Classics from the American songbook, including Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern and more

The Artists

Traversing Broadway, vaudeville and music hall, performing music from the ragtime era to the end of the 20th century, the duo of William Bolcom and Joan Morris has delighted audiences across the United States and around the world since 1973.  At the piano, composer and raconteur William Bolcom charms the audience with his engaging patter. One of the driving forces behind the ragtime revival that began in the 1970s, he is also the composer of the poignant “Graceful Ghost Rag.” As an accompanist, his lively and harmonically rich touch is impeccably tuned to every nuance of Joan Morris’s voice.  Chanteuse Joan Morris brings out a veritable cast of characters to sing each of her songs.  According to the Chicago Tribune, “she projects not just a song, but the character singing it, and gives that character her own irresistibly funny and winning personality.”  The duo has 24 recordings to their credit, from their Grammy-nominated debut “After the Ball” to recent collections of songs by Yip Harburg, Gus Kahn and Arnold Weinstein/William Bolcom.