Out of Myself—Songs of Peter Foley
LIVE ALBUM - Now available on Center Stage Records!
On June 5th, 2023, a phenomenal cast of Broadway vocalists, a 9-piece band, and full chorus performed a dazzling range of songs by Peter Foley at New York’s Symphony Space. Now, a recording of the concert has been released on Center Stage Records.
Music directed and conducted by Grammy and Emmy Award winner Rob Berman, Out of Myself—Songs of Peter Foley showcases Peter’s stage works—The Hidden Sky, The Names We Gave Him, Bloom, You Captured My Heart (working title), Whitechapel, and Songs from an Unmade Bed—as well as songs written for concert and cabaret, with lyrics by Peter Foley, Marion Adler, Carl R. Brush, Mark Campbell, Adam Gopnik, Matthew Heimer, and Ellen McLaughlin.
Peter’s soaring, soul-stirring songs are brought to life by some of Broadway and opera’s most celebrated voices and rising stars: Shereen Ahmed, Kate Baldwin, Mikaela Bennett, Max Chernin, Eisa Davis, Melissa Errico, Manoel Felciano, Ashley Pérez-Flanagan, Jason Gotay, Marya Grandy, Darron Hayes, Christian Probst, Sam Simahk, and Michael Winther.
The digital booklet for the album includes full song lyrics, photos, and liner notes by producers Kate Chisholm and Rob Berman. Berman writes:
“Listen to the entirety of this collection of songs and I think you will be struck, as I was, by his facility in such a wide range of musical styles. Peter’s influences were many and he loved so many genres: classical music, from Monteverdi to minimalism; pop, funk, jazz, reggae, world music; the American Songbook, classic musical theatre, Sondheim. His songs came equally out of his head and heart, and now we have the opportunity for them to enter ours. Lucky us.”
The album is available for digital download from Center Stage Records, Apple Music, and Amazon Music and for worldwide streaming wherever you listen to music. We encourage you to buy the album and listen to it in its entirety to experience the extraordinary scope of Peter’s work and support our mission.
Music by
Peter Foley
Lyrics by
Peter Foley, Marion Adler, Carl R. Brush, Mark Campbell, Adam Gopnik, Matthew Heimer, Ellen McLaughlin
Music Supervisor & Conductor
Rob Berman
Associate Music Directors
Griffin Strout, Alexander Tom
Producers
Kate Chisholm, Rob Berman & Pete Karam
Executive Producers
Peter Foley Music Project & Van Dean
Track List
1. THE HIDDEN SKY Manoel Felciano, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Chorus
2. WHEEL IN THE ENGINE Marya Grandy
3. PINEHEART Sam Simahk, Darron Hayes, Christian Probst, Kate Baldwin
4. OATH Chorus
5. REVELATION: ALL IS NUMBER Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Chorus
6. THE DREAMS OF LITTLE GIRLS Eisa Davis
7. THE OTHER ME Christian Probst
8. YOU CAPTURED MY HEART Max Chernin
9. A POEM BY ROBERT HERRICK Sam Simahk
10. RATHER PRIVATE THOUGHTS Shereen Ahmed
11. THE SADNESS Manoel Felciano, Shereen Ahmed
12. THE HAPPINESS Kate Baldwin
13. BLOOM IN ME Darron Hayes, Max Chernin, Izzy Ramirez, Yemie Woo
14. DARKNESS Eisa Davis
15. RAISE ME HIGHER Marya Grandy, Chorus
16. BROADWAY Kate Baldwin
17. TO SING Michael Winther
18. ON VIT, ON AIME Melissa Errico
19. THE HONEST GENTLEMAN Sam Simahk, Chorus
20. I’LL NEVER WEAR BLACK Mikaela Bennett
21. ALL OUR LITTLE THINGS Manoel Felciano, Michael Protacio, David Rowen, Chandler Sinks
22. YELLOW FIELD Shereen Ahmed, Jason Gotay
Praise
"A rising musical theater writer, decorated with the Richard Rodgers and Jonathan Larson Foundation Awards, Foley tragically passed away at just 54 years old before his work could achieve widespread public recognition. Nevertheless, he left behind an undiscovered treasure trove of beautifully sweeping songs with a blend of Broadway and classical art song." —JULIE JAMES, SIRIUS XM ON BROADWAY
“What an amazing sense of discovery to hear these wonderful, diverse, totally unique, thoughtfully composed songs... With each song I kept wanting more. Each song revealed something new to discover in Foley’s work. By the end of the album I still wanted more... These are outstanding songs.” [Top pick] —CRAIG L. BYRD, CULTURAL ATTACHE
“A fantastic album, a wonderful tribute to Peter’s music. I highly recommend it... I could definitely see more performers tackling his stuff. There’s so much depth to what he writes.” —DONALD FELTHAM, THE BROADWAY RADIO SHOW 🎧
“Peter Foley left a legacy of incredible music... Some of the best Broadway voices, some of the greatest singers out here, all are singing these beautiful, gorgeous—I mean, you talk about melodies!—gorgeous, gorgeous, stunning melodies.” —ROBERT BANNON, THE ROUNDTABLE 🎧
“Songs of great beauty, with uplifting moments and hope.... Gorgeous, soaring sounds prevail... Passions are potent, bursting and building in melodies that are strong and stirring... Rich singing by skilled theatre and opera performers matches the emotions... A very full banquet, served with love.” —ROB LESTER, TALKIN’ BROADWAY
“Remarkable work... The show did Foley’s versatility and passion proud... You can see in his harmonies and rhythms all of these sides to his talent in a wide-ranging skillset... There are so many songs to admire... The final number 'Yellow Field', a rapturous duet...is beyond moving... Warmly recommended. [Four stars] —JEREMY CHAPMAN, MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW
“I cannot overstate how much I love the song ‘Yellow Field.’ Certain composers make it feel so natural how the lyrics fit into the music...and this is a great example of that. I would love to hear a professional recording of all of these shows. I really highly encourage people to go and check out this album.” —KYLE MARSHALL, PUTTING IT TOGETHER 🎧
“A great and dynamic work.” —A.D. AMOROSI, WPPM THEATER IN THE ROUND 🎧
Musicians
Meg Zervoulis, piano (additional performances by Rob Berman and Joseph Thalken)
Kiku Enomoto, violin
Katherine Cherbas, cello
Jeremy Clayton, Greg Riley, reeds
Mark Schmied, bass
Matt SanGiovanni, guitar
Barry Spatz, keyboard
Dan Berkery, percussion
Chorus
Bobby Barksdale, Elyse Bell, Landan Berlof, Kat Capili, Jordan Collins, Julianna Domiciano, Nour Habbash, Gabriela Hernandez, Charlotte Kunesh, Jadon Lopez, Asher Muldoon, Michael Protacio, Isabella Ramirez, David Rowen, Chandler Sinks, Grayson Todd, Maria Tramontozzi, Matthew Weatherhead, Yemie Woo
Acknowledgements
We are deeply grateful to every single person who contributed to this album, especially our lead donors, the Ted and Mary Jo Shen Charitable Gift Fund and the Foley family; Rob Berman; Pete Karam; and all who offered their time, talent, and expertise to make this concert and album a reality.
Cover art by Adam Hitt. Photos by Tricia Baron and Todd Cerveris Photography.