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

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

If you are a member of the press and would like to be added to our press list, click here.

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

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