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Harvey Lichtenstein

December 17, 2023

Harvey Lichtenstein (April 9, 1929 – February 11, 2017) was an American arts administrator. He is best known for his 32-year tenure (1967–99) as president and executive producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, or BAM, as it became known under his leadership. He led the institution to a renaissance, championing contemporary performance, establishing the Next Wave Festival, and providing a vital venue for dance, theater, music, and collaborations that bridged disciplines. The long list of artists who came to perform on BAM's stages under Lichtenstein's purview reads like a Who's Who of 20th-century performance, and includes Laurie Anderson, Pina Bausch, Peter Brook, Merce Cunningham, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Jerzy Grotowski, Mark Morris, Steve Reich, Twyla Tharp, and Robert Wilson. When Lichtenstein retired, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation made the decision to honor his considerable accomplishments by foregoing its own naming rights and dedicating the BAM Harvey Theater in his honor.[1]

Early life edit

Lichtenstein was born on April 9, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jennie (née Waldowsky) and Samuel Lichtenstein,[2] a Polish immigrant who was a milliner and the son of a Rabbi.[3] His mother was of Ukrainian descent.[4] Educated in public school and the City University of New York (CUNY) system, Lichtenstein graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and Brooklyn College. During college, he attended his first modern dance performance when a girlfriend ushered at a Martha Graham concert, inspiring him to study dance. Lichtenstein spent time at Bennington College,[5] Black Mountain College, and American Dance Festival, and performed in several New York companies, dancing with Sophie Maslow and Pearl Lang. He also spent a year in the New York City Opera corps de ballet. When the financial pressures of family pulled him from the stage, he turned to fundraising, and worked at both New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera.[6]

President and executive producer of BAM edit

In 1967, Lichtenstein was offered the directorship of Brooklyn Academy of Music. Established in 1861, the institution had a long and venerable history, but had fallen on hard times. The surrounding neighborhood had become seriously economically depressed, and the theater, then considered a backwoods cousin to its glittering Manhattan counterparts, booked mostly lectures and touring musicians in one-night engagements, or too often stood empty. Lichtenstein was advised against taking the helm of such a troubled institution, but thought, "Nobody else is offering me a theater to run, and I really would like to give it a try."[7]

Lichtenstein's tack was to revitalize the institution, soon rebranded with the acronym BAM, by bringing in adventurous programming that could not be seen elsewhere. Drawing on his love and knowledge of modern dance, he booked Merce Cunningham for an eight-performance run, the first major season of its kind.[8] He followed that with a Festival of Dance that included 11 leading choreographers, opening with Martha Graham, and including Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, José Limón, Erick Hawkins, and a very young Twyla Tharp. The New York Times proclaimed, "For the first time in history, modern dance will have a full season of performances."[9]

During Lichtenstein's tenure, DanceAfrica was also established, an annual week-long celebration of dance, music, art, film, and culture celebrating the culture of the African continent and its diaspora. Lichtenstein also championed cutting-edge theater. Early bookings included Julian Beck and Judith Malina's The Living Theatre (with nudity that drew the attention of the New York City Police Department), and Jerzy Grotowski and his Polish Laboratory Theatre. Early on, he established a relationship with Peter Brook and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and tried to establish a similar repertory theater at BAM, though that experiment never took root.[10]

Next Wave Festival edit

Lichtenstein's interest in contemporary performance was showcased further when he started the Next Wave Series in 1981, which crystallized into the full-scale Next Wave Festival in 1983. Next Wave performances were often non-linear and imagistic, and were frequently the result of collaborations among artists in a grab bag of disciplines – visual artists, choreographers, composers, musicians, theater directors, playwrights, and videographers. The artists in the Next Wave did not often have the opportunity in the U.S. to work in such a large scale. Many became inextricably associated with the institution, as did the pieces they presented, for instance Peter Brook's The Mahabharata and Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's Einstein on the Beach. The relationships BAM forged with artists often became ongoing; since the start of the festival, BAM has hosted nine productions by Robert Lepage, and 12 by Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal, which performs in New York exclusively at BAM. In 1997, The New York Times said, "the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival has become the foremost showcase for contemporary experimental performance in the United States."[11]

The Next Wave programming, offered in the fall, was anchored by an equally strong spring season, with bookings of New York artists as well as major international companies that reflect BAM's global relationships. Characteristic performances include opera such as William Christie's French Baroque company Les Arts Florissants, as well as theater by prominent British companies such as Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Propeller, and Cheek by Jowl, which present new takes on the classics.[12]

Work with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership edit

Lichtenstein's legacy includes significant contributions to the revitalization not only of BAM, but of its Brooklyn neighborhood. Under his leadership, BAM acquired another venue, an abandoned theater initially renamed the BAM Majestic, and later, upon Lichtenstein's retirement in 1999, the BAM Harvey Theater. Lichtenstein's dream was to attract other arts institutions to the area to create a cultural district with BAM as its center. When he retired as president and executive producer, he immersed himself in the BAM Local Development Corporation, now part of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, "whose mission was to create a vibrant, mixed-use multicultural arts district in downtown Brooklyn".[13] With the construction, notably, of the Mark Morris Dance Center, Theatre for a New Audience's Polonsky Shakespeare Center, and the BAM Fisher Building, that dream has been realized, and Fort Greene is now recognized as a vibrant, established arts destination.[14]

References edit

  1. ^ Rockwell 2011, pp. 62–99.
  2. ^ "On This Day in History, April 9: He Introduced Avant-Garde to BAM". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Rockwell & Lehner 2007, pp. 4–5.
  4. ^ Berkvist, Robert (February 11, 2017). "Harvey Lichtenstein, Who Led Brooklyn Academy of Music's Rebirth, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "Harvey Lichtenstein | Bennington College".
  6. ^ Rockwell 2011, p. 65.
  7. ^ Rockwell & Lehner 2007, p. 48.
  8. ^ Rockwell 2011, p. 68.
  9. ^ Barnes, Clive (October 20, 1968). "Dance: Innovation from the East" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  10. ^ Rockwell 2011, pp. 69–70, 79, 93–95.
  11. ^ Shewey, Don (October 4, 1997). "At 15, Next Wave Still Tests the Edge; How Brooklyn's Window on Innovation Became a Powerhouse". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Rockwell 2011, p. 88–92.
  13. ^ Silverman 2011, p. 256.
  14. ^ Silverman 2011, pp. 255–260.

Sources

External links edit

December 17, 2023
harvey, lichtenstein, april, 1929, february, 2017, american, arts, administrator, best, known, year, tenure, 1967, president, executive, producer, brooklyn, academy, music, became, known, under, leadership, institution, renaissance, championing, contemporary, . Harvey Lichtenstein April 9 1929 February 11 2017 was an American arts administrator He is best known for his 32 year tenure 1967 99 as president and executive producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music or BAM as it became known under his leadership He led the institution to a renaissance championing contemporary performance establishing the Next Wave Festival and providing a vital venue for dance theater music and collaborations that bridged disciplines The long list of artists who came to perform on BAM s stages under Lichtenstein s purview reads like a Who s Who of 20th century performance and includes Laurie Anderson Pina Bausch Peter Brook Merce Cunningham Philip Glass Meredith Monk Jerzy Grotowski Mark Morris Steve Reich Twyla Tharp and Robert Wilson When Lichtenstein retired the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation made the decision to honor his considerable accomplishments by foregoing its own naming rights and dedicating the BAM Harvey Theater in his honor 1 Contents 1 Early life 2 President and executive producer of BAM 3 Next Wave Festival 4 Work with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership 5 References 6 External linksEarly life editLichtenstein was born on April 9 1929 in Brooklyn New York to Jennie nee Waldowsky and Samuel Lichtenstein 2 a Polish immigrant who was a milliner and the son of a Rabbi 3 His mother was of Ukrainian descent 4 Educated in public school and the City University of New York CUNY system Lichtenstein graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and Brooklyn College During college he attended his first modern dance performance when a girlfriend ushered at a Martha Graham concert inspiring him to study dance Lichtenstein spent time at Bennington College 5 Black Mountain College and American Dance Festival and performed in several New York companies dancing with Sophie Maslow and Pearl Lang He also spent a year in the New York City Opera corps de ballet When the financial pressures of family pulled him from the stage he turned to fundraising and worked at both New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera 6 President and executive producer of BAM editIn 1967 Lichtenstein was offered the directorship of Brooklyn Academy of Music Established in 1861 the institution had a long and venerable history but had fallen on hard times The surrounding neighborhood had become seriously economically depressed and the theater then considered a backwoods cousin to its glittering Manhattan counterparts booked mostly lectures and touring musicians in one night engagements or too often stood empty Lichtenstein was advised against taking the helm of such a troubled institution but thought Nobody else is offering me a theater to run and I really would like to give it a try 7 Lichtenstein s tack was to revitalize the institution soon rebranded with the acronym BAM by bringing in adventurous programming that could not be seen elsewhere Drawing on his love and knowledge of modern dance he booked Merce Cunningham for an eight performance run the first major season of its kind 8 He followed that with a Festival of Dance that included 11 leading choreographers opening with Martha Graham and including Paul Taylor Alvin Ailey Jose Limon Erick Hawkins and a very young Twyla Tharp The New York Times proclaimed For the first time in history modern dance will have a full season of performances 9 During Lichtenstein s tenure DanceAfrica was also established an annual week long celebration of dance music art film and culture celebrating the culture of the African continent and its diaspora Lichtenstein also championed cutting edge theater Early bookings included Julian Beck and Judith Malina s The Living Theatre with nudity that drew the attention of the New York City Police Department and Jerzy Grotowski and his Polish Laboratory Theatre Early on he established a relationship with Peter Brook and the Royal Shakespeare Company and tried to establish a similar repertory theater at BAM though that experiment never took root 10 Next Wave Festival editLichtenstein s interest in contemporary performance was showcased further when he started the Next Wave Series in 1981 which crystallized into the full scale Next Wave Festival in 1983 Next Wave performances were often non linear and imagistic and were frequently the result of collaborations among artists in a grab bag of disciplines visual artists choreographers composers musicians theater directors playwrights and videographers The artists in the Next Wave did not often have the opportunity in the U S to work in such a large scale Many became inextricably associated with the institution as did the pieces they presented for instance Peter Brook s The Mahabharata and Philip Glass and Robert Wilson s Einstein on the Beach The relationships BAM forged with artists often became ongoing since the start of the festival BAM has hosted nine productions by Robert Lepage and 12 by Pina Bausch s Tanztheater Wuppertal which performs in New York exclusively at BAM In 1997 The New York Times said the Brooklyn Academy of Music s Next Wave Festival has become the foremost showcase for contemporary experimental performance in the United States 11 The Next Wave programming offered in the fall was anchored by an equally strong spring season with bookings of New York artists as well as major international companies that reflect BAM s global relationships Characteristic performances include opera such as William Christie s French Baroque company Les Arts Florissants as well as theater by prominent British companies such as Royal Shakespeare Company Young Vic Donmar Warehouse Propeller and Cheek by Jowl which present new takes on the classics 12 Work with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership editLichtenstein s legacy includes significant contributions to the revitalization not only of BAM but of its Brooklyn neighborhood Under his leadership BAM acquired another venue an abandoned theater initially renamed the BAM Majestic and later upon Lichtenstein s retirement in 1999 the BAM Harvey Theater Lichtenstein s dream was to attract other arts institutions to the area to create a cultural district with BAM as its center When he retired as president and executive producer he immersed himself in the BAM Local Development Corporation now part of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership whose mission was to create a vibrant mixed use multicultural arts district in downtown Brooklyn 13 With the construction notably of the Mark Morris Dance Center Theatre for a New Audience s Polonsky Shakespeare Center and the BAM Fisher Building that dream has been realized and Fort Greene is now recognized as a vibrant established arts destination 14 References edit Rockwell 2011 pp 62 99 On This Day in History April 9 He Introduced Avant Garde to BAM Brooklyn Daily Eagle Retrieved March 14 2014 Rockwell amp Lehner 2007 pp 4 5 Berkvist Robert February 11 2017 Harvey Lichtenstein Who Led Brooklyn Academy of Music s Rebirth Dies at 87 The New York Times Retrieved February 12 2017 Harvey Lichtenstein Bennington College Rockwell 2011 p 65 Rockwell amp Lehner 2007 p 48 Rockwell 2011 p 68 Barnes Clive October 20 1968 Dance Innovation from the East PDF The New York Times Retrieved March 17 2014 Rockwell 2011 pp 69 70 79 93 95 Shewey Don October 4 1997 At 15 Next Wave Still Tests the Edge How Brooklyn s Window on Innovation Became a Powerhouse The New York Times Retrieved March 18 2014 Rockwell 2011 p 88 92 Silverman 2011 p 256 Silverman 2011 pp 255 260 Sources Rockwell John Lehner Sharon June 20 2007 Harvey Lichtenstein Oral History Interview I transcript BAM Hamm Archives Serafin Steven ed 2011 BAM The Complete Works Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Quantuck Lane Press ISBN 9781593720469 Rockwell John Harvey Lichtenstein and the BAM Renaissance In Serafin 2011 Silverman Tina A Marriage of True Minds Karen Brooks Hopkins and Joseph V Melillo In Serafin 2011 External links edit 9 Artists Honor the Man Who Put Brooklyn on the Map by John Rockwell The New York Times February 14 2017 Portals nbsp Biography nbsp The arts nbsp New York City Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Harvey Lichtenstein amp oldid 1172602309, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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