What to These Young Men Who Travel with Me? - RESCHEDULED!
MEETING CANCELLED DUE TO WINTER STORM.
PROGRAM RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 22.
Maestro William Henry Curry
“What to These Young Men Who Travel with Me?”
The Mary Renault Society is honored to have as our first speaker of 2026 William Henry Curry, Music Director and Conductor of the Durham Symphony.
The title of Maestro Curry’s presentation will be “What to These Young Men Who Travel with Me?” This is a quote from Walt Whitman, the great 19th century American poet, who was believed to be gay. Bill will focus in his talk on the love lives of two great 20th century American composers, Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland, who were gay and closeted. Bill has found that each composer had a life-changing affair with a man. In each case, the object of the composer’s affection was younger and predeceased the composer.
Bill introduced this topic with us in February 2020. Since then, he has done further research, focusing on the two young men who meant so much to Bernstein and Copland.
Bill says, “I am intrigued by the romantic attachments of a genius. Who do they make a serious commitment to... and why? And why is it that certain people attract extraordinary talents? For instance, Mia Farrow’s first husband was Frank Sinatra, her second was Andre Previn, and her last ‘conquest’ was Woody Allen. Through interviews and research at the Library of Congress I have discovered material on Bernstein and Copland found in no book about the men who they called ‘the love of my life.’”
Bill Curry was born in Pittsburgh. He began studying the viola at 11 and began conducting and composing at 14. After attending the Oberlin Conservatory, he became Assistant Conductor of the Richmond Symphony and made his debut there at 21 conducting Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. His long career as a conductor has included stints with symphony orchestras all over the U.S. and the world. From 1998 to 2016 he was Resident Conductor and Summerfest Artistic Director of the North Carolina Symphony. As a composer, he wrote Eulogy for a Dream, using the words of Martin Luther King Jr., a tribute to the civil rights leader suggested by his widow, Coretta Scott King. Bill has been honored with many awards.
Our January meeting will be on Sunday evening, January 25, 2026. We will gather at 7 p.m., eat a potluck supper at 7:30, and hear Bill Curry’s talk at 8 p.m.