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presents

“AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...”

Silent Films with Live Musical Accompaniment

Auditorium, APS Conference Center, Argonne National Laboratory

Friday March 2, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.

Silent Film Silent Film Silent Film

More on the program, artist, location, ordering tickets below.

This program is partially supported by the University of Chicago and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

  • About the Program

    • The featured film selected for this evening's performance will be The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the classic example of German expressionist film-making from the Silent Era. Also on the program will be selected short films from American studios.

  • About the Artist

    • [David Drazin]
    David Drazin

    Live piano accompaniment for the films is provided by Chicago musician David Drazin, official silent-film accompanist for the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute at Chicago.

    Pianist/composer David Drazin's keyboard command and creative musical accompaniments enhance performances of film, theater, and dance. An adventurous improviser with a solid foundation in musical structure, he shifts easily from dramatic classical style to lively jazz. Mr. Drazin's repertoire includes modern and traditional jazz, boogie-woogie and blues, and original novelty compositions. He has a strong flair for Harlem stride piano style.

    A native of Cleveland, Ohio, David Drazin received his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Ohio State University. He has played live improvised piano accompaniment for silent-film screenings at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, Sacile, Italy; Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, Chicago (where he has been staff accompanist since 1985); Silent Film Society of Chicago; Cinevent, Columbus, Ohio; Arts at Argonne, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio, Museum of Art and the Cleveland Cinematheque; and many universities, libraries, and churches.

    Mr. Drazin is notable among contemporary film accompanists for his use of 1920s-era jazz and blues, rather than classic ragtime, to play for silent comedies. His dance-accompaniment improvisational skills serve him well in developing music for dramas. He has accompanied ballet classes for Evanston School of Ballet, Gus Giordano Dance Center, Northwestern University, Hubbard Street Dance, and the Lou Conte School.

    Mr. Drazin's recordings include ballet improvisations, modern and traditional jazz, original comedy songs with vocals and piano accompaniment, and a live nightclub performance featuring Chicago blues guitar legend Floyd McDaniel.

  • Location

    • The Silent-Film Night will be presented in the Auditorium of the APS Conference Center (Bldg. 402) at Argonne.

    The event is open to the public.
    Photo ID is required to enter the laboratory site. Visitors need to register prior to the event by calling 630-252-3751 during regular working hours.

    Don't know how to reach Argonne? Confused about the layout of the laboratory site? Here are some navigational aids:

  • Directions
  • Area map
  • Site map (Building 402 is in the southwestern section, at the APS site, just south of the Argonne Guest House).

  • Tickets

    • Admission to the silent-film night is $5.
    Order your tickets by phone (630-252-3751); VISA and MasterCard accepted.

    Remaining tickets will be sold in the lobby of the Argonne Cafeteria (Bldg. 213) between noon and 1:00 p.m. during the week immediately preceding the concert.

    The Auditorium Box Office will open one-half hour before the performance.

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