Director Selects: Conrad Tao

"Rhapsody in Blue" has seeped into every corner of our lives from TV commercials, to the Olympics, to United Airlines in-flight service. George Gershwin’s American masterpiece turns 100 this year, and The Soraya is preparing an extravagant exploration of the composer and his era. Pianist Conrad Tao will preside, soloing the original 1924 jazz arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue and joining forces with Los Angeles-based Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, conductor Christopher Rountree, and musicians from Wild Up.
I could speak with Conrad Tao all day. Not only a talented pianist and composer, he is deeply engaged in the history and context of music, bringing a very human and engaging perspective. When he first came to The Soraya two seasons ago with his Rachmaninoff program, I knew it would be an auspicious debut. Since then, I have been looking for new ways to engage him. This coming season’s centenary celebration of Getshwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was the ideal occasion.
This interview with Tao sets the stage for one of The Soraya’s most exciting original programs of the upcoming season.