BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Rachel Franklin - ECPv6.17.4.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://rachelfranklin.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Rachel Franklin REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260528T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260528T193000 DTSTAMP:20250913T182219Z CREATED:20250913T182216Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250913T182219Z UID:4822-1779994800-1779996600@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Rachel Franklin for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Inside the Classics DESCRIPTION:https://www.bsomusic.org/inside-the-classics/\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Rachel Franklin is delighted to be the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Strathmore Music Scholar-in-Residence. She gives all the BSO’s pre-concert presentations at their Bethesda\, MD venue\, Strathmore Hall as part of their “Inside the Classics” series. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/rachel-franklin-for-the-baltimore-symphony-orchestra-inside-the-classics-34/ LOCATION:Music Center at Strathmore\, 5301 Tuckerman Ln\, North Bethesda\, MD\, 20852\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BaltimoreSymphonyOrchestra.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260606T193000 DTSTAMP:20250913T182305Z CREATED:20250913T182302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250913T182305Z UID:4824-1780772400-1780774200@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Rachel Franklin for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Inside the Classics DESCRIPTION:https://www.bsomusic.org/inside-the-classics/\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Rachel Franklin is delighted to be the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Strathmore Music Scholar-in-Residence. She gives all the BSO’s pre-concert presentations at their Bethesda\, MD venue\, Strathmore Hall as part of their “Inside the Classics” series. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/rachel-franklin-for-the-baltimore-symphony-orchestra-inside-the-classics-35/ LOCATION:Music Center at Strathmore\, 5301 Tuckerman Ln\, North Bethesda\, MD\, 20852\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BaltimoreSymphonyOrchestra.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260614T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260614T143000 DTSTAMP:20250913T182401Z CREATED:20250913T182357Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250913T182401Z UID:4826-1781445600-1781447400@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Rachel Franklin for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Inside the Classics DESCRIPTION:https://www.bsomusic.org/inside-the-classics/\n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Rachel Franklin is delighted to be the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Strathmore Music Scholar-in-Residence. She gives all the BSO’s pre-concert presentations at their Bethesda\, MD venue\, Strathmore Hall as part of their “Inside the Classics” series. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/rachel-franklin-for-the-baltimore-symphony-orchestra-inside-the-classics-36/ LOCATION:Music Center at Strathmore\, 5301 Tuckerman Ln\, North Bethesda\, MD\, 20852\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BaltimoreSymphonyOrchestra.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260813T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260813T140000 DTSTAMP:20260809T141741Z CREATED:20260809T141738Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T141741Z UID:5131-1786626000-1786629600@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y: Great Composer Pianists\, Lecture 1 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart DESCRIPTION:https://www.roundtable.org/live-courses/music/great-composer-pianists-mozart-beethoven-chopin-and-brahms\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n“Kapellmeister Mozart’s…The hour of music I heard there was the happiest ever granted me. This little man and great master improvised twice…so wonderfully! so wonderfully! that I did not know where I was….He wove together the most difficult passages and the most ingratiating themes…” Mozart’s playing was regarded as simply wondrous. We examine his beginnings as a harpsichord player and how he subsequently pivoted directly to the recently-developed pianofortes\, creating new concerto styles that both dazzled and confused his audiences. \n\n\n\n\n\n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nJoin talented speaker and pianist Rachel Franklin to take a unique look at the monumental keyboard talents of four great composer/pianists\, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\, Ludwig van Beethoven\, Fryderyk Chopin\, and Johannes Brahms\, and how that performing virtuosity influenced the piano works we enjoy today. With a legacy of printed compositions but no recordings\, how can we get closer to those white-hot moments of creation when these artists poured out their genius for fortunate and astonished listeners? How did both the composer’s imagination and personal physique relate to developing piano design\, and which came first? And did audiences even comprehend what they were hearing? \nFranklin will trace Mozart’s beginnings as a harpsichord player to his pivot to pianofortes\, ultimately creating new concerto styles that both dazzled and confused his audiences. Beethoven innovated entirely new piano techniques almost by accident as he fought to express his titanic ideas on the instrument while constantly harassing piano makers for stronger instruments and dealing with encroaching deafness. Chopin\, meanwhile\, is often romanticized as a mesmerizing performer with a revolutionary piano technique and harmony. Finally\, Brahms trained intensely as a pianist and all his compositions demand a massive and highly-controlled technique. He\, along with his muse Clara Schumann\, taught many students whose playing was subsequently captured by early recording\, allowing us a tantalizing glimpse into the performing styles of the 19th century. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/roundtable-by-the-92nd-street-y-great-composer-pianists-lecture-1-wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GreatComposerPianists.png ORGANIZER;CN="Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y":MAILTO:hello@roundtable.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260818T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260818T133000 DTSTAMP:20260809T144441Z CREATED:20260809T144437Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T144441Z UID:5157-1787054400-1787059800@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Smithsonian Associates: Manuel de Falla at 150 - Modernism\, Mysticism\, and the Musical Spirit of Spain DESCRIPTION:https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/manuel-de-falla-at-150\n \n \n \n \n \n Marking the 150th anniversary of pivotal 20th-century Spanish composer Manuel de Falla’s birth\, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin combines an illustrated lecture with live piano demonstrations to bring to life a slight\, almost Chaplinesque figure whose music pulses with sensuality and spiritual intensity. Deeply sensitive\, devout\, and more than a little superstitious\, de Falla transformed the evocative folk sounds of his native Andalusia into Modernist works of extraordinary color\, wit\, and drama. \nFrom his roots in Cádiz\, to Paris where he collaborated with the revolutionary Ballets Russes\, and finally into exile in Argentina\, Franklin examines how de Falla forged his unique\, seductive voice with such enchanting stage and concert pieces as El amor brujo\, La vida breve\, and Noches en los jardines de España. \nBritish-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR\, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music\, film scores\, and the fine arts. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/smithsonian-associates-manuel-de-falla-at-150-modernism-mysticism-and-the-musical-spirit-of-spain/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Flamenco.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260820T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260820T140000 DTSTAMP:20260809T142904Z CREATED:20260809T142750Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T142904Z UID:5141-1787230800-1787234400@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y: Great Composer Pianists\, Lecture 2 - Ludwig van Beethoven DESCRIPTION:https://www.roundtable.org/live-courses/music/great-composer-pianists-mozart-beethoven-chopin-and-brahms\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n“His improvisation was most brilliant and striking. In whatever company he might chance to be\, he knew how to produce such an effect upon every hearer that frequently not an eye remained dry\, while many would break out into large sobs; for there was something wonderful in his expression in addition to the beauty and originality of his ideas and his spirited style of rendering them. After ending an improvisation of this kind he would burst into loud laughter and banter his hearers on the emotion he had caused in them. “You are fools!” he would say. “Who could live among such spoiled children?” he would cry…” Mozart may have enchanted his listeners\, but Beethoven overwhelmed and frequently disturbed them. While constantly harassing piano makers for stronger instruments and dealing with encroaching deafness\, Beethoven created entirely new piano techniques almost by accident as he fought to express his titanic ideas on the instrument. \n\n\n\n\n\n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nJoin talented speaker and pianist Rachel Franklin to take a unique look at the monumental keyboard talents of four great composer/pianists\, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\, Ludwig van Beethoven\, Fryderyk Chopin\, and Johannes Brahms\, and how that performing virtuosity influenced the piano works we enjoy today. With a legacy of printed compositions but no recordings\, how can we get closer to those white-hot moments of creation when these artists poured out their genius for fortunate and astonished listeners? How did both the composer’s imagination and personal physique relate to developing piano design\, and which came first? And did audiences even comprehend what they were hearing? \nFranklin will trace Mozart’s beginnings as a harpsichord player to his pivot to pianofortes\, ultimately creating new concerto styles that both dazzled and confused his audiences. Beethoven innovated entirely new piano techniques almost by accident as he fought to express his titanic ideas on the instrument while constantly harassing piano makers for stronger instruments and dealing with encroaching deafness. Chopin\, meanwhile\, is often romanticized as a mesmerizing performer with a revolutionary piano technique and harmony. Finally\, Brahms trained intensely as a pianist and all his compositions demand a massive and highly-controlled technique. He\, along with his muse Clara Schumann\, taught many students whose playing was subsequently captured by early recording\, allowing us a tantalizing glimpse into the performing styles of the 19th century. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/roundtable-by-the-92nd-street-y-great-composer-pianists-lecture-2-ludwig-van-beethoven/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GreatComposerPianists.png ORGANIZER;CN="Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y":MAILTO:hello@roundtable.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260827T140000 DTSTAMP:20260809T143233Z CREATED:20260809T143201Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T143233Z UID:5148-1787835600-1787839200@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y: Great Composer Pianists\, Lecture 3 - Fryderyk Chopin DESCRIPTION:https://www.roundtable.org/live-courses/music/great-composer-pianists-mozart-beethoven-chopin-and-brahms\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n“The tone he could draw from the instrument\, especially in cantabiles\, was always immense…He gave a noble manly energy to appropriate passages with overpowering effect – energy without roughness – just as\, on the other hand\, he could captivate the listener through the delicacy of his soulful rendering – delicacy without affectation. For all the warmth of Chopin’s temperament\, his playing was always measured\, chaste\, distinguished and at times even severely reserved.” Because of both his fragile health and the exquisite patina of his style\, our understanding of Chopin’s playing is sometimes clouded by romantic myth. While he really only enjoyed performing for private audiences\, the many reports we have show him to have been a mesmerizing performer with a piano technique and harmony so revolutionary that it left his brilliant friend Franz Liszt scrambling to keep up! \n\n\n\n\n\n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nJoin talented speaker and pianist Rachel Franklin to take a unique look at the monumental keyboard talents of four great composer/pianists\, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\, Ludwig van Beethoven\, Fryderyk Chopin\, and Johannes Brahms\, and how that performing virtuosity influenced the piano works we enjoy today. With a legacy of printed compositions but no recordings\, how can we get closer to those white-hot moments of creation when these artists poured out their genius for fortunate and astonished listeners? How did both the composer’s imagination and personal physique relate to developing piano design\, and which came first? And did audiences even comprehend what they were hearing? \nFranklin will trace Mozart’s beginnings as a harpsichord player to his pivot to pianofortes\, ultimately creating new concerto styles that both dazzled and confused his audiences. Beethoven innovated entirely new piano techniques almost by accident as he fought to express his titanic ideas on the instrument while constantly harassing piano makers for stronger instruments and dealing with encroaching deafness. Chopin\, meanwhile\, is often romanticized as a mesmerizing performer with a revolutionary piano technique and harmony. Finally\, Brahms trained intensely as a pianist and all his compositions demand a massive and highly-controlled technique. He\, along with his muse Clara Schumann\, taught many students whose playing was subsequently captured by early recording\, allowing us a tantalizing glimpse into the performing styles of the 19th century. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/roundtable-by-the-92nd-street-y-great-composer-pianists-lecture-3-fryderyk-chopin/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GreatComposerPianists.png ORGANIZER;CN="Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y":MAILTO:hello@roundtable.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260901T203000 DTSTAMP:20260809T150221Z CREATED:20260809T150217Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T150221Z UID:5163-1788287400-1788294600@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Smithsonian Associates: Antonio Vivaldi - Revival of a Baroque Genius DESCRIPTION:https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/antonio-vivaldi\n \n \n \n \n \n Antonio Vivaldi’s music is so beloved today that it’s hard to imagine he was virtually forgotten for nearly two centuries. In his day\, the fiery-haired\, virtuoso violinist and Catholic priest was celebrated for his striking innovations in Baroque form\, but after his death much of the work of the “Red Priest” vanished from performance. \nA remarkable rediscovery of manuscripts in the 20th century swept his genius back to concert stages worldwide and revealed the astonishing scope of his creativity. From the vivid musical storytelling of The Four Seasons\, inspiring choral masterpieces such as his Gloria\, and his hundreds of concertos and operas\, Vivaldi’s legacy now stands as one of the defining achievements of the Baroque era. Combining an illustrated lecture with live piano demonstrations\, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin explores Vivaldi’s restless\, colorful life\, his groundbreaking musical style\, and the fascinating story of how his music made one of the greatest comebacks in cultural history. \nBritish-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR\, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music\, film scores\, and the fine arts. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/smithsonian-associates-antonio-vivaldi-revival-of-a-baroque-genius/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Vivaldi.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T140000 DTSTAMP:20260809T143517Z CREATED:20260809T143513Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T143517Z UID:5153-1788440400-1788444000@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y: Great Composer Pianists\, Lecture 4 - Johannes Brahms DESCRIPTION:https://www.roundtable.org/live-courses/music/great-composer-pianists-mozart-beethoven-chopin-and-brahms\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n“Brahms’ playing…was\, indeed\, stimulating to an extraordinary degree and so apart as to be quite unforgettable. It was not the playing of a virtuoso\, though he had a large amount of virtuosity (to put it moderately) at his command. He never aimed at mere effect\, but seemed to plunge into the innermost meaning of whatever music he happened to be interpreting\, exhibiting all its details and expressing its very depths.” Brahms trained intensely as a pianist and all his piano compositions demand a massive and highly-controlled technique. He was also a renowned pedagogue\, and he and his muse Clara Schumann taught many students whose playing was subsequently captured by early recording\, finally allowing us a tantalizing glimpse into the performing styles of the 19th century. \n\n\n\n\n\n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nJoin talented speaker and pianist Rachel Franklin to take a unique look at the monumental keyboard talents of four great composer/pianists\, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart\, Ludwig van Beethoven\, Fryderyk Chopin\, and Johannes Brahms\, and how that performing virtuosity influenced the piano works we enjoy today. With a legacy of printed compositions but no recordings\, how can we get closer to those white-hot moments of creation when these artists poured out their genius for fortunate and astonished listeners? How did both the composer’s imagination and personal physique relate to developing piano design\, and which came first? And did audiences even comprehend what they were hearing? \nFranklin will trace Mozart’s beginnings as a harpsichord player to his pivot to pianofortes\, ultimately creating new concerto styles that both dazzled and confused his audiences. Beethoven innovated entirely new piano techniques almost by accident as he fought to express his titanic ideas on the instrument while constantly harassing piano makers for stronger instruments and dealing with encroaching deafness. Chopin\, meanwhile\, is often romanticized as a mesmerizing performer with a revolutionary piano technique and harmony. Finally\, Brahms trained intensely as a pianist and all his compositions demand a massive and highly-controlled technique. He\, along with his muse Clara Schumann\, taught many students whose playing was subsequently captured by early recording\, allowing us a tantalizing glimpse into the performing styles of the 19th century. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/roundtable-by-the-92nd-street-y-great-composer-pianists-lecture-4-johannes-brahms/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GreatComposerPianists.png ORGANIZER;CN="Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y":MAILTO:hello@roundtable.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261001T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261001T133000 DTSTAMP:20260809T151241Z CREATED:20260809T150820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T151241Z UID:5169-1790856000-1790861400@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Smithsonian Associates: Jazzing the Classics - The Enduring Influence of American Jazz on Classical Music\, Lecture 1 - Jazz Invades Paris\, Paris Rolls Over DESCRIPTION:https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/jazzing-classics​\n \n \n \n \n \n Beginning in the earliest part of the 20th century\, European “art” or “classical” music enjoyed a brief but intense romance with American jazz. If its perceptions of this unique American artform were sometimes distinctly misguided\, its enthusiasm made up for it. For some it was a charming caprice\, for others a raucous symbol of democracy. \nIn a 4-session course\, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and historic and contemporary film clips to explore early jazz origins and how American ragtime and jazz conquered Parisian nightclubs in the feverish pre- and post-World War I era\, powerfully influencing composers from Ravel to Milhaud and Stravinsky. She traces the role of jazz in the ‘20s and ‘30s as a symbol of political freedom and cultural modernity for artists such as Shostakovich\, Krenek\, and Walton in capitals including Moscow\, Berlin\, and London. She concludes in the U.S.\, where many composers including Aaron Copland\, George Gershwin\, and John Alden Carpenter used jazz as a deep source of inspiration while struggling to come to terms with its identity as a highly complex\, home-grown African American artform. \nBritish-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR\, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music\, film scores\, and the fine arts. \n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \n“Jazz ‘er up! Broadway’s conquest of Europe!” So announced the New York Times jubilantly in 1921. It was nothing new for Parisians to amuse themselves with foreign cultural traditions\, but the intoxicating syncopations and sounds of American ragtime and popular dance music had already been taking root there for several decades. Claude Debussy had been enchanted by John Philip Sousa’s marching bands\, while James Reese Europe’s Black military band\, the Hellfighters\, mesmerized huge French crowds\, adding to the disruptive energy driving works like Erik Satie’s anarchic ballet Parade. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/smithsonian-associates-jazzing-the-classics-the-enduring-influence-of-american-jazz-on-classical-music-lecture-1-earth-jazz-invades-paris-paris-rolls-over/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JazzingTheClassics.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261008T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261008T133000 DTSTAMP:20260809T151326Z CREATED:20260809T151053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T151326Z UID:5175-1791460800-1791466200@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Smithsonian Associates: Jazzing the Classics - The Enduring Influence of American Jazz on Classical Music\, Lecture 2 - The Twenties Roar In DESCRIPTION:https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/jazzing-classics​\n \n \n \n \n \n Beginning in the earliest part of the 20th century\, European “art” or “classical” music enjoyed a brief but intense romance with American jazz. If its perceptions of this unique American artform were sometimes distinctly misguided\, its enthusiasm made up for it. For some it was a charming caprice\, for others a raucous symbol of democracy. \nIn a 4-session course\, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and historic and contemporary film clips to explore early jazz origins and how American ragtime and jazz conquered Parisian nightclubs in the feverish pre- and post-World War I era\, powerfully influencing composers from Ravel to Milhaud and Stravinsky. She traces the role of jazz in the ‘20s and ‘30s as a symbol of political freedom and cultural modernity for artists such as Shostakovich\, Krenek\, and Walton in capitals including Moscow\, Berlin\, and London. She concludes in the U.S.\, where many composers including Aaron Copland\, George Gershwin\, and John Alden Carpenter used jazz as a deep source of inspiration while struggling to come to terms with its identity as a highly complex\, home-grown African American artform. \nBritish-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR\, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music\, film scores\, and the fine arts. \n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nAfter the devastation of the Great War\, the world reached madly for entertainment and French artists continued their adoration of all things modern and American. Popular Parisian drinking spots regularly featured American popular performers\, and composers such as Maurice Ravel and Darius Milhaud created large-scale works directly inspired by the ragtime and early jazz they heard there. Franklin’s selections include Ravel’s two piano concertos and opera L’enfant et les sortile`ges\, Milhaud’s La Création du Monde and L’Histoire du Soldat by Stravinsky. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/smithsonian-associates-jazzing-the-classics-the-enduring-influence-of-american-jazz-on-classical-music-lecture-2-the-twenties-roar-in/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JazzingTheClassics.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261015T133000 DTSTAMP:20260809T151545Z CREATED:20260809T151541Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T151545Z UID:5184-1792065600-1792071000@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Smithsonian Associates: Jazzing the Classics - The Enduring Influence of American Jazz on Classical Music\, Lecture 3 - Weimar\, London\, and Moscow Get Syncopated DESCRIPTION:https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/jazzing-classics​\n \n \n \n \n \n Beginning in the earliest part of the 20th century\, European “art” or “classical” music enjoyed a brief but intense romance with American jazz. If its perceptions of this unique American artform were sometimes distinctly misguided\, its enthusiasm made up for it. For some it was a charming caprice\, for others a raucous symbol of democracy. \nIn a 4-session course\, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and historic and contemporary film clips to explore early jazz origins and how American ragtime and jazz conquered Parisian nightclubs in the feverish pre- and post-World War I era\, powerfully influencing composers from Ravel to Milhaud and Stravinsky. She traces the role of jazz in the ‘20s and ‘30s as a symbol of political freedom and cultural modernity for artists such as Shostakovich\, Krenek\, and Walton in capitals including Moscow\, Berlin\, and London. She concludes in the U.S.\, where many composers including Aaron Copland\, George Gershwin\, and John Alden Carpenter used jazz as a deep source of inspiration while struggling to come to terms with its identity as a highly complex\, home-grown African American artform. \nBritish-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR\, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music\, film scores\, and the fine arts. \n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nOther nationalities were also fascinated by jazz\, which fed a fierce desire to build a new cultural language for their ravaged countries. However\, as both fascism and communism menaced new intellectual movements\, jazz and American popular music became highly political in countries undergoing upheaval and repression. Franklin includes the work of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht in their Mahagonny Songspiel\, Ernst Krenek’s Jonny spielt auf\, and Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff’s jazz piano pieces. Shostakovich’s Jazz Suites and the very English Façade by William Walton are also featured. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/smithsonian-associates-jazzing-the-classics-the-enduring-influence-of-american-jazz-on-classical-music-lecture-3-weimar-london-and-moscow-get-syncopated/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JazzingTheClassics.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261022T133000 DTSTAMP:20260809T151739Z CREATED:20260809T151735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T151739Z UID:5189-1792670400-1792675800@rachelfranklin.com SUMMARY:Smithsonian Associates: Jazzing the Classics - The Enduring Influence of American Jazz on Classical Music\, Lecture 4 - Concert Halls and Controversy in the US DESCRIPTION:https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/jazzing-classics​\n \n \n \n \n \n Beginning in the earliest part of the 20th century\, European “art” or “classical” music enjoyed a brief but intense romance with American jazz. If its perceptions of this unique American artform were sometimes distinctly misguided\, its enthusiasm made up for it. For some it was a charming caprice\, for others a raucous symbol of democracy. \nIn a 4-session course\, popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin uses her unique live piano demonstrations and historic and contemporary film clips to explore early jazz origins and how American ragtime and jazz conquered Parisian nightclubs in the feverish pre- and post-World War I era\, powerfully influencing composers from Ravel to Milhaud and Stravinsky. She traces the role of jazz in the ‘20s and ‘30s as a symbol of political freedom and cultural modernity for artists such as Shostakovich\, Krenek\, and Walton in capitals including Moscow\, Berlin\, and London. She concludes in the U.S.\, where many composers including Aaron Copland\, George Gershwin\, and John Alden Carpenter used jazz as a deep source of inspiration while struggling to come to terms with its identity as a highly complex\, home-grown African American artform. \nBritish-born Franklin has been a featured speaker for organizations including the Library of Congress and NPR\, exploring intersections among classical and jazz music\, film scores\, and the fine arts. \n——————————————————————————————————————————————— \nWhile jazz was exploding in popularity throughout the United States and the great jazz masters were beginning to emerge\, the classical music community harbored a profound ambivalence about this home-grown phenomenon and its roots in the cultures of African and enslaved people. Composers with an eye to the future had to decide whether to embrace it as a valid music of the time or condemn it as a cheap passing phase. Franklin examines the ballet Skyscrapers by Carpenter\, Copland’s Piano Concerto\, and the ever-changing perspective of George Gershwin’s greatest works. Inevitably\, the greatest jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Wynton Marsalis pronounce the not-so-final word on how jazz has found its way permanently into modern concert halls. URL:https://rachelfranklin.com/event/smithsonian-associates-jazzing-the-classics-the-enduring-influence-of-american-jazz-on-classical-music-lecture-4-concert-halls-and-controversy-in-the-us/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://rachelfranklin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JazzingTheClassics.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR