pioneering civil rights attorney, successfully arguing Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court, prior to becoming a member. Fishburne gives us a carefully layered, wholly 
convincing performance with an armory of jokes and anecdotes which evoke humor, pathos and inspiration. He leaves us with enormous respect for the man and his values. It was a thrill to see James Earl Jones, who starred in Thurgood at the Westport Country Playhouse in 2006, in the audience on the 6th.
In “The Battle of Trafalgar” he commemorates the death of Lord Nelson. In “Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps” ancient and modern history converge and we are reminded not only of Hannibal’s crossing but of Napoleon as well. In “Mortlake Terrace” we see the Italian influence on his work with the use of more yellow 
and gold as the sun sends its golden light shimmering across the Thames and the spry black dog (painted on paper and stuck to the surface) barks at the passing boats. As we enter the last room in the Exhibition we see that Turner’s later works were more experimental and controversial. In the 1840’s he was using increasingly abstract images in which forms were subsumed by light and color which suggests Turner may have influenced the Impressionists. We know that he was a significant influence on Cole of the Hudson River School. We look forward to another lecture with Catherine in the Fall.
After the group picked up their lunch and Shea Stadium pins
courtesy of CSCS, Cultural Connections members joined over 52,000 fans to watch the Mets win their sixth consecutive victory. Spirits were high during the seventh inning stretch as the group sang a rousing Take Me Out To The Ballgame followed by Lou Monte’s Lazy Mary, sung in Italian and only at Shea. Then everyone was on their feet as Fernando Tatis hit a two-run homer and the Mets beat San Francisco 7-3.
Guests were given a warm welcome to Crabtree’s Kittle House, a restored barn originally built in 1790, and enjoyed a superb lunch which began with a goat cheese and pear salad followed by a choice of entrees and ended with chocolate moose cake, vanilla ice cream and fresh berry compote. Then it was on to Kykuit—Dutch fir lookout-- the home of four 
generations of the Rockefeller family which offers striking views of the Hudson River and Palisades. The four-story beaux-arts villa features neo-classical interiors and includes an impressive collection of Chinese and European ceramics, fine furnishings and galleries of twentieth-century art, including works by Picasso, Calder and Warhol. Noted landscape architect William Welles 
Bosworth designed the dramatic hilltop terraces and formal gardens with pavilions, grottos, fountains, and classical sculpture. On the front porch, Giacometti’s sleek bronze Headless Woman faces the granite-bowled Oceanus fountain. In the garden, Maillol’s alluring Bather Putting Up Her Hair stands on a pedestal between two pools and among five trickling fountains. A perfect day in the country!
Robbins used 18 of Chopin’s piano pieces creating dances for duets, solos and larger groupings. On a bare stage in pastel costumes dancers captured the mood of Chopin’s work which was played superbly by pianist Richard Moredock. Jennifer Lipton’s lighting captured the mood of each piece. The final section of the ballet was danced to one of Chopin’s most tender and soulful Nocturnes. In Other Dances, Robbins pays homage to both Chopin’s 
Romanticism and the fluidity of classical ballet technique. This pas de deux was crafted to display the legendary technique and artistry of Makarova and Baryshnikov. Julie Kent and Gonzalo Garcia danced to four mazurkas and one waltz by Chopin. The Concert, the final piece in the program, captured the personal dreams, problems and fantasies of the listener attending a concert. We enjoyed the “Butterfly” Etude, “Minute” Waltz and the “Raindrop” Prelude. Another thrilling afternoon at the New York City Ballet.
As we headed to the Sailboat Lake we enjoyed the fragrant Linden trees which were in bloom. From the Lake we could see the hawks nest on Fifth Avenue that Pell Mell calls home. We walked north past an Atlas Cedar with cones shaped like beehives. Birder, Art spotted an Oriole’s nest with a female feeding her young. As we stopped to admire a Tree Hydrangea along our path we surprised a Cardinal who darted to safety. We passed a Copper Beech 
on our way to Cedar Hill and birder Richard introduced the group to the fruit of the Service Berry Tree. We moved on to the Great Lawn and then to Turtle Pond which was teaming with life. On the banks we found male and female orioles feeding their young as well as a blue-grey kingfisher doing the same. On the pond were colorful mallard ducks, hundreds of turtles stalking jumping fish and a spectacular king egret in flight. Sincere thanks to our gracious hosts Richard and Art. We look forward to another Bird Walk in the Fall when we can enjoy the migration. 
office jobs. She writes from the heart and from her experiences which are reflected in Temporary Worker and Just In Time, I’m Free. Julie took many questions from the audience about her personal life, her family and the music business. When asked for an encore Julie gave us her soon to be released song with a political theme, America. We look forward to the Fall Season at the Kaplan Penthouse. 
well as portraits of family members. The main staircase, which took us to the second floor, was made of Cassis marble with a continuous balustrade of cast bronze. The three public rooms on this level were larger in scale and included a long central gallery, perhaps the most beautiful room in the house. The ceiling in the gallery was painted with a mix of Greek and Pompeiian images in soft red, green and blue on a tan background. Then we moved into the rosewood paneled library and the ornate music room with four chandeliers and elaborate woodwork. Some guests took the steep stone stairs to see what kitchens were like at the turn of the century. Our tour of the Harkness House was truly a walk back in history to a time of quiet elegance in the city.
Deco period of ballroom chic that was the Stork Club. Four couples swirl through an evening of Astaire-and-Rogers style charm and refinement sporting tuxes and glamorous gowns. An onstage jazz trio and two singers perform the Rodgers and Hart repertory as patrons dance the night away to Broadway and Hollywood favorites like Where or When, Isn’t It Romantic? and Thou Swell to name a few. Scenery by Robin Wagner and costumes by Julius Lumsden were fabulous.
scenes is the encounter the Son has with an Amazon temptress, danced stunningly by Maria Kowroski, who embodies his lustful desires during his fall. Damian Woetzel gives a powerful performance in this demanding role. 
Several members of the Carter Burden Luncheon Club enjoyed the Encore Series at City Center and then put on their dancing shoes and rehearsed for a musical review of No, No Nanette, the 1971 Broadway revival headlined by Ruby Keeler. After only two brief rehearsals with City Center cast members the show opened at 
the Luncheon Club on June 4th. Cast members delighted the audience with group memories that led into song. We enjoyed two classics from the show – I Want to Be Happy and Tea for Two. They were charming, radiant and astonishing in both song and dance. Thank you City Center for a memorable experience. We’re looking forward to the next Encore Series. 
Communication at Trinity Church which covered 
the history of the Church from its Dutch origins to the current Gothic Revival structure built in 1846 , the group followed Art Historian Catherine Lawrence to the courtyard where we learned the history of the Sycamore Tree sculpture commemerating St Paul’s chapel as well
as Robert Fulton and Alexander Hamilton who were buried at the site. Then we walked along Wall St. to the Federal Building where George Washington read the Declaration of Independence with its Corinthian Capitals reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome. We stopped briefly at the Stock Exchange to view the review the relief sculpture at the top which reflects integrity. At the Beaux Art Custom House, opposite Bowling Green, our guide covered the art and architecture of the exterior and interior including the four statues of the continents as well as the Frederick Marsh murals depicting ships entering New York Harbor. 
We gathered at the Boathouse Café and watched barn swallows dive for insects over the Boat Lake as we waited for the showers to subside. There were light eyed common grackles, a spotted sandpiper and colorful male mallards as well. On our walk toward the Ramble we heard a cat bird calling and spotted a robin’s neat nest. In a magnolia tree, there was a yellow and black warbler
up from the Caribbean. At the Point we saw black locusts in bloom as well as mulberry. We also found a Canada warbler with a black necklace across a yellow breast and an orange and black Baltimore oriole in fine voice. As we continued our walk along the ramble we were delighted to find a scarlet tanager with black wings and an American redstart fanning its tail. Star of Bethlehem 
were in bloom as we moved along the Azalea Pond, a little spot of heaven deep in the Ramble. There we found a downey woodpecker, a ruby choked hummingbird and water thrush as well as a silent toad spying on busy goldfish and koi. Sincere thanks to our gracious hosts Richard and Art for a delightful adventure. We look forward to another walk in June. 
dogwood still in bloom. Once we passed Miss Porter’s School we were only minutes away from Apricots for lunch where guests enjoyed chicken or pasta entrees followed by chocolate mouse cake with raspberry coulis. Before boarding our bus several in our group took a moment to enjoy fishermen casting for trout in the Farmington River. Three gracious docents met our group and guided us through Hillstead House, the Colonial Revival country estate of the Pope family, where we enjoyed original works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Whistler, and 
Signature Theatre Company closes its Season with Albee’s exploration of the life and mind of his friend, sculptor Louise Nevelson. In this tribute to the larger than life Nevelson, Albee makes the point that behind the drama of the sable eyelashes and the over the top costumes was the work which gives the best view of the artist. The play is clearly about survival – about going from being numb to being Occupied and all that happens in between. We hear the sculptors journey in her own words played splendidly by Tony and Academy Award winner Mercedes Ruehl who captures the charismatic and complex aspects of her character. Born in Kiev and raised in Rockland, Maine, Nevelson married a shipping magnate in 
1920 and gained access to New York society. We hear her describe this period with the words “I played the game, it wasn’t me.” At that time marriage was 
a way out and up. When the marriage failed, she left her husband and son to study with Hans Hoffman in Germany. Not until she took a found wood piece and stood it up did she realize she was about creating these wall pieces – she knew the space she Occupied. Here we have a journey of becoming toldby a woman who cast off a privileged life in New York for an unconventional life as an artist. Someone who “Always knew she was special, different.” Her guide on the retelling of her story is a wise and distinguished journalist played convincingly by Emmy winner Larry Bryggman who worked hard to keep her on the road. Kudos to Director, Pam McKinnon, who is no stranger to Albee’s work, Christine Jones for sets and Jane Greenwood for costumes. We look forward to next Season at the Signature! 
and authentically presented jazz and popular music from the 20’s and 30’s. The band opened with a number from the Swing Era, It Don’t Mean A Thing by Duke Ellington and followed with China Boy from the 30’s. We also heard the jazz classic for Sax, Body and Soul, Louie Armstrong’s I Double Dare You and Benny Goodman’s Avalon. During Q & A’s the band talked about the uniqueness of some of their instruments and shared their views on how amplification is managed on the Broadway stage today. Vince also introduced all of his band members before closing with Casaloma Stomp. We thoroughly enjoyed another thrilling afternoon at the Kaplan Penthouse. 
We met our knowledgeable host, Art Historian, Catherine Lawrence promptly at 11 and began our journey through five fascinating Chelsea Galleries. Our first stop was at the Tagore where we enjoyed Susan Weil’s Trees. This artists’ work is poignant in this time of global warming. Susan, who was born in 1930 and was married briefly to Rauschenberg, has captured the wonder of nature through the four seasons through multidimensional works, collages on light sensitive paper as well as Plexiglas. At the Aperture Gallery we enjoyed anonymous found photos depicting a travel theme as well as a 1940’s black and white study of twins and another series in color which elevated ordinary objects each expressing different cultures through vintage photos. At the Ceres Gallery we had an opportunity to meet the artist, Phyllis Rosser, who sculpts and paints. She uses aged river wood from Vermont to build her sculptures and then at the other end of the spectrum she paints vivid, 
engaging florals in the style of Georgia O’Keefe. At the Stephen Haller Gallery we had a chance to speak with the owner about the artist Gregory Johnston and his work which has been influenced by Zen gardens. Our Gallery tour ended at the James Cohen Gallery where we enjoyed a collision of cultures in Prospero’s Monsters by Yinka Shonibare. This three part installation of sculpture and photography explores the conflict between irrational mysticism and logical reason that occurred during the eighteenth century Enlightenment period. The battered frigate sculpture introduces the artist’s exhibit and is the visual equivalent of The Tempest. The main gallery features five sculptural vignettes based on the key thinkers of the Enlightenment. In the back gallery we saw a photographic series based on Francisco Goya y Luciente’s etchings, The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. Here the artist focuses on the complexity ofcultural identity while arguing for a delicate balance fantasy and reality. We look forward to a tour of the Historic Wall Street area in June.
alike. Kelly Ai Coin gives a strong performance as
undercover counterespionage agent Philip and Heidi Armbruster is a solid and believable Dorothy. Other notable performers include James Andreassi as Antonio, a Madrid police colonel, Ronald Guttman as Max, an underground fighter and Nicole Shalhoub as Anita, Philip’s Spanish girlfriend. Thank you Mint Theater for thoughtfully staging neglected plays for more than a decade under the artistic direction of Jonathan Bank. We look forward to the next offering at the Mint. 
School graduate and first prize winner in the 20006 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. He began the program with Liszt’s transcription of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor , a dark, moving, powerful and rich piece originally done for organ. The Fugue starts out with a long introduction and then goes off into a flurry of intricate arpeggios followed by a run in the harmonic minor which clearly gives Mr. Beus the opportunity to demonstrate his mastery of the keyboard. The Fugue is in 6/8 time and ends in one of Bach’s most Toccata-like cadenzas 
and Mr. Baus clearly captured the passion of the ending. Next we heard Mendelssohn’s Sonata in E Major which is somewhat reminiscent of his Midsummer Nights Dream in itsdreamlike playfulness. The last movement which is soulful and commanding showcases Me. Beus versatility. After intermission, the program closed with Sonata in B-flat Major by Beethoven which is considered to be the culmination of his early “grand” piano sonatas. Once again we see the artists agility as he captures the contrasts between movements. Mr. Beus received a well deserved standing ovation for a thrilling end to our Merkin Hall Concert Series. We look forward to next season.
The Encores! re-visit in financially-strapped 2008 is a bit surprising, as the effort required to mount this show seems way above average, with requirements for far more dancing and costumes in particular than most previous shows in the series. However, under the supervision of director Walter Bobbie, music director Rob Fisher, and, most notably, choreographer Randy Skinner, the results were joyous. Burden Center attendees at the Wednesday dress rehearsal were treated to an evening of joyous song and dance. They were primed for this tuneful occasion at the 6:00 P.M. seminar hosted by Laurence Maslon with his usual competent cornucopia of information. His guest, Mercedes Ellington, was one of the original cast members of the landmark 1971 production, and in fact one of the few of that cast who went into rehearsal with strong experience with tap dancing, so central to the show. Ms Ellington was charming in her relation of various anecdotes from 1971, and even brought along a number of production souvenirs including a photograph showing her and several other chorus ladies with Busby Berkeley, whose branding partly inspired the production and guided it to reality.
principal actor as well as the enormous chorus of singers and dancers. Especially thrilling for this viewer was Sandy Duncan in the role of Nanette’s Aunt Sue once inhabited by Ms. Keeler. Duncan, looking barely 40, even though her own Broadway debut was that many years ago, was charming, radiant, and even astonishing in her dancing. Complementing her beautifully were Charles Kimbrough as her befuddled Bible-salesman husband, Beth Leavel as her best friend Lucille, and Michael Berresse as Lucille’s charming but wandering husband Billy. Ms. Leavel and Mr. Berresse made an especially stylish and elegant couple in both song and dance. As the eponymous Nanette, Mara Davi at first seemed a bit tart and mature for the role, but became more charming as the evening went on. Her stage partner Shonn Wiley brought considerable innocent charm to his role of generic boyfriend. Supplementing these principals in mostly comic elements were three somewhat mysterious ladies played by Nancy Anderson, Jennifer Cody, and Angel Reda, and, in a perfect fit for the role of the disgruntled maid Pauline, Rosie O’Donnell. No doubt the best-known performer in the cast, Ms. O’Donnell found in Pauline what is undoubtedly her most appealing New York stage appearance so far. 
