Release Date: May 2, 2007

Benny Goodman-Style Jazz and Wednesday Noon Piano Concerts Celebrate the Legacy of Paul Mellon at the National Gallery of Art; May 2—June 6, 2007

Washington, DC—The National Gallery of Art will celebrate the centenary of the birth of Paul Mellon (1907–1999) with a special series of afternoon piano concerts. The one-hour midday performances, made possible by a generous grant from the Billy Rose Foundation, will begin at 12:10 p.m. in the East Building Auditorium each Wednesday from May 2 through June 6. Leading pianists will perform works by composers as diverse as J. S. Bach, Chopin, and Villa-Lobos on the newly refurbished Steinway piano—a gift to the Gallery from Ailsa Mellon Bruce, Paul Mellon’s sister.

As a special tribute to Mellon’s passion for jazz by one of his favorite performers–Benny Goodman, clarinetist Eddie Daniels and Ensemble will perform a special Benny Goodman-style jazz concert for Gallery visitors in the East Building atrium on Sunday, June 10 at 3:00 p.m., just as Benny Goodman himself performed for Mellon and guests on May 30, 1978. Goodman’s performance was a surprise from Mellon’s wife, Bunny, at the gala affair celebrating the opening of the East Building. Daniels will announce musical selections from the stage.

All programs are free and open to the public unless noted otherwise. All midday concerts are performed in the East Building Auditorium except the June 10th concert, which will be performed in the East Building atrium. For more information, call (202) 737-4215, visit the Web site at www.nga.gov, or inquire at the Art Information Desks located at each Gallery entrance. To learn more about Paul Mellon visit www.nga.gov/xio/mellonchrn_1.htm. For a full concert schedule, click on www.nga.gov/programs/music/index.shtm or call (202) 842-6941.

Piano Concerts
East Building Auditorium

May 2
Thomas Hrynkiw
Music by J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Prester, and Vytvytski

May 9
Tao Lin
Music by Balakirev, Chopin, Haydn, and Schubert

May 16
Marta Felcman
Music by Chopin, Guastavino, Ravel, and Scarlatti

May 23
Brian Ganz
Music by Chopin, Debussy, and Liszt

May 30
Stephen Prutsman
Music by J.S. Bach, Ravel, Scriabin, Stravinsky, and Prutsman

June 6
Ney Salgado
Music by Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Ravel, and Villa-Lobos

Jazz Concert
East Building Atrium
June 10
Eddie Daniels and Ensemble
Benny Goodman-style jazz concert