"Of Thee I Sing" (Of Thee I Sing, 1931) // Jayce Ogren // CDE

Our centennial celebration at Michigan Theater on February 11, 2024 also showcased some of the Gershwin Initiative’s first undertakings in making new editions of the Gershwins’ musicals—with Associate Editor Jacob Kerzner playing George Gershwin’s own piano in the ensemble! Jayce Ogren leads four SMTD musical theater students and the Contemporary Directions Ensemble.

Of Thee I Sing (1931), a collaboration with George S. Kaufman (1889–1961) and Morrie Ryskind (1895–1985), won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1932. The title number is the presidential campaign song of John P. Wintergreen, conflating love of country with love for his soon-to-be-wife. For more, please read our program notes: https://smtd.umich.edu/ami/gershwin/w...

Music by George Gershwin (1898–1937)
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1896–1983)
Orchestration by William Daly Jr. (1887–1936)

Voice: Keyon Pickett, Aquila Sol
Conductor: Jayce Ogren
Flute: Alexis Eubanks
Oboe: Lillian Matthews
Alto Saxophone: Leo Schlaifer, Nick Napier
Tenor Saxophone: Kyle Kato
Trumpet: Oliver Barron, Thomas Bonasera
Trombone: Shonn Olegario
Percussion: Rachel Richards
Piano: Jacob Kerzner
Violin: Zoe Dweck, Mimi Fan, Solveig Geenen, Margot Helft, Camille McLean, Alex Vershinin
Viola: Yifei Wang, Jacob Westerbeke
Cello: Dayoung Park, Maria Savarese
Contrabass: Diego Patiño

This video was made possible by the Gershwin Initiative at the University of Michigan as part of The George and Ira Gershwin Critical Edition. To make it possible for us to continue this magical work, please donate at https://giving.umich.edu/um/w/gershwi....