About the Series
Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington — these extraordinary songwriters produced so many enduring standards in the early twentieth century that their combined body of work has come to be known as “The Great American Songbook.” Recorded countless times by pop singers, jazz artists, dance bands, and even opera singers, these songs continue to be discovered and rediscovered by new generations of performers, who find fresh depth and artistry in these mini-masterpieces.

But why have these songs lasted so long? What exactly makes them “great”? Brent Wagner explores the repertoire, illuminating and demonstrating the qualities that have given these songs their enduring, rewarding legacy.

About the Gershwin Edition: This season opens with a tribute to George Gershwin. Gershwin was a singular figure among the creators of the American Songbook — a composer who mastered more musical forms than any of his peers, brilliantly bridging classical symphonic music and popular jazz. Working with his lyricist brother Ira, he brought a pulsating vitality to songwriting, infusing it with rhythmic drive and jazz harmonies that captivated audiences. The titles alone tell the story: “I Got Rhythm” and “Fascinating Rhythm,” the heartfelt “Love Is Here to Stay” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” and one of the most lasting standards in the American songbook, “Summertime.”

Gershwin’s achievements are all the more remarkable given how little time he had to make them: he died unexpectedly of a brain tumor in 1937, at the age of 38. Yet the music he left behind has only grown in stature, performed and cherished nearly a century later. Join us as Brent Wagner and Tyler Driskill bring that music to life and explore what makes it endure.