Above: Pianist Oscar Levant performs an excerpt from George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F in the 1945 feature film Rhapsody in Blue At the height of his career, composer and pianist George Gershwin was equal parts New York grit and Hollywood glitz. And in an age when classical musicians held a certain star quality in the eyes of the general public, films like Rhapsody in Blue put classical music-as-entertainment before the eyes and ears of millions. In the video clip above, pianist, actor and composer Oscar Levant - a good friend of Gershwin's from their years together in Hollywood - performs an excerpt from Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
Jennifer Hambrick unites her extensive backgrounds in the arts and media and her deep roots in Columbus to bring inspiring music to central Ohio as Classical 101’s midday host. Jennifer performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before earning a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.