Book
Information and Local Events |
March
15, 2005, 7pm: "To Hear Ruby Sing"
A special one-night-only, one-hour presentation theater
piece by Chiquita Mullins-Lee, including excerpts from
36 of Ruby's letters and recordings of her singing,
is hosted by CATCO in Studio One Theatre at the Riffe
Center in downtown Columbus. The event is open and free
to the public.
Following
the presentation, David Weaver will be autographing
copies of his book, "Black Diva of the Thirties
- The Life of Ruby Elzy," which will be on sale
in the lobby.
Program
notes for Weaver's library appearances
RUBY
ELZY & PORGY AND BESS: AMERICAN CLASSICS
As Opera Columbus opens its 2004-05 season
in October with Gershwin's immortal Porgy and Bess,
author David Weaver joins us for a special program about
pioneer black soprano Ruby Elzy. A 1930 graduate of
Ohio State, Elzy created the role of Serena in the original
1935 production, and introduced one of the show's most
famous songs, "My Man's Gone Now." She went
on from Porgy and Bess to become a star of
stage, radio, and films before her death in 1943 at
the age of 35.
Weaver's
talk includes several rare recordings by Elzy, and the
program also features live excerpts from Porgy and
Bess, including "Summertime" and "I
Got Plenty O'Nuttin," performed by Weaver and Rebecca
Cummings, an Ohio State voice major.
Following
the presentation, Weaver will autograph copies of his
new book, Black Diva of the Thirties: The
Life of Ruby Elzy, which will be on sale
in the lobby by the Friends of the Library. The book
was published August 2004 by the University Press of
Mississippi.
David Weaver
appeared this summer as Von Mark in the Opera Columbus
production of The Student Prince. His career
in the performing arts and public broadcasting spans
more than twenty years.
|
