by Linn Maxwell
One of the things I like best about being president of the Lotte Lehmann Foundation is being able to work with the talented and committed people who make up our board. Craig Urquhart, Leonard Bernstein's former assistant and Vice President Public Relations and Promotion, has established The Craig Urquhart Agency, dedicated to working for musicians and organizations in the arts. Through his agency, Craig Urquhart will be Senior Consultant, Public Relations and Promotion to The Leonard Bernstein Office. Urquhart will offer his expertise not only to The Leonard Bernstein Office, but also to conductors, composers, musicians and organizations worldwide. He will be based in New York and Berlin. We are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the very best in his new adventure.
While visiting Germany this past September I made my usual pilgrimage to Berlin, beloved city of composers and performers, opera-goers and drama enthusiasts for many generations. On this mild Saturday evening I took the Berlin underground to Neu-Westend and made my way to St. George’s Church, the Anglican church that was famously destroyed by the RAF in an accidental bombing during the Second World War. The present church houses an English-speaking congregation and features “Music at St. George’s,” a monthly concert series. On this night, Craig Urquhart was performing a piano recital of his own compositions. The concert began with an introspective soliloquy, “In the Afternoon,” and progressed through moving renditions of (among others) “Before the Canvas,” the picturesque “Along the Seine,” and the stately and impressionistic “Cathedral Pines.” I felt privileged to be there, enjoying Craig’s performance and hearing his soul speak to us through his music. This was a special evening of shared experience for audience and performer.
