MUSE of FIRE

"...finely honed, expertly paced and well acted..."—Bangor Daily News

MUSE of FIRE is now available from DelGatto Press. SAVE $5!

“MUSE of FIRE—Maestro Charles Bruck at the Monteux School in Maine,” David Katz’s acclaimed one-man play about the man many considered America’s greatest (and most notorious) teacher of conducting, has been published by DelGatto Press. 

The volume includes the complete play script, with reviews, history and backstory,  plus an extensive appreciation by the renowned international musician, pianist and conductor, LORIN HOLLANDER. 

SAVE $5 by using code DCCMUSE5 at the ArtsForLess store on eBay: 

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The publication of MUSE of FIRE in this first edition is limited to just one hundred signed, numbered copies. It  commemorates the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Charles Bruck in Hancock, Maine, July 16, 1995, and the 20th year since the play’s premiere, on Bastille Day, July 14, 2005. 

When an old European maestro will stop at nothing to mold an apprentice in the flames of his passion for music, the young man discovers that great conductors are not born—they must be forged…in fire. 

Cheered from Boston to Chicago and Baltimore to Halifax, and at scores of places in between, including at the Conductors Guild and CODA Conferences, David Katz’s MUSE of FIRE lifts the veil on the most mysterious of the performing arts—to reveal its secrets.

Professional conductor, composer, playwright and actor (“there’s a resume you don’t see every day”)  David Katz conjures both Sorcerer and Apprentice in MUSE of FIRE, based on his own experiences studying with Maestro Charles Bruck, the man who ruled god-like over Maine’s internationally renowned Pierre Monteux School for more than a generation. 

2025 ANNIVERSARY:

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Charles Bruck at the Monteux School in Hancock, Maine and the 20th anniversary of the premiere of MUSE of FIRE. During the year, Maestro Katz is pleased to offer dramatic readings of the play in conjunction with its publication, in 2026. Please contact him now to arrange a visit for your audience. Dates available through fall 2026.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY:

PRIVATE PERFORMANCE:

MUSE of FIRE at the Conductors Retreat at Medomak, Washington, ME. Performance at the request of Maestro Kenneth Kiesler. (This is David's third appearance in MUSE of FIRE at the unique conducting school near Camden.)

• MUSE of FIRE command performance for the University of Michigan School of Music.
  

• MUSE of FIRE—performance sponsored by Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI

• MUSE of FIRE—Wisconsin debut, performance sponsored by the Oconomowoc Chamber Orchestra.
  

• MUSE of FIRE returns to KENTUCKY: performance sponsored by the Centre College Music Department.
  

• MUSE of FIRE returns to MICHIGAN: performance sponsored by Adrian College in cooperation with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra.
  

• MUSE of FIRE—New Jersey debut, NEW performance sponsored by the Garden State Philharmonic.

• MUSE of FIRE returns to CHICAGO
  

• SOLD OUT! MUSE of FIRE at College Orchestra Directors Association Convention, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area

• To see the extensive list of performances, organizations and venues who have sponsored MUSE of FIRE, please click HERE

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