St. Louis’ own Brothers Lazaroff will soon release their ninth full-length album titled “Memphis.”
Led by brothers David and Jeff Lazaroff, the band will celebrate with an album release party on Thursday, May 11.
Last year, the band made a pilgrimage to the legendary Sun Studio to record “Memphis” live in one day. The album features storytelling by the band’s frequent collaborator, Rabbi James Stone Goodman, and mandocaster player and Lazaroff cousin Stuart Rosenberg.
The idea for “Memphis” came during an April 2022 trip the brothers took to Memphis to see Bob Dylan perform at the Orpheum Theatre and to tour Sun Studio. After discovering the studio allowed bands to record after hours, the brothers brought their extended musical crew down for one night on May 24, Bob Dylan’s birthday.
Next month’s album release party will feature a special show at Joe’s Café & Art Gallery, during which the entirety of “Memphis” will be performed for the first set, with Goodman reading his recounting of this journey of convergences.
The new album also features Brothers Lazaroff band members Teddy Brookins (bass), Sam Golden (piano), Chris Hansen (percussion), Mark Hochberg (violin), Adam Hucke (trumpet) and Freddy Spencer (drums).
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra recently completed a highly successful five-city European tour, its first under music director Stéphane Denève.
Performances were held in late March and included stops at Europe’s most-celebrated concert halls: Vienna Konzerthaus, Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, Muzikgebouw Eindhoven and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in the Netherlands, and Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid.
The repertoire included performances of Sergei Prokofiev’s “The Love for Three Oranges Suite,” Edvard Grieg’s “Piano Concerto,” and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances.” Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, one of today’s most sought-after artists, joined the orchestra on tour, performing Grieg’s concerto.
On a related note, the final concert at Powell Hall takes place next month, before the venue undergoes a major renovation project that will transform its footprint in Grand Center.
The May 14th concert by the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, led by assistant conductor Stephanie Childress, will have music by Claude Debussy, Antonín Dvořák, and Richard Wagner.
An aspiring musician from Central Visual and Performing Arts High School is this year’s winner of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition.
Rayquan Strickland, who played the piano and sang his original composition, “Time for Change,” bested 13 other acts during the 13th annual contest held April 8 at the Fox Theatre.
Rayquan received the first-place prize of $8,000. Finishing second was Noah Van Ess of Lindbergh High School, who was awarded $6,000 for his performance of “Out There” from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” The $4,000 third-place prize went to Orchard Farm High School’s Avery Payne, who danced to “The Mad Lovers Suite: Ground Aire V.”
Family, friends and supporters recently came together to celebrate philanthropists and arts advocates Nancy and Ken Kranzberg in Grand Center, where a stretch of Washington Avenue now bears their name.
Nancy and Ken Kranzberg Way, near the intersection of Washington Avenue and Josephine Baker Boulevard, was officially dedicated earlier this month to recognize the couple’s impact on preserving St. Louis’ rich cultural heritage throughout the region.
We couldn’t agree more – congratulations, Kranzbergs and the Kranzberg Arts Foundation!
An award-winning journalist recognized for her media leadership and for promoting diversity in her profession, Gazelle editor-in-chief Trish Muyco-Tobin has more than 25 years of experience in print and broadcast media. She is also a journalism professor at Webster University. The Trish Set is her monthly St. Louis column featuring good news and goodwill.
Powell Hall’s Transformation Will Be Game-Changer for Grand Center
