October 10-11, 2009
HOUR ONE
Last month, another new school year started for students at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, New York. The difference is now they have a brand new, state-of-the-art building in a vibrant neighborhood in Queens. Bob was there for the ribbon cutting ceremony and to interview Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, about their work in founding and funding one of New York City’s newest public schools.
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series This I Believe, Bob talks with executive director Dan Gediman about the essay from Martha Graham. In seven decades as a dancer and choreographer, Graham created 181 ballets. A founder of modern dance, she is known for her collaborations with other leading artists, including composer Aaron Copland. Graham’s company trained dance greats such as Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp.
HOUR TWO
The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank is required reading for many junior high and high school students, but most people fail to revisit the work in adulthood. When author and critic Francine Prose reread Anne Frank’s famous diary, she realized it was the work of a great writer. In Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife, Prose examines the words and cultural effects of this young woman’s writings.
When Rosanne Cash was 18-years-old, her father made a list of 100 essential songs she should hear and appreciate. Luckily, Johnny Cash’s daughter saved that piece of paper and performs her versions of some of those tunes on a new CD called “The List.”