Webinar – New York Adventure Club
The screeching violins of Psycho’s shower murder. The seductive musical whirlpool and dizzying dissonance of Vertigo. The haunting solo sax that defines Travis Bickle’s Taxi Driver. These iconic sounds could only come from the dark genius of one Hollywood composer, whose explosive personality was matched by intense sensitivity, a compassion for outsiders, and a matchless gift for “getting inside the drama.”
Join New York Adventure Club as we follow the tumultuous career journey of Bernard Herrmann, one of the great Golden Age of Film composers who wrote scores for some of the most suspenseful movies of all time.
Led by Steven C. Smith, author of the Herrmann biography “A Heart at Fire’s Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann”.
Testimonials
“I enjoyed learning about all of Hitchcock’s movies – and the man behind the music.” -Rosemary
“Speaker was incredibly knowledgeable, visuals/PowerPoint slides were well curated and timed, information selected for inclusion was pertinent and interesting and presented at a very good pace for the format.” -Kelsey
“I liked the domain expertise of the presenter and the smoothness of transition between him speaking vs. audio/video clips” -Ashwin
“Beautifully combined music and film and talk; wonderful program from start to finish” -Ron
“I liked the knowledge of Mr. Smith, plus the immensely entertaining way he shared it with images, beautiful clips, and a terrific running narration.” -Jan
“Steven Smith is extremely knowledgable and presented his material with professionalism.” -Evan
“The presenter was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and knew how to teach it.” -Benita
“I liked the breadth of it, covering Herrmann’s whole career. The speaker was outstanding in knowledge of his subject and manner of presentation. This was one of the best NYAC presentations I’ve seen.” -Sara
“Steven’s presentation was first rate in that he provided a wealth of material in the form of analysis, music and film clips as well as narration. It flowed seamlessly and held the viewer’s attention.” -Dorothy
“The information and the visuals and the audio were all fabulously interesting. The program was so so well planned and executed” -Fran
“Very interesting subject and very knowledgeable presenter. I also liked the way he handled the Q&A at the end–quick without feeling rushed” -Sarah
“Steven Smith is VERY knowledgeable about the subject and presented it in a very entertaining way.” -Bruce
“This is totally obvious, but the combination of Steven’s exquisite commentary with the music itself really deepened my understanding of the book and Herrmann’s work. And Steven’s such a consummate pro — he makes a very complex production look so easy!” -Cindy
“Excellent presentation! Great examples of the music and commentary. I hope that Steven Smith will present another lecture!” -Sharon
“It was comprehensive, illuminating, entertaining… And as someone who has a degree in Cinema Studies from NYU, I thought the presentation was (in a word) superb. Thank you so much!” -Barry
“I liked everything! Steven’s profound knowledge and warm and witty presentation, Old Hollywood and music — doesn’t get any better than this! :)” -Amanda
“Presenter very well informed, articulate with good diction. Provided sources for further, more detailed info. Great, rare films clips.” -Gregg
“I liked the knowledge of Steven C. Smith in regard to the subject.” -Lloyd
“Steven is a knowledgeable and well organized speaker. Good mix of talk and examples from Herrmann.” -Roy
“Steven was so smart and charismatic and knowledgeable. Wow!!!! Such a great and informative program.” -Kevin
“Effort put in by presenter was obvious – excellent content!” -Samantha
“Very professionally done. Obviously someone who knows their topic well. And a very well rehearsed presentation.” -Paul
“Steven was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. His mix of clips and stills was engaging. I thought I knew a lot about the subject but learned so much more from Steven’s in-depth research! Well done!” -Escott
“The unusual subject matter (dear to my heart!), and the relaxed, knowledgable (and loving!) way the guest treated the subject.” -Gary
“The presenter – Steven Smith is brilliant. Please ask him to back for another presentation.” -Tom
“Great subject, great commentator.” -Preston
“The speaker was a world-class expert and highly engaging.” -Dan
“I liked the nice to touch with Bernard’s personality.” -Akira
“It was very informative and interesting.” -Dennis
“Steven is a fantastic presenter – knowledgeable and entertaining.” -Bruce
“Learning more about the composer and how he was able to score so many things.” -Margo
“Presenter put forward the info in a relatable way.” -SJ
“Host was extremely knowledgeable and gave us tons of interesting personal and musical information in a very smooth and organized timeline format.” -April
“Great info, great sound and videos” -Richard
“An excellent presentation on the music of Bernard Herrmann, with an excellent blend of still images, video clips, and commentary.” -Ken
“Steven Smith is knowledgeable, engaging and well organized. He covered a lot of ground, but could easily have added another 30 minutes of material.” -Iris
“Excellent lecture with great visuals and audio accompaniment.” -Gabriella
“Extremely well done ! great knowledge” -Richard
