John Wallowitch/Bertram Ross

John Wallowitch's journey to the cabaret / concert / theatre spotlight began at the Juilliard School of Music where his classical training led to his New York debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall, followed by a concert tour of the continent under the aegis of the United States State Department.

 Returning to Manhattan, Wallowitch expanded his musical horizons to songwriting and the world of cabaret.

 He has written over 1000 songs including “Bruce”, one of the great favorites in Blossom Dearie’s repertoire.

 Dixie Carter has recorded “Dixie Carter Sings John Wallowitch Live at the Café Carlyle”. And when Dixie is not busy doing television, she and Wallowitch perform live concerts around the country. Blossom Dearie, Tony Bennett, John DuBois, Berri Blair, Joyce Breach, Doc Severinsen and Marlene VerPlanck, among many others, have recorded Wallowitch songs. Among the many fine performers who sing his songs are Lynn Lobban, Alice Levine, Eric Comstock, Yvonne Sherwell, Sue Gandy, Joanne Beretta and Michael Belliveau.

 Bertram Ross and John Wallowitch made their debut as a team at the Ballroom in 1984 and John S. Wilson of the New York Times called them, “Hilarious, outrageous, sublime”, In a program of arcane American song by the great composers. Ross and Wallowitch have appeared throughout the United States, in Switzerland and at “Pizza in the Park” in their beloved London. Their CD “Wallowitch and Ross” on the Miranda Music label, and “Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment”, a film by Richard Morris have received glowing notices all over the United States.

Wallowitch’s bi-monthly cable show, “John’s Cabaret”, on which he presents special performers and sings (preferably the unknown songs of the 20th century), has become a Manhattan cult fixture. The shows are ensconced in the prestigious Rodgers and Hammerstein Archive at Lincoln Center.

 Four solo piano albums on the Serenus label, and ”My Manhattan”,” Back On The Town”, and “Dixie Carter sings John Wallowitch Live at the Cafe Carlyle” are available on the DRG label.

 In a New York Times review of “The World of Wallowitch”, a revue featuring twenty-one Wallowitch songs, Stephen Holden wrote, “While Noel Coward is no longer around to set the standards for a certain kind of sophisticated songwriting sensibility, John Wallowitch nimbly carries the torch.”

Bertram Ross

 Bertram Ross’s background as Martha Graham’s partner and co-director of her company for nearly 25 years has earned him a position of enviable stature in the world of dance. He created over 35 leading roles in the Graham repertory and is indelibly associated with the roles of Saint Michael in “Seraphic Dialogue,” Agamemnon and Orestes in “Clytemnestra,” Adam in “Embattled Garden,” Oedipus in “Night Journey” and, perhaps most of all, the Preacher in “Appalachian Spring.”

 Mr. Ross’ accomplishments in dance have been acknowledged by critics and audiences around the globe. To quote Ms. Graham “I am a thief and I am not ashamed. I steal from the best, wherever it happens to me – Plato, Picasso and Bertram Ross.”

 In critically acclaimed and wildly successful cabaret act with pianist John Wallowitch, Mr. Ross added yet another diverse facet to his extraordinary career. Commenting on the zany song and dance antics of the urbane Wallowitch and Ross duo, John S. Wilson of the New York Times called them, “Hilarious, outrageous, sublime”. In The Examiner, San Francisco critic Phillip Elwood cheered, “the pair presents an incomparable cabaret show .. they’re a treasure.”

 In addition to cabaret appearances in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Washington and London, Mr. Ross has presented his solo dance/theatre portraits of Raymond Duncan, Gordon Craig, Ted Shawn, Uncle Vanya and Noah. The performer also appeared as Prospero in the Riverside Shakespeare’s production of “The Tempest.” He can be seen in the roles of Oedipus and Creon in Amy Greenfield’s film “Antigone”, as well as Richard Morris’ documentary “Wallowitch & Ross: This Moment” which has garnered praise all over the country and has just been released on Video and DVD.