Recently, I met a young musician who so happen to be a student of a fellow Hartt School of Music alumnus and friend. I hadn’t seen my friend for nearly 15 years, so I was giddy about seeing and performing for her, as she is an accomplished musician in her own right. The young man…
I took a detour more than 15 years ago upon graduating from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. My plan was to further my studies in opera. I’d determined this at age 13 during a tribute concert in Japan for Ronald and Nancy Reagan. I was a budding tenor, a vocal…
“Legends” is the name of the 144th edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and it is coming to the Barclays Center on Feb. 20. The circus stars Harlem-raised African-American Johnathan Lee Iverson as its ringmaster and has had him in this role for over a decade. Although the show is currently…
Johnathan Lee Iverson knows how to get the party started, or in this case, the circus. Iverson, the ringmaster for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, admits he never thought of being a ringmaster until someone suggested he audition. “He said why don’t you try out for ringmaster, and at the time I…
Ringmasters set the scene for the audience, capturing their attention and directing them to the most spectacular acts ever seen. Generally, we work alone. I never saw myself with a sidekick. Ringmasters traditionally work alone. As individuals, we set the scene for the audience, capturing their attention and directing them to the most spectacular acts…
The Act You Don’t Pay to See, a profile of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey band. Imagine the thrill of watching a daredevil blaze across a high wire atop of a motorcycle, the slapstick hilarity of Clown Alley or the majestic gallop of a bevy of stallions all to the tranquil sounds of…
P.T. Barnum’s legacy has come full circle. Years before his circus days, the showman made a name for himself by exhibiting dubious mythological critters such as the embalmed “Feejee Mermaid” at his Barnum’s American Museum in New York City. In “Legends,” the latest touring Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, fantastical creatures are once again…
