Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017) An Apprciation Patricia Contino, Author One of the best things about the arts is following an artist’s journey. I first heard Dmitri (“Dima”) Hvorostovsky sing at in person at a 1995 New York Philharmonic concert conducted by Valery Gergiev. They performed Mussorgsky’s “Songs of Dances and Death”, which they recorded the previous year. I was already familiar with the baritone’s persuasively smooth voice – the combination of his 1989 victory at the first Cardiff Singer of the World competition along with his silver hair and black eyes certified a regular spot on WQXR’s playlist – but the song cycle was still

Backstage at Prague-New York Effects #7 Talking Humor with Robert Janc, Mirenka Cechova and Quentin Heggs, Jacquelyn Claire, Interviewer Czech Center New York started a project entitled “Prague-New York Effects” two years ago. It’s a transatlantic cultural program that sees an artist from Prague collaborating with an Artist from New York. The artists meet in NYC for a residency that culminates in a performance. The team then travel to Prague to perform there. This is the 7th performance in the series and blends three styles of stand up comedy from ironic storytelling to clown humor to improvisational stand up. For this production

Richard Vetere is that very rare bird, a writer who actually can live on the proceeds of his work. His career spans several years. and he has written successfully for the stage, film and TV as well as publishing novels and poetry. If that weren’t enough, he acts and directs. I interviewed him about a year and a half ago, and with the launch of StageBiz.com, I thought it would be good idea to see what he has been up to since then. Richard, being the kind of fellow he is, agreed to help out by answering my questions. StageBiz: The