WRITING WITH LIGHT... JOYCE TENNESON'S LIFE IN PHOTOGRAPHY

The word photography comes from the Greek language, meaning "writing with light". In her magnificent career working in the medium, photographer and author JOYCE TENNESON has mastered the art of capturing that signature illumination her wide array of subjects beam. Most recently, her camera lens has been engaged in a dialogue with flowers, and the result of her creative immersion is her newly released book RADIANT BEINGS The Magical Essence of Flowers. The Coudert Institute is delighted to welcome Joyce to our 2022 season as part of our Speaker Series in which she will share her expansive body of work in JOYCE TENNESON: A Life in Photography, at 11:30 AM on Thursday February at The Sailfish Club of Florida.

I have never seen flowers as mere decorations; they have always seemed like distinct personalities with a secret life of their own.

Much of the work represented in the pages of RADIANT BEINGS was produced during the pandemic as Tenneson submerged herself in her Rockport, Maine studio surrounded by a cacophony of flowers and vines keeping them close for extended periods of time in order to intimately witness their life cycles. "Flowers have always been a symbol for life - welcoming new births and accompanying the departed. I never knew what each day would bring," shared the artist. "I just trusted and launched myself into the great unknown hoping that I would be energized by what was revealed." As with her iconic portraits, the soul stirring images in the new book provoke an intense emotional response. RADIANT BEINGS represents the third in a trilogy of books on the life cycle of flowers.

JOYCE TENNESON is the author of 17 books, including the bestseller, WISE WOMEN. A seasonal resident of the Palm Beach area, her work has appeared on the covers for magazines such as: Time, Life, Newsweek, Premier, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. Internationally lauded as one of the leading photographers of her generation, Tenneson's work has been published in books and major magazines, and exhibited in museums, galleries and private collections worldwide. In 2018 she was awarded a LUCIE for Achievement in Portraiture. This past October, her accomplishments were further recognized as she was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.

She acts as the midpoint of a compass that tries to link the flower, tree, or person with a viewer who wants a deeper and more meaningful understanding of her subject matter.

Of her artistry, Holden Jay Luntz of Worth Avenue's HOLDEN LUNTZ GALLERY, observes, "Joyce Tenneson transcends the normal definition of what makes for a memorable portrait. She is committed to searching beyond the merely visual and fathoming the soul or essence of whoever or whatever she chooses to place in front of her lens." HOLDEN LUNTZ exhibits select works from Tenneson's decades long career. "If photography is merely a record of visual verisimilitude it doesn’t engage the viewer in the fullest matter. For Tenneson the eyes are the gatekeeper to the soul. Metaphorically, she acts as the midpoint of a compass that tries to link the flower, tree, or person with a viewer who wants a deeper and more meaningful understanding of her subject matter. Joyce Tenneson creates images that make a lasting impression and have a depth and a richness beyond the two dimensionality of the photographic image."

The Institute is honored to welcome Joyce for this very special public appearance in which she will share stories and images from her remarkable career as an artist. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please click HERE.

10,000 NOTES... Join us in the Garden in Celebration of Beethoven's 250th Birthday

"I would rather write 10,000 notes than a single letter of the alphabet."

In March 1778, at the age of seven, Ludwig van Beethoven performed in public for the first time. He was billed as a piano-playing “wunderkind”. Considered one of the greatest musical geniuses who ever lived, Beethoven began losing his hearing in his mid-20s, after already building a solid reputation as a musician and composer. This deterioration of his hearing would continue until he became completely deaf.

While many are aware of Beethoven's struggle with deafness , many don’t realize the extraordinary challenge it presented to the composer. "Imagine directing an orchestra you can’t hear. Or, playing a soundless piano for a staring audience?" queries Donato Cabrera, Music Director of the California Symphony, in his essay titled, The Whole Story of Beethoven's Deafness. How Beethoven navigated this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of classical music.

Just how was Beethoven able to continue composing despite the loss of his hearing? For this, his incredible grasp of composition is often credited. Music is a language, with rules. It is the process of putting sounds and tones in an order and combining them to create a unified composition. Beethoven's great command of this language of music is what enabled him to sit at his desk and organize its components (or compose) without actually hearing it. "Beethoven was a master of the language of music, which is about the creation of sound, not about listening," further notes Mr. Cabrera in his essay.

On December 16 of 2020, the world honored the brilliant pianist and composer Ludwig van Beethoven on the occasion of his 250th birthday. This Sunday afternoon, December 5, at 3 PM, the Coudert Institute will (belatedly) join in this milestone celebration by presenting OLIVER HERBERT, cello and XIAOHUI YANG, piano as they present for us the COMPLETE CELLO SONATAS. Tickets are now available through this link.

Cellist OLIVER HERBERT is quickly building a reputation as an artist with a distinct voice and individual style. Performing a wide range of repertoire, Oliver’s recent solo and recital appearances include debuts with the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony SoundBox, Union College Concert Series, and the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in Chicago, among others.  Oliver has worked with renowned conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Juanjo Mena, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. As a chamber musician, Oliver has performed with some of the leading musicians of our time including Shmuel Ashkenasi, Franklin Cohen, Pamela Frank, Miriam Fried, Clive Greensmith, Nobuko Imai, Meng-Chieh Liu, David Shifrin, and Peter Wiley. In addition, Oliver frequently collaborates with pianist Xiaohui Yang as a recital duo. Together they have performed on tours in both the United States and Greece, and in June 2020 released a debut recording featuring the music of Fauré and Janáček.​ Oliver's additional recording highlights include a release of Haydn's D Major Cello Concerto on Warner Classics with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony.

XIAOHUI YANG has been featured in performances throughout four continents, including in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Ozawa Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Seoul Arts Center. In additon, shas been a soloist with ensembles such as the Louisiana Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Acadiana Symphony, Curtis Symphony, Galveston Symphony and Poland’s Capella Bydgostiensis. Solo and collaborative performances include recitals for Portland Piano International, Shriver Hall Concert Series (Baltimore), Union College Concert Series (Schenectady, NY), Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago) and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (Katonah, NY). "Xiaohui and I are so thrilled to be able to present these Beethoven Sonatas with everyone at the Coudert Institute. It is our first time performing the whole cycle in one event and working on all of the pieces at once has given us a lot of insight into how the pieces speak and resonate on deeper levels when put into context with one another," expressed Mr. Herbert. "This concert represents a big moment for our musical partnership as a duo and it is also a wonderful chance to experience and celebrate the scope of Beethoven's artistry. It is sure to be a journey and we can't wait to experience it with you all."

As we continue to try to interpret and understand why BEETHOVEN's music remains so important, we wonder... Why have we heard his music a hundred times? Why and how is it meaningful for us? We are delighted to present this unique experience for exploring such questions. "In relationship to all the other stimulating opportunities that the Institute offers, the Concert in the Garden series on Sunday afternoons is designed to bring the very finest and most promising creative young talent from the Curtis Institute to audiences in an intimate, relaxed and beautiful garden atmosphere," shares The Institute's Music Director Ford Lallerstedt. "These dynamic young artists are all motivated with fresh creative visions for nurturing the vital importance of musical art in society. Come meet them, hear them and be uplifted."

Above Beethoven portrait by, Joseph Karl Stieler.

THE BEST OF US

Newly emerging from this arduous chapter of isolation, now more than ever is the time to connect and recognize our shared humanity, and allow it bring out what is best in each of us as we continue to move through this world. Through extraordinary programming this is the reality which will drive the Coudert Institute’s brand new season, launching in November.

Over two decades ago, the Institute was founded as a forum in which to realize this bold vision. Back then, who could have imagined these unparalleled times in which we as a nation and world find ourselves. Yet, our way through remains the same. We need to talk to one another. We need ideas that can change the world. I continue to be amazed by what happens when we stretch to welcome the voices which compete with our own and join together in honest conversation to explore the mystery that is this human existence.

Our 2022 season will be brimming with a host of leaders in the world of science, education, digital technology, medicine, and the humanities, and will kick off tackling the ever pertinent topic of justice, featuring a panel led by DR. WILLIAM C. COOK. Following will be an appearance from the New York Times best-selling author LAURENCE LEAMER as he shares his brand new book Capote’s Women (Putnam 2021). From there, the Institute moves into gutsy topics such as campus culture (with Campusland author SCOTT JOHNSTON) and the responsibility of the media in our evolving culture — featuring an all star panel of renowned journalists. Highlighting our season will be a rare local appearance by DR. TONY NADER as he shares his newly released book One Unbounded Ocean of Consciousness (Random House, 2021). Our 2022 programming will also find us once again partnering with the Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation as we celebrate the natural world. Peppered throughout our series of dynamic programming will be a lineup of (in person) world renowned musical performers and other arts luminaries sharing their gifts.

"The truth is we are all human beings, and there are common threads in every civilization. My ongoing vision is to create the conditions which allow us to engage in spirited and civil dialogue in order to drive solutions to the issues challenging each of us."

COUDERT INSTITUTE FOUNDING DIRECTOR, DALE COUDERT Every season finds us welcoming a host of new voices to our conversation. We hope this addition will include you! Please join us in beautiful Palm Beach for what we know will be a groundbreaking season! Enjoy this brand new conversation with STAR JONES and the Coudert Institute's Founding Director DALE COUDERT... CLICK HERE.