Take a seat with us at FIRE’s first-ever classical music concert in support of free expression: “Outspoken: Music for Free Speech.” At the podium is conductor Rebecca Bryant Novak, a former doctoral student at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. Taking the stage for the first time since she was expelled without due process after speaking out about alleged harassment, Rebecca leads an all-volunteer orchestra in an unforgettable evening of music. Internationally acclaimed musicians, violinist Lara St. John and oboist Katherine Needleman, bring the stage to life with works by composers who themselves faced censorship, from Mozart to Shostakovich. Between performances, FIRE staff and special guests reflect on why free expression is essential for artists, and for all of us. The arts cannot thrive without free expression. Thank you to everyone who made this night possible!
Conductor
Violinist
Host
Oboist
Take a seat with us at FIRE’s first-ever classical music concert in support of free expression: “Outspoken: Music for Free Speech.” At the podium is conductor Rebecca Bryant Novak, a former doctoral student at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. Taking the stage for the first time since she was expelled without due process after speaking out about alleged harassment, Rebecca leads an all-volunteer orchestra in an unforgettable evening of music. Internationally acclaimed musicians, violinist Lara St. John and oboist Katherine Needleman, bring the stage to life with works by composers who themselves faced censorship, from Mozart to Shostakovich. Between performances, FIRE staff and special guests reflect on why free expression is essential for artists, and for all of us. The arts cannot thrive without free expression. Thank you to everyone who made this night possible!
2025-12-16
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8.3The Legendary Band, Jane's Addiction performs their 2X Platinum Alt-Rock Masterpiece Album in it's entirety, along with the bands biggest hits- igniting the stage at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, during the bands 2015/2016 Silver Spoon Anniversary Tour to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the bands Groundbreaking Album.
0.0This 56-minute documentary on America's most controversial and unique composer manages to cover a great many aspects of Cage's work and thought. His love for mushrooms, his Zen beliefs and use of the I Ching, and basic bio details are all explained intelligently and dynamically. Black Mountain, Buckminster Fuller, Rauschenberg, Duchamp are mentioned. Yoko Ono, John Rockwell, Laurie Anderson, Richard Kostelanetz make appearances. Fascinating performance sequences include Margaret Leng-Tan performing on prepared piano, Merce Cunningham and company, and performances of Credo In Us, Water Music, and Third Construction. Demystifies the man who made music from silence, from all sounds, from life.
0.0Does anyone still wear a hat? Yes: three-time Tony Award-winner Patti LuPone. And her hat is filled with songs, both new and old. See Patti up close and unscripted as she sings and tells stories from her illustrious career—whatever she pulls from the hat. Filmed live at 54 Below on New Year's Day 2023.
7.7This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.
0.0Beautifully made and historically important pipe organs are being scrapped in their hundreds. Once at the centre of British culture pipe organs are now neglected and unloved.
6.9'90s indie-rock band Pavement reunites for their sold-out 2022 tour. But as preparations get underway, surreal tributes emerge: an off-Broadway musical adaptation of their songs, a museum devoted entirely to the band’s legacy, and a shamelessly awards-baiting Hollywood biopic.
10.0A documentary on the life and work of the composer Sofia Gubaidulina.
8.2This spectacular live concert, filmed at London’s O2 using the latest Ultra High Definition 4K technology by renowned director Hamish Hamilton, captures Peter Gabriel’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his landmark album “So”. To mark the event Gabriel reunited his original “So” touring band from 1986/87 – Tony Levin, David Rhodes, David Sancious and Manu Katché - and for the very first time fans saw them play the multi-platinum selling album in its entirety. But the concert is much more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane; delivering performances of new and even unfinished material alongside acoustic re-workings and a plentiful supply of classic favourites, broken down into three sections. What Peter calls “the starter, the savoury course and the dessert”.
0.0In the early 90s, Portugal experienced its own dance music explosion. Raves of epic proportions and a new sound shaped what was then called: “Underground house music from a paradise called Portugal”. Featuring exclusive footage and interviews with DJs, producers, dancers, and promoters, the story unfolds to reveal the birth and evolution of Portuguese rave culture and its lasting influence on electronic music worldwide.
8.5Hollywood film music has its roots in Europe. Three composers who fled war and National Socialism to the USA created the sound that still shapes film music today: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner and Franz Waxman. In the early 20th century, these classically trained composers transformed the methods acquired in Vienna and Berlin into a new American art form: film music. They balanced the relationship between image and sound and developed techniques and dramaturgical tricks to achieve the greatest possible effect on the viewer. Their influence is visible in the work of contemporary US composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. Today, Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and Harold Faltermeyer continue this tradition. Their melodies are part of humanity's collective memory and reflect the combined traditions of European and American musical history. The documentary accompanies composers in their work and explores the European roots of Hollywood.
6.9Heaven Adores You is an intimate, meditative inquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith. By threading the music of Elliott Smith through the dense, yet often isolating landscapes of the three major cities he lived in -- Portland, New York City, Los Angeles -- Heaven Adores You presents a visual journey and an earnest review of the singer's prolific songwriting and the impact it continues to have on fans, friends, and fellow musicians.
0.0A documentary about Squallor, Italy's first and most successful "ghost band" project, created by four big bosses of 70's-80's Italian music business.
0.0Tori Amos performs. Her set includes "iieee," "Past the Mission," "Caught a Lite Sneeze" and "The Waitress." Hosted by David Byrne.
5.0A concert film documenting Sheena Ringo's performance at the Osaka-jō Hall.
Documentary about the state of the conducting world in the 1990s. Broadcast as part of the BBC OMNIBUS strand of documentaries.
9.0Shoshana Damari was the first Israeli diva. She graced local and international stages, stirring millions with her beguiling voice and spectacular performance. Yet behind the larger-than-life persona and her memorable songs was a woman about whom we know little. She didn’t like to be interviewed and never volunteered details about herself and her family. Hers was the life of a Hollywood legend and she paid the price for it. This is a story about fame and loneliness, acclaim and loss, daring and compromise. For the first time, the woman behind the crown, the cloak and the palace will come to light.
7.4It explores the last two years of Brazilian singer Cazuza's life, from his AIDS diagnosis until his death. Nilo Romero, Cazuza's music producer and the film's director, created a collection of rarely seen and controversial images.