Frank Townsell, African American Pianist Of CD “Blind Boone's Piano Music”

[Blind Boone's Piano Music, An African American composer performed by Frank Townsell; Laurel LR-860CD (1998)]

From the pianist's website:

“Born and educated in Kansas City, Missouri, Frank Townsell made his first professional appearance with the Kansas City Youth Symphony Orchestra in 1959. He had been a student of the piano since the age of 5, winning many honors and awards along the way. Among his educational and musical degrees, he received a B.A. in French Literature from the University of Missouri while continuing his piano studies with Richard Canterbury. Frank Townsell received a Master of Music degree from the University of British Columbia, while studying piano with Dr. Dale Reubart.

In 1971 Townsell received the diploma from the Fontainebleau Conservatoire in Paris. At that time his principle teachers were Nadia Boulanger, Robert Casadesus, and Jean-Jacques Painchaud. He scored a triumph at his Paris debut, which led to further successful appearances in France. At Reid Hall in Paris he was soloist on a recital program in honor of Mlle. Boulanger, was also featured on programs at Fontainebleau, and performed a recital at the Centre Culturel Américain.

Frank Townsell taught formerly at the University of British Columbia, and for the past twenty six years at City College of San Francisco.”

Frank Townsell Plays (2003) is a recording on which the pianist interprets solo piano works of Chopin, Debussy, Schubert and the African American Composer Clarence Cameron White, whom we profiled on Feb. 27, 2008. The recording is available from CDBaby.com

An earlier recording is Blind Boone's Piano Music, An African American composer performed by Frank Townsell, Laurel LR-860CD (1998). A tip from a niece of John Boone, known as Blind Boone (1864-1927), led him to undertake the research and recording project, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts. An overview of the life and career of John Boone is included at the pianist's website.

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Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music
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John+Boone" rel="tag">John Boone

England's Essex County Seeks Cultural Diversity Project Development Manager

Essex Cultural Diversity Project Development Manager – 2 year fixed term contract

£24,000 for 3 days a week

Essex Racial Equality Council is seeking to appoint a Development Manager to lead on the Essex Cultural Diversity Project (ECDP) an exciting new initiative supported by Arts Council England East and Essex County Council.

ECDP aims to provide a focal point for the development, celebration and co-ordination of Essex’s cultural diversity through arts and heritage activity across Essex. Activities of the project will span the entire cultural sector but at the initial stage will focus on the arts. Additionally, the project aims to enhance and facilitate the participation and involvement of the region’s BME communities in arts and heritage activities, and to enable BME artists and practitioners to access appropriate support, showcasing and development opportunities.

If you are passionate about arts and culture and have experience of engaging effectively with BME communities and voluntary groups, we want to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the post please contact Georgia Ward, Arts Development Manager, Essex County Council tel: 01245 244645 or Clive Mardner, Director, Essex Racial Equality Council tel: 01268 465068

For a job application pack, please contact Sam Fry, Arts Development Assistant, Arts Development, Essex County Council, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6YT

Tel: 01245 244664

Email: sam.fry@essexcc.gov.uk

Deadline for applications Thursday 20 March 2008

Interview date Monday 31 March 2008

Classic in Black Radio: African American Soprano Janet Williams Mar. 4

Tuesday March 4, 2008 at 8 pm Berlin Time (Live)

The Classic in Black Radio Show Program on Offener Kanal Berlin 97,2 Mhz presents the historical contribution of African-Americans in the classical music and opera domains, through a live interview with acclaimed African-American soprano Ms Janet Williams who lives in Berlin, Germany; this program is accompanied by CD recordings of Ms Williams.

On the Cabel at Offener Kanal Berlin 92,6 Mhz or Antenna 97,2 Mhz Live monthly streaming available at the website: http://www.okb.de Look under the section Radio live stream.

Offener Kanal Berlin Website: http://www.classicinblack.de/

Harry Louiserre/Producer and Moderator CIB Radio Show, Email: info@classicinblack.de

Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 1

Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora is a landmark 5-volume publication from Oxford University Press. It was compiled and edited by Dr. William H. Chapman Nyaho, a classical pianist and educator who was born in the U.S., was raised in his parents' native country of Ghana, and who returned to the U.S. after completing his education. Volumes 1 and 2 were published in March 2007; Volumes 3, 4 and 5 are due to be released this Spring. The volumes are graded; Volume 1 is Easy Intermediate, and Volume 2 is Intermediate. The following are the composers and works titles for Volume 1:

Isak Roux: Kwela No. 1
Ulysses Kay: Tender Thought
Hale Smith: My Scarf is Yellow
Nkeiru Okoye: Dusk
Robert Mawuena Kwami: Piano Piece No. 2, Call and Response
Halik El-Dabh: Soufiane
Hale Smith: Off-Beat Shorty
Florence B. Price: Ticklin' Toes
Valerie Capers: Sweet Mister Jelly Roll
Nkeiru Okoye: Dancing Barefoot in the Rain
Isak Roux: Lullaby
Valerie Capers: The Monk
Bangambula Vindu: Lullaby
J. H. Kwabena Nketia: Builsa Work Song
Christian Onyeji: Ufie III

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Girma Yifrashewa, Ethiopian Pianist, Performs in Washington, D.C. March 1

AfriClassical.com has been proud to present the amazing life and career of Girma Yifrashewa, Ethiopian classical pianist and composer for several years. He was born in Addis Ababa on October 15, 1967, and first saw a piano at age 16, yet he overcame many obstacles to earn a Master's Degree in piano performance in Sofia, Bulgaria. On the day before his birthday in 2007 AfriClassical published an article with audio samples of all six tracks of his 2006 CD “Elilta” (“Cry of Joy”).

On Saturday, March 1 at 6:00 P.M., Girma Yifrashewa will give a piano recital in Washington, D.C. at Howard University College of Medicine, Third Floor, Auditorium #3019. Girma has a website of his own, in English and German: http://girma.farbkonstrukt.de/

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Samuel Akpabot's “Three Nigerian Dances” Published by Oxford University Press

[Three Nigerian Dances (8:34); National Symphony Orchestra of the South African Broadcasting Corporation; Richard Cock, Conductor; Marco Polo 8.223832 (1995)]

Oxford University Press:

Samuel Akpabot: Three Nigerian Dances

Samuel Ekpe Akpabot was born into the Ibibio people in southeastern Nigeria on 3 October 1932. A scholarship enabled Akpabot to travel to England in 1954 and enroll in the Royal College of Music in London where he studied organ and trumpet. His teachers included John Addison, Osborn Pisgow, and Herbert Howells. While in England Akpabot also studied at Trinity College. In 1959 he returned to Nigeria and became a broadcaster with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. He continued his studies in musicology at the University of Chicago (M.A.) and Michigan State University (Ph.D.). In 1995 he was appointed Professor of Music at the University of Uyo, Nigeria. His music has been played by the Ann Arbor Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the BBC Welsh Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Savannah Symphony, and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra as well as at many colleges and universities. Three Nigerian Dances has been recorded by the National Symphony Orchestra of the South African Broadcasting Corporation led by Richard Cock (Marco Polo 8.223832). Samuel Akpabot died on 7 August 2000.

His training helped equip Akpabot to notate traditional Nigerian material in such a way as to make it accessible to western audiences. As far as the Three Nigerian Dances are concerned, the composer wrote:

"I was inspired in writing this work by Dvorak's Slavonic Dances which I enjoy listening to very much. Jolly good fun was my key word here and I think string orchestras would enjoy getting introduced to the dances which we, in Africa, have enjoyed through the years. They all consist of an opening section, a middle section which does not modulate, and a closing section. Modulation is very foreign to African instrumental music and I wanted very much to get away from the ABA form so common to early European instrumental music."

Score and parts for Three Nigerian Dances for strings and timpani (duration: 9 minutes) are published. A perusal score and recording are available on request.

Oxford University Press
Music Department
198 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212.726.6048
brian.hill@oup.com

[Samuel Ekpe Akpabot is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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HomeToHarlem.com: “Clarence Cameron White, Violinist and Classical Composer”

HomeToHarlem.com maintains a home page for “Clarence Cameron White / Violinist and Classical Composer (1879 – 1960)”. The following are excerpts:

“Violinist and classical composer Clarence Cameron White was born in Clarksville, Tenn., and spent his childhood in Oberlin, Ohio, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Washington, D.C. He began studying the violin at the age of eight and wrote his first composition for violin and piano at age fourteen. After graduating from Howard University, White entered the Oberlin Conservatory in 1896 and graduated in 1901.

He continued his studies and performed in Boston, New Haven, and New York where he drew the attention of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Harry T. Burleigh, and Booker T. Washington. In 1903 he was invited to join the Washington [D.C.] Conservatory, and he also later taught in public schools there. In the following year he met African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with whom he studied in London in 1906 and again in 1908-11. After performing throughout Europe he established a studio in Boston where he conducted the Victoria Concert Orchestra from 1914 until 1924.”

“Strongly influenced by folk music, White composed violin and orchestral work, and arranged African-American spirituals. Notable are his Symphony in D Minor, an orchestral piece entitled Elegy, the ballet score A Night in Sans Souci, and a cantata, Heritage, which was performed at the Church of the Master shortly before his death.” Full Biography

Visitor is 'Blown Away' by AfriClassical.com

The following post was made in the Guest Book of AfriClassical.com today:

Brenda Marx, Wednesday, 2/27/08, 6:51 AM

I was blown away by all of the wonderful information on this site! Very informative. Made me proud to learn that we're so well represented. I'm a teacher and to be able to pull this up during "Black History Month" was just awesome. Thanks for all the hard work and all of the effort given to putting this site together and making this information privileged for the world to see.

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Clarence Cameron White (1879-1960), African American Composer, Honored in Birthplace

Program honors city-born composer
By STACY SMITH SEGOVIA
The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, Tennessee
February 27, 2008

"People walking in the Woodward Library at Austin Peay State University Tuesday afternoon were met with a shocking sound - loud music coming from the third floor."

“Presented by Gail Robinson-Oturu, chair of APSU's music department, the program explored the life and work of Clarence Cameron White. White, a black composer born in Clarksville in 1879, rose to prominence during his lifetime, but his work is lesser known since his death.”

“Robinson-Oturu developed an interest in White through an unusual path. An accomplished singer, she was approached by Ann Ladd, a Clarence Cameron White fan, after a performance in Florida. Twelve years passed, and Ladd again contacted Robinson-Oturu, this time wanting to pass along her priceless collection of White's music, written in White's own hand. By then, Robinson-Oturu was working in Clarksville, White's birthplace, so it seemed a perfect fit.”

“White's life was marked by hardship, but none worse than when his son died, followed by the death of his wife, mother and father within a 6-month period. White composed a piece called 'Elegy' during his time of grief and loneliness. He set the music aside for 12 years, then entered it in a national competition and won. It was significant because the judging was blind, and the winner was black.

As part of the presentation, musicians performed several of White's compositions. Erien Fryer and Simone Rothemel performed 'Chant,' Leandria Lott from Tennessee State University and Philip Autry from Fisk University performed 'Pilgrim,' and Phoebe Gelzer-Govatos and Anne Glass performed 'Cappricio.' Robinson-Oturu also sang one of White's vocal compositions.

Robinson-Oturu made a phone call near the program's end to 103-year-old Ann Ladd, who spoke to the group via speakerphone.

'Dr. White was a very fine man, and a handsome man, and most of all a modest man,' she said about the composer, whom she knew personally.” Full Article

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Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Premieres Work of Tania León March 28 & 30

Dame Felicity Lott, soprano, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will premiere a newly commissioned work of the Afro-Cuban composer Tania Justina León at the Williams Center for the Arts in Easton, Pennsylvania on Friday, March 28; and at The Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York on Sunday, March 30, 2008. Other works on the program are: Copland: Three Latin American Sketches; Chausson: Poème de l’Amour et de la Mer; Bizet: Symphony in C. [Tania Justina León is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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Peabody Archives Online Exhibit: “The Storm is Passing Over”

The Peabody Archives of The Johns Hopkins University present: “The Storm is Passing Over: Celebrating the Musical Life of Maryland's African-American Community from Emancipation to Civil Rights”.

"The Storm is Passing Over," a traveling and on-line exhibition, uses photographs, manuscripts and memorabilia to document the lives of Maryland's African-American musicians. It tells the stories of their struggles and achievements during the long years of segregation, from Reconstruction to the passage of the first Civil Rights Act in 1964. The exhibition was organized by the Peabody Institute in cooperation with the Enoch Pratt Library and Coppin State College and traveled through the State of Maryland through the year 2000.

The exhibit features well-known personalities like Eubie Blake, Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway, as well as lesser-known figures who played a significant role in the musical life of Maryland. Among the latter are A. Jack Thomas, one of the first black bandmasters in the U. S. Army and the first African-American to conduct the all-white Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; classically trained violinist and composer Henderson T. Kerr, who led a society orchestra in and around Baltimore from 1902 until about 1920; W. Llewellyn Wilson who taught generations of musicians at Douglass High School, including bandleader Cab Calloway and soprano Anne Brown, the first Bess in George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess.

The exhibition also examines the hardships imposed by segregation on African-American musicians: the rigors of touring when few public accommodations were available to black artists, and concert halls, especially in the South, refused to present them.

The exhibition's special brochure for schools is organized in sections: Historical Background, The Church, Ragtime and Jazz, Bands and Classical Music, Frederick Douglass High School, Touring Segregated America, Pennsylvania Avenue, The World at War and the Civil Rights Struggle.

French Course Syllabus Uses AfriClassical.com Essay on Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges

[String Quartets Opus 14; Third Book of Quartets; Apollon Quartet; Avenira 276011 (2005)]

The French translation of the AfriClassical.com essay on Joseph de Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is the work of Daniel G. Marciano, Professor Emeritus of French at the University of Franche-Comté, in Besançon, France. He has written plays and an historical novel, Le chevalier de Saint-Georges, le fils de Noémie (The Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Son of Noémie). He is also co-author of a book on theatrical fencing.

We were pleased and proud to learn that a French paragraph at AfriClassical.com, on the birth of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is linked to a French course syllabus for Spring 2008 at Temple University in Philadelphia. The link appears in a syllabus section dealing with the 18^th Century in France: http://isc.temple.edu/grosia/crn_024714_french_c070.htm We congratulate Prof. Marciano on this additional evidence of the significance of his scholarly translation.

The Afro-American Newspaper: Alvin Ailey elevates Black dance

By Zenitha Prince
Washington Bureau Chief

It doesn’t seem that long ago, but 50 years ago, seven young Black dancers, led by Alvin Ailey II, gave a performance at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York City that became the stuff of legend.

It was the beginning of an era of American dance that celebrated the African-American experience. The repertory, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performed to both classical dance numbers as well as original choreography by Ailey and other young choreographers.

Their debut piece, Blues Suite, depicted the angst and joys of life on the edge of poverty in the South. But it was Ailey’s 1960 piece, Revelations, an interpretation of the spectrum of Black religious experience that was set to a series of spirituals and gospel selections, that established Ailey as a giant in the dance world.

“He was one of the ones who was able to put the African-American experience onto the stage in a concert setting,” said Renée Robinson, a Southeast Washington native and 27-year member of the Alvin Ailey company. “It gave people of the world a change to see that part of our culture and history.” Full Post

Baltimore Sun: Baltimore's other symphony orchestra

Baltimore Sun
Cellist's daughter recalls applause for Colored Symphony

By Frederick N. Rasmussen | Sun Reporter
February 24, 2008

Theadosia Johnson Stokes remembers growing up in Baltimore during the 1930s, and dressing in her Sunday best, to attend concerts of the old Colored Symphony Orchestra and Chorus that were held in the auditorium of Frederick Douglass High School.

"I also remember walking down a long path in Druid Hill Park, with long rows of benches on each side, that ended with a bandstand, and that's where the Colored Park Band played during the summer," Stokes, now 86, recalled the other day.

"It seemed to me that it was behind the conservatory and not far from Auchentoroly Terrace. People enjoyed going there to listen to the music," she said. Full Post

Pateira's Journal: Ellington Considered His Works “American Music”

February 24
Posted by Luís Antunes in Music

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born 1899 in Washington, D.C. (1899 - 1974). By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatest composers and musicians.

Ellington called his style and sound "American Music" rather than jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category", including many of the musicians who served with his orchestra, some of whom were themselves considered among the giants of jazz and remained with Ellington's orchestra for decades. While many were noteworthy in their own right, it was Ellington that melded them into one of the most well-known orchestral units in the history of jazz.

Some of Ellington’s greatest works include “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” “Satin Doll,” “New Orleans,” “A Drum is a Women,” “Take the 'A' Train,” “Happy-Go-Lucky Local,” “The Mooche,” and “Crescendo in Blue.” Duke Ellington wrote and recorded hundreds of musical compositions, all of which will continue to have a lasting effect upon people worldwide for a long time to come. [Duke Ellington is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Chicago Sun-Times Online Features AfriClassical Posts

During February The Chicago Sun-Times Entertainment Blog Entries have included many posts from AfriClassical. Above each post is this introduction:

"AfriClassical
A companion to AfriClassical.com, it celebrates African Heritage in Classical Music with profiles of composers and musicians, and discusses issues related to diversity in classical music.” One recent post is "James DePreist Conducts Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall", while others have profiled such Black classical composers and musicians as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Florence Beatrice Price and John McLaughlin Williams.

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Entertainment+Blog" rel="tag">Entertainment Blog
African+Heritage" rel="tag">African Heritage
Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music
James+DePreist" rel="tag">James DePreist
Black+Composers" rel="tag">Black Composers

Ottawa Spotlight: Celso Machado Presented by Ville de Gatineau March 7

Celso Machado Presented by: Ville de Gatineau

A master of Brazilian rhythms, a guitar virtuoso, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist, Celso Machado effortlessly spreads his joy to his audiences. March 7, 2008, 8 pm. Cost: Adults $20, students $15. At: Salle la Basoche, 120 Principale Street, Aylmer (Indoor).

[Celso Machado is profiled at AfriClassical.com His own website is: http://www.CelsoMachado.com/]

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Guitar+Concert" rel="tag">Guitar Concert
African+Descent" rel="tag">African Descent

ASCAP: Tania León To Keynote Spain's American Embassy Event, Mar. 4-6

ASCAP.com announces the role to be played by Tania Justina León (b. 1943) at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, March 4-6, 2008:

Composer, conductor and educator Tania León will be the keynote speaker at the American Embassy in Madrid, Spain for the Embassy's Black History Month. The program will be organized by the Embassy in collaboration with the Museum of Americas in Madrid. León will be an Ambassador of American Culture in Spain and the audience will learn about the unique culture of the US through León's music and personal experiences. León's honors include the New York Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award, and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, among others. She is Distinguished Professor of the City University of New York in addition to her composition and conducting performances.

[Tania Justina León is profiled at AfriClassical.com Her own website is: http://www.TaniaLeon.com/]

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Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music

The Harlem Blogscan Finds Harlem Quartet Via AfriClassical

[Take the 'A' Train; The Harlem Quartet; White Pine Music (2007)]

Uptown Flavor: The Harlem Blogscan, Feb. 22, Posted by illoquentgent

"While searching for different articles to put into the scoop here on UF I was curious to do a sort of round-up of different blogs regarding Harlem. We don’t formally have any arrangements with these blogs but I was curious to find out what else is “out there”. Call it my own little blog channel surfing. Do you read other Harlem-related blogs regularly? Tell us about them in the comments section."

"Africlassical Blog: A blog that expounds on African heritage in classical music. Not a Harlem-centered blog but I would have never known there was a Harlem Quartet if it weren't for this site. Really opens your eyes to some beautiful artists."

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AfriClassical+Blog" rel="tag">AfriClassical Blog

“Felices Días” by Afro-Puerto Rican Composer Juan Morel Campos at YouTube

Juan Morel Campos (1857-1896) was an Afro-Puerto Rican composer and musician known as the most prolific composer of Puerto Rican Danzas. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com A 4-minute YouTube video called “Felices Días - Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico” was posted Feb. 19, 2008 by rss@youtube.com (davimerc):

“Roselín Pabón: Director/Conductor

Juan Morel Campos
Born in Ponce on May 16, 1857, he is without any doubt, the best exponent of the Puerto Rican danza. He was the most prolific danza composer and the one who took that form to its highest level. “El Asalto”, "Felices Días", "Vano Empeño", "No me toques", “Un Conflicto”, "Mis penas", "Tormento", "Alma Sublime", "Laura y Georgina” and many others are only a small sample of his vast repertoire, which is calculated to be more than 550 compositions of which more than 300 are danzas. He began his musical studies at the tender age of eight under Prof. Antonio Egipciaco.

During his youth he learned how to play almost all brass instruments and for some time he conducted the Municipal Band of Ponce and was the church's organist. He later became the most advanced student of Manuel G. Tavarez, considered The Father of the Danza, whose influence can be perceived in some of his first creating new danzas in which he incorporated all the rhythms and styles of his time, plus many of his own, developing the form to what it is today. Many of Morel's danzas were not originally written for the piano. In its origins danzas were for dancing, as its name implies. Morel had his own dance orchestra, "La Lira Ponceña" for which he wrote most of his compositions. Later he transcribed them for the piano, so they could be played by everyone at home and not be forgotten. Morel's inspiration came from many sources, but most of his danzas are inspired on women and love. It is said that he was in love with a lady, Mercedes Arias, but her family didn't approve of her relationship with the musician. That frustration gave birth to many of his most beautiful danzas of which "Alma Sublime" is said to be one. On April 26, 1896, during a concert in Ponce, he suffered a stroke which led to his death on May 12, just four days before his 39th birthday.”

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Orquesta+Sinfónica " rel="tag">Orquesta Sinfónica

Duke Ellington's Version of The Nutcracker Suite Heard in Edmonton

[The Definitive Duke Ellington; Sony 61444 (2000)]

“E-J's Take: ESO Jazz Masters” is a post on a performance by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Musical Director Bill Eddins of Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, Feb. 22 at the Winspear Centre. The African American composer and pianist Duke Ellington was best known for his huge repertoire of jazz works, but he was also an accomplished classical composer. Several of his classical compositions are discussed at his page at AfriClassical.com

“The final piece the orchestra performed tonight was Duke Ellington's rendition of the Nutcracker Suite. Since I have enjoyed Ellington's music my entire life, this was one of my favorite pieces performed tonight. (oh yes, it was a very hard choice) It was very interesting to hear as familiar a piece as the Nutcracker performed in a jazz setting, as it is normally a strictly orchestral performance. It contained revisions of the Overture, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Reed Pipes and a March, all cleverly renamed to match the jazziness of the performance. Undoubtedly, my favorite section in this performance was the march, which was cleverly renamed as the Peanut Brittle Brigade.” Full Post

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Pianist William Chapman Nyaho is Guest Artist at Whitman College Mar. 26

[Senku: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; William Chapman Nyaho, piano;
Musicians Showcase 1091 (2003)]

William Chapman Nyaho is an accomplished classical pianist and educator of African descent. The Whitman College Hall of Music presents Dr. Chapman Nyaho as a Guest Artist in the Chism Recital Hall on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. The college is located in Walla Walla, Washington.

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The Collaborative Piano Blog: “Hot Stories from the Classical Blogosphere”

Our friend Christopher Foley of Toronto, Ontario writes "The Collaborative Piano Blog". Yesterday Dr. Foley wrote that after exploring new options in blogging software, he had established a feature in the side column, 'Hot Stories in the Classical Blogosphere'. Using a group of 69 classical music blogs, the author is listing a post from each of the 10 blogs which have been updated most recently. Yesterday's list included a post from AfriClassical, concerning a newspaper review of a performance by the Harlem Quartet, comprised of Black and Latino musicians. We heartily recommend "The Collaborative Piano Blog" to our readers.

Musical Tribute to Black History Month: University of North Florida & Ritz Chamber Players Feb. 24

Sunday, Feb. 24, 3:00 PM

The Ritz Chamber Players join the University of North Florida Wind Ensemble for a Musical Tribute to Black History Month. The Wind Ensemble Guest Artist Series Concert will be conducted by Dr. Gordon Brock. This free performance is 3 p.m. Sunday at the UNF Fine Arts Center, Lazzara Performance Hall, 1 UNF Drive. (904) 620-2878.

Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass At New York Historical Society Feb. 23

Rodney Mack is a trumpeter of international acclaim. Having worked under such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Gerard Schwarz, James DePreist, and John Williams, Mack has played with some of the world's best symphonies and orchestras. In addition to his award-winning solo work, Mack leads the Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass, an ensemble of Philadelphia's top brass and percussion players. The ensemble performs at a number of top venues and with a variety of musical styles, including music by Frank Johnson, a nineteenth-century African-American performer and composer. Four of the members will be playing at the New-York Historical Society to form a brass quintet.

Francis Johnson (1792-1844) was a Philadelphia-born African American composer and bandleader. Johnson toured in the US and abroad in the early 1800s including a trip to England to perform for Queen Victoria. He was a virtuoso keyed bugle player whose band performed a mixture of classical and folk music, including groundbreaking performances with an integrated group of musicians. In an era when full-time musicians were a rarity in the United States, Johnson fashioned a career of such variety and importance that it would be the envy of many a modern musician. Even more remarkable is that Johnson was able to achieve such success against a background of racial strife that worsened even as his work progressed. The Marquis de Lafayette, on his return trip to America in 1820 was greeted in New York Harbor by Francis Johnson and his band.

[Francis B. Johnson is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Rodney Mack
Black Trumpeter
Francis Johnson
Black Bandleader
Black Bugler
Historical Society

Times Herald Record: “Harlem Quartet as part of Newburgh Chamber Music”

[Take the 'A' Train; The Harlem Quartet; White Pine Music (2007)]

By JAMES F. COTTER
For the Times Herald Record
February 20, 2008

“NEWBURGH, NY — Newburgh Chamber Music opened its new concert series with a remarkable group, the Harlem Quartet, only in its second year of existence yet already making its place on the musical map.

The four string players — violinists Ilmar Gavilan and Melissa White, violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez and cellist Desmond Neysmith — are virtuoso performers each in their own right, with on-target technique, boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm. Their enjoyment in playing the music with one another communicated directly with the large and responsive audience.”

“Their versatility was challenged by Wynton Marsalis' String Quartet No. 1 (1980), written when he was only 20. Inspired by his childhood memories of New Orleans octoroon balls and city life, the work is in multiple parts, four of which the quartet performed: II. Mating Calls and Delta Rhythms; III. Creole Contradanzas; VII. Rampart Street Row House Rag; and V. Hellbound Highball.”

"Take the 'A' Train, the Duke Ellington signature tune by Billy Strayhorn, arranged by Paul Chihara, made for the perfect farewell with the four strings engaging in an intricate exchange that exercised exact timing and alert response. For an encore, the group offered My Little Conga, with tempo plucked on strings, stretched out by bowing and drummed on their instruments into a weaving conga line.” Full Article

Purchasing Classical Music by Black Composers

[African Heritage Symphonic Series Vol. I; Cover: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; Fela Sowande; William Grant Still; Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, conductor; Cedille 90000 055 (2000)]

One of the most frequent questions asked by visitors to AfriClassical.com is “Where can I buy CDs of the composers featured at your website?”. Stores which specialize in classical music often have some CDs of Black Composers, but the most comprehensive selection is found online at such websites as http://www.Amazon.com/ and http://www.ArkivMusic.com/ Cedille Records, Chicago's nonprofit classical music label, has recorded an African Heritage Symphonic Series, as well as individual CDs of music by such composers as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges and José Silvestre White. In honor of Black History Month, http://www.CedilleRecords.org/ is offering 25% off all CDs of music of Black Composers during the month of February. Another major source is http://HBDirect.com/classical Search engines can quickly find many more online retailers.

Detroit Public Television to Broadcast 2008 Sphinx Competition Finals Concert

[Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, first-place Laureate of the 2008 Sphinx Competition junior division, performs with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall in Detroit.]

Young Black and Latino string players participated in the 11^th Annual Sphinx Competition last month. Aaron P. Dworkin is the African American violinist who founded the Sphinx Organization and is its President. Its main website is http://www.SphinxMusic.org/, and the interactive site for children is http://www.SphinxKids.org/

If you weren't among the 2000 people in the audience for the 2008 Sphinx Competition Finals Concert on January 27, you have another opportunity to see and hear this remarkable concert. Detroit Public Television, WTVS-56, will broadcast the concert in high definition on Monday, February 25 at 10:00 PM.

Celso Machado Solos At Winteruption Festival, Feb. 23

The Afro-Brazilian classical guitarist and composer Celso Machado will appear in a free solo performance Saturday 12 PM, February 23 at the Winteruption Festival, Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:

Brazilian-born and Vancouver-based guitarist/singer/percussionist Celso Machado delights audiences with his mixture of infectious vocals, irresistible rhythm, and inspired lunacy. He's been hailed as "the most important Brazilian guitarist of the new generation." Whether he's leading the audience in a call-and-response percussion number or performing a spry bossa nova rendition of the Xavier Cugat favourite Brazil, Machado's performances are unerringly thrilling, beautiful and awe-inspiring.

William Levi Dawson's “Negro Folk Symphony” at NPR Website

[The Spirituals of William L. Dawson; The St. Olaf Choir; Anton Armstron, conductor; Marvis Martin, soprano; St. Olaf Records 2159 (1997)]

National Public Radio's “Performance Today” presented the African American composer William Levi Dawson's “Negro Folk Symphony” as part of “A Musical Black History Month”, Feb. 24, 2006. The complete work can still be heard online:

Listen: Hear Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony of 1934 (33:37)

Performance Today, February 24, 2006 · Spirituals in the 19th century were a symbol of sadness. William Levi Dawson understood that sadness when he wrote his Negro Folk Symphony of 1934. Robert Spano conducts the Atlanta Symphony in this concert performance.

[William Levi Dawson is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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Folk+Symphony" rel="tag">Folk Symphony
Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music
online+audio" rel="tag">online audio
Performance+Today" rel="tag">Performance Today
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Tania Justina León Conducts Premiere of “Ácana” at Purchase College Feb. 29

Posted by Westchester.com
Thursday, 14 February 2008

“Purchase, NY - The Purchase Symphony Orchestra performs the world premiere of Ácana, a new work by world-renowned composer and conductor Tania León February 29 at 8 PM in the Purchase College Performing Arts Center.

Ms. Leon, a visiting artist-in-residence at the School of the Arts, Conservatory of Music, will serve as guest conductor of this performance entitled From the African Diaspora, which also includes works by Revueltas, Ginastera, Ellington and Debussy.” Duke Ellington will be represented by his “Black, Brown & Beige Suite”.

“Ms. Leon has based Ácana on a poem of the same name by Cuban poet laureate Nicolas Guillen published in 1944. An Ácana is a tree that is indigenous to the American meridian. The tree serves different purposes in different regions, and looking at the tree from different perspectives results in different ideas about it. 'The piece conjures up the invisible connection of the roots of a very strong tree as they travel through the soil of the Americas,' explains Ms. Leon. 'A sonic palette of sounds that invisibly connect the cultures and soul of the peoples in the American continent.'

Ácana was commissioned by the Purchase College Conservatory of Music with the support of the New York State Music Fund.” Tania Justina León is profiled at AfriClassical.com Her own website is http://www.TaniaLeon.com/

Tania+León" rel="tag">Tania León
Afro-Cuban+Composer" rel="tag">Afro-Cuban Composer
Duke+Ellington" rel="tag">Duke Ellington
Ácana+premiere" rel="tag">Ácana premiere
Afro-Cuban+Conductor" rel="tag">Afro-Cuban Conductor
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Karen Parks Sings “Nobody Knows - Songs Of Harry T. Burleigh”

[Nobody Knows - Songs Of Harry T. Burleigh; Karen Parks, soprano; Wayne Sanders, piano; Thirty Tigers 765324 (2008)]

David Macias of the music label Thirty Tigers has informed AfriClassical of his role in
producing the recording Nobody Knows – Songs of Harry T. Burleigh, a composer who is
profiled at AfriClassical.com:

“It is an album of Harry Burleigh's music by a soprano named Karen Parks from Atlanta.  The
album came out early this month and we actually debuted at #2 on the Billboard's Traditional
Classical chart, which I believe is the highest chart position ever for an album of music by an
African-American classical composer.”

“Karen Parks, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, was chosen out of her school chorus at the age of 10 for special training. Her music education eventually resulted in her being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for Voice, which enabled her to study with Maestro Gabriele Pisani at the prestigious La Scala in Milan, Italy. From there, she was asked to join the San Francisco Opera, where she sang the role of Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen. Her roles with various companies have included Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Harriet Tubman in two different operas (Harriet and Frederick Douglass, and the title role in Anita, an opera about the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings.

Parks made her London debut as Cindy Lou (Micaela) in the West End production of Carmen Jones, Oscar Hammerstein’s reworking of Bizet’s opera Carmen. Her performance in that production resulted in a nomination for an Olivier Award. She is also a renowned vocal coach, having earned her Masters Degree in Music from the University of Texas, and has owned and operated the Studio For Vocal Refinement since 2002.

Accompanying Ms. Parks is pianist Wayne Sanders, the Musical Director of Opera Ebony in New York City, as well as Nashville’s ALIAS Chamber Ensemble. The album was recorded at Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and engineered by the legendary Bob Ohlsson.

Macias won the 2005 Grammy in the Traditional Folk category for his co-production of Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster. He also recently co-produced Song of America, a recording that follows the history of the United States through a 50-song cycle (to which Ms. Parks contributes 'Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing').”

Karen Parks
Harry Burleigh
Henry Burleigh
Wayne Sanders
African-American Spirituals
Black Soprano

Ionarts: Music of William Grant Still at National Gallery of Art Feb. 27

[Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still; Denver Oldham, piano; Koch 3 7084 2H1 (1991)]

We learned from Ionarts that William Grant Still's granddaughter, Soprano Celeste Headlee, will perform his works with Pianist Danielle DeSwert, February 27, 2008 at 12:10PM at the National Gallery of Art, West Building Ground Floor, Lecture Hall.

[William Grant Still is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

“African Heritage Celebrated in Classical Music” Feb. 23 in Dallas

[Nicole Cash, Horn Player]

FineLineLive.com has published a post on “African Heritage Celebrated in Classical Music”, a Dallas concert previously announced on AfriClassical in a post on Feb. 4, 2008, “Nicole Cash, Horn Player, Solos in Dallas Concert”. The website of the event's sponsor describes the works to be performed:

“The February 23rd program includes George Walker's Lyric for Strings (George Walker is the only African-American to ever win the Pulitzer Prize in Music) and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Quintet for Clarinet and Strings and the Mozart Quintet for Horn and Strings.”

[George Walker and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

The Young Eight Holds String Seminar July 7-20 at Seattle University

The Young Eight has announced details of their 2008 String Seminar, to be held from July 7 to July 20 on the campus of Seattle University in Seattle, Washington. This seminar is a two-week accelerated program designed to educate, inspire and develop young string musicians in the field of classical music.

Sixteen students will be chosen by The Young Eight to participate in the two-week intensive String Seminar Program. The Young Eight is a critically acclaimed group of African American string performers. It was founded in 2002. Interested persons are invited to visit their website,
http://www.theyoungeight.com

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String+Octet" rel="tag">String Octet
Black+Musicians" rel="tag">Black Musicians
African+American" rel="tag">African American
String+Seminar" rel="tag">String Seminar
Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music

Chicago Sinfonietta: 8-min. Video, “20 Years of Musical Excellence”

The home page of the Chicago Sinfonietta features an excellent overview of the ensemble in an 8-minute online video, “20 Years of Musical Excellence”. Musical excerpts from the Sinfonietta's performances play in the background as Founder and Music Director Paul Freeman and performers briefly say what the Chicago Sinfonietta's first 20 years have meant to them. Dr. Freeman recalls that he sat in segregated balconies while growing up in Richmond, Virginia, and made a firm resolution that if he ever had something to do with classical music, he would ensure that it was open to everyone.

Maestro Freeman also recounts an airport encounter in Atlanta with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who asked him what he was doing there. Freeman replied that he had come to be guest conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. Dr. King described the world of classical music as “the last bastion of elitism”, according to Freeman. The Maestro says he has felt since then that diversifying classical music was his personal mission. The video touches lightly on the exceptional achievements of the Chicago Sinfonietta, including the most integrated orchestra in the country, with diversity reflected in repertoire as well as in personnel and audiences. The orchestra has made 13 CDs, including an African Heritage Symphonic Series on Chicago's nonprofit classical music label, Cedille Records, and has made a number of tours to Europe and elsewhere.

[Paul Freeman is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

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Musical+Excellence" rel="tag">Musical Excellence
Black+Conductor" rel="tag">Black Conductor

“Classical Music’s Forgotten Past: Ann Arborite pays tribute to Black composers”

[Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Concertos pour violon; Arion 68093 (1990)]

MetroParent.com is the online version of a magazine for the Detroit area. On January 31, 2008
it published an article by Patrick Dutcher:

Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges was an Afro-French composer whose prowess in fencing as well as music made him a celebrity in 18th-century France.

It’s a whole chapter of black history barely cracked open, but Ann Arborite Bill Zick is working to throw open the cover on people of color’s contributions to classical music. Zick is a retired administrative law judge and a former staff-training officer for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. And in his retirement, he’s found a new project: AfriClassical.com.

The Web site is a clearinghouse of information about people of African descent’s work in the world of classical music.
Some of the music on the site was famous in 19th-century France, or in the United Kingdom and North America in 1900, but is nearly unknown today. As Zick says on his Web site, many composers of African descent won acclaim while alive, only to be neglected later. Full Post

Metro+Parent" rel="tag">Metro Parent
Afro-French+Composer" rel="tag">Afro-French Composer
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Black+Conductor" rel="tag">Black Conductor
Black+Violinist" rel="tag">Black Violinist
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Blogged.com Editor's Review of AfriClassical is 8.0 'Great'

The website Blogged.com rates blogs to help readers “find better blogs”:

“Editor reviews are provided by professional editors who evaluate a blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.

Blogged gives AfriClassical the rating 8.0 'Great'.

Savannah's World: Paul Lawrence Dunbar Influenced Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Savannah's World:

“Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio to parents who had escaped from slavery; his father was a veteran of the American Civil War, having served in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and the 5th Massachusetts Colored Cavalry Regiment. His parents instilled in him a love of learning and history.”

“Dunbar traveled to England in 1897 to recite his works on the London literary circuit. He met the brilliant young black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor who set some of his poems to music and who was influenced by Dunbar to use African and American Negro songs and tunes in future compositions.” Full Post

Wilberforce University Alumni Include William Grant Still (1895-1978)

[Oregon Festival of American Music Presents William Grant Still; Koch 3 7546 2H1 (2002)]

Yahoo! 360° Spicy Thoughts of Hot Sauce - Wilberforce University:

“Located three miles to the east of Xenia, Ohio in the community of Wilberforce, Wilberforce University is a private, coed, liberal arts HBCU. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and participates in the United Negro College Fund.”

“Notable Alumni of Wilberforce include:”

“William Grant Still, first Black person to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, first to have a symphony of his own performed by a leading orchestra, and first to have an opera performed by a major opera company.”

[William Grant Still was an African American composer, arranger, conductor and oboist who is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Wilberforce+University" rel="tag">Wilberforce University
William+Still" rel="tag">William Still
Still+1895-1978" rel="tag">Still 1895-1978
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Black+Conductor" rel="tag">Black Conductor
Black+Oboist" rel="tag">Black Oboist

Pianist Roy Eaton Plays Classical and Ragtime Works at Cedar Rapids

Roy F. Eaton will play classical preludes as well as ragtime favorites in a program presented by the Cedar Rapids Community Concert Association of Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the Paramount Theatre at 7:30 p.m. March 18, 2008. For information or to purchase tickets, call (319) 540-2301 or E-mail crcommunityconcert@yahoo.com

The pianist will open the program with classical preludes of Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederick Chopin, George Gershwin and William Grant Still, whose Preludes Nos. 1 and 2 will be heard. The second part of the evening will feature six piano works of Scott Joplin: The Entertainer, Easy Winners, Chrysanthemum (An Afro-American Intermezzo), Binks Waltz, Maple Leaf Rag and Solace.

[Scott Joplin and William Grant Still are both African American composers who are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Roy+Eaton" rel="tag">Roy Eaton
Scott+Joplin" rel="tag">Scott Joplin
William+Still" rel="tag">William Still
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Cedar+Rapids" rel="tag">Cedar Rapids
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AfriClassical Stars on Wikio Classical Music News

Wikio.com is an online news service. We visited its Classical Music page on Feb. 16 and were amazed to find that 15 of the first 30 stories were from AfriClassical! By the time we scrolled through 90 headlines, we found 27 had originated on AfriClassical. We are gratified by Wikio's evaluation of a great many AfriClassical posts as newsworthy.

Nathaniel Dett Chorale: “Voices of the Diaspora, Afro-Brasileira” & “The Crucifixion” by Stewart Goodyear

NathanielDettChorale.org Announces a Concert at Toronto's George Weston Recital Hall, Friday, Feb. 29 at 8 p.m.:

The Nathaniel Dett Chorale’s next concert is Voices of the Diaspora… Afro-Brasileira, featuring a little-known Afro-Brazilian mass by composer Carlos Alberto Pinto Fonseca. Other diasporic voices will include Canadian composer Sid Rabinovitch’s Canciones por las Americas, based on poetry by Latin American poets Juana de Ibabourou, Nicolás Guillén and Octavio Paz, and Electo Silva’s Seis Canciones, all set to poems by Guillén.

Perhaps the most exciting news, however, is the world premiere of rising African-Canadian concert pianist Stewart Goodyear’s “The Crucifixion,” based on the poem of the same name from James Weldon Johnson’s beloved work, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Spirituals in Verse.

[R. Nathaniel Dett is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Dett+Chorale" rel="tag">Dett Chorale
Afro-Brasileira+Diaspora" rel="tag">Afro-Brasileira Diaspora
Stewart+Goodyear" rel="tag">Stewart Goodyear
African-Canadian+Pianist" rel="tag">African-Canadian Pianist
The+Crucifixion" rel="tag">The Crucifixion
Afro-Brazilian+Composer" rel="tag">Afro-Brazilian Composer

'Creation of the Universe' by Ozie Cargile (b. 1980) at UC Boulder Tribute to Black Musicians

[George Shirley, University of Michigan Emeritus Professor of Voice]

In an article published Feb. 15, 2008, Wes Blomster, Classical Music Critic for DailyCamera.com, writes about a concert at the University of Colorado at Boulder to honor Black Classical Musicians.

Frederick Peterbark is a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is producer of the concert, and says he has long appreciated Marian Anderson's role as a musician of color who overcame racial barriers. Here are some excerpts from the article:

“The Feb. 24 event will honor eight African-Americans with distinguished careers in music, including George Shirley, Peterbark's teacher at the University of Michigan. Shirley was the first black tenor to sing leading roles at the Met. The list of those to be honored by the concert is a who's who of blacks in music in the decades since Anderson made history.

Three on the list have died: Anderson; Todd Duncan, the first Porgy in Gershwin's opera; and composer William Grant Still, the first black composer to have a work performed by -- and to conduct -- a major American orchestra. The others are alive and -- for the most part -- still active in music.”

In addition, the concert will honor Mattiwilda Dobbs, Shirley Verret, Leontyne Price and Grace Bumbry.

“The final work on the program is the Colorado premiere of Ozie Cargile's 'Creation of the Universe.' 'Cargile was born in Detroit in 1980,' Peterbark says. 'And I've chosen this score to stress that the history of blacks in music is a book not yet finished.

'It's a living legacy of performers and composers who remain pioneers.'

Cargile is composer-in-residence for the program.” Full Article

Ozie+Cargile" rel="tag">Ozie Cargile
George Shirley+warming" rel="tag">George Shirley
Mattiwilda+Dobbs" rel="tag">Mattiwilda Dobbs
Shirley+Verret" rel="tag">Shirley Verret
Grace+Bumbry" rel="tag">Grace Bumbry
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Toledo Blade: Works of William Grant Still at Chamber Music Concert

[Afro-American Symphony; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Karl Kruger, conductor; Bridge 9086 (1999)]

Sally Vallongo of The Toledo Blade reviewed a Chamber Music Toledo concert of Feb. 10, 2008 which included works of William Grant Still:

Monday, February 11, 2008
Review: Chamber Music Toledo warmed up a winter day

“Joined by violinist Rico McNeela and hornist Robert Garcia, pianist and series founder Kostraba delivered a lively and enlightening afternoon of music in a comfortable, if not overly flattering setting.”

“William Grant Still, considered the dean of African-American classical composers, was paid tribute in the second half of the program, with two brief but lovely works for violin and piano, plus a bonus encore.

McNeela and Kostraba conspired to present a very sympathetic and graceful reading of Still’s Pastorela, a gentle reverie that cast piano and violin as equal partners.

In Suite for Violin and Piano, a set of tone poems inspired by artists contemporary to Still, there was more opportunity for development and contrast. 'African Dancer,' the painting by Richard Barthe, lived up to its title with energetic arpeggios for the violin soaring over a driving piano accompaniment. Sargent Johnson’s 'Mother and Child' was tenderly lyrical, and, best of all, 'Gamin,' from the painting by Augusta Savage, bounded to a sophisticated ragtime rhythm.

An encore brought Garcia back to join the group for Kostraba’s own arrangement of 'Summerland,' one of Still’s most popular works. For the brief and charming time of its performance, one could almost imagine the languor of a warm day — at least until heading out of the historic theater.” Full Article

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Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music
Still's+Pastorela" rel="tag">Still's Pastorela
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BlackPast.org: Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins (1849-1908)

[Blind Tom, The Black Pianist-Composer: Continually Enslaved; Geneva Handy Southall; Scarecrow Press (2002)]

Thomas Wiggins, the blind and autistic slave who was a musical genius, is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has been the subject of a post on AfriClassical, but a more concise overview of his life is also available on BlackPast.org, which has published an article of approximately 400 words which makes a useful resource for Black History Month:

“Thomas Greene Wiggins was born May 25, 1849 to Mungo and Charity Wiggins, slaves on a Georgia plantation. He was blind and autistic but a musical genius with a phenomenal memory. In 1850 Tom, his parents, and two brothers were sold to James Neil Bethune, a lawyer and newspaper editor in Columbus, Georgia. Young Tom was fascinated by music and other sounds, and could pick out tunes on the piano by the age of four. He made his concert debut at eight, performing in Atlanta.” Full Article

Thomas Wiggins
Blind Tom
Slave Pianist
Slave Composer
Black Pianist
Continually Enslaved

Tania León Honors Women In Classical Music With Chicago Sinfonietta

The Afro-Cuban composer and conductor Tania León is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has a website of her own, TaniaLeon.com The Chicago Sinfonietta announces:

LADIES’ CHOICE: A Celebration of International Women's Month

Guest conductor and composer Tania León takes the podium as the Sinfonietta pays tribute to the contributions that women have made to classical music. Cuban-born Ms. León conducts two of her own compositions, one of which features pianist Jade Simmons, plus other works by women from around the world, while trumpeter Alison Balsom guests on Haydn’s Concerto for Trumpet

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
Prologue and Variations

Augusta Holmes
Irelande, poeme symphonique

Tania Leon
Horizons

Tania Leon
Kabiosile

Franz Joseph Haydn
Concerto for Trumpet

Chen Yi
Ge Xu (Antiphony)

Tania+León" rel="tag">Tania León
Afro-Cuban+Conductor" rel="tag">Afro-Cuban Conductor
Women's+Month" rel="tag">Women's Month
Afro-Cuban+Composer" rel="tag">Afro-Cuban Composer
Jade+Simmons" rel="tag">Jade Simmons
Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music

James DePreist Conducts Juilliard Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

The African American conductor James DePreist (b. 1936) is profiled at AfriClassical.com and has a website of his own, JamesDePreist.com He is Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Laureate Music Director of the Oregon Symphony, and Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Juilliard School. Maestro DePreist will conduct the Juilliard Orchestra and pianist Stephen Beus at Carnegie Hall at 8:00 PM Saturday, February 23, 2008:

CHEN YI Ge Xu (Antiphony) for orchestra (1994)
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14

Subsequent Schedule
From March 10-30, Maestro DePreist will lead the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He will return to Juilliard from March 31-May 5. DePreist will tour China with the Juilliard Orchestra from May 26-June 6.

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Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music
African+American" rel="tag">African American
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Stephen+Beus" rel="tag">Stephen Beus

Sequenza 21/: Downtown Music Productions Presents Langston Hughes Black History Month Concert on February 17 in New York City

[Margaret Bonds, African American Composer & Pianist (1913-1972)]

Sequenza 21/:

Downtown Music Productions, Mimi Stern-Wolfe, Artistic Director, will present a very special Black History Month concert – Honoring Langston Hughes – Sunday, February 17 - 3 PM at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, 131 E. 10^th Street at 2^nd Avenue.

Works to be performed include Margaret Bonds’ “Minstrel Man” and “I, Too,” William Grant Still’s "The Breath of a Rose”; William Mayer’s “Dream Variations”* for Tenor and Piano and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”; Dorothy Rudd-Moore’s “The Weary Blues”; Ricky Ian Gordon and Jean Berger’s “In Times of Silver Rain”; Timothy Brown’s “Dream Boogie”; Cecil Cohen’s “Death Of An Old Seaman” and Robert Owens’: “Genius Child.”

Performers will be Anthony Turner, baritone; David Robinson, tenor; Jeannine Otis, contralto; Erika Banks, soprano; Allison Semmes, soprano; Roz Woll, Mezzo soprano; Kermit Moore, cello; Ivan Thomas, bass and the Downtown Chamber Players.

Suggested donation for the February 17 concert is $10.

For reservations or more concert information, please contact Downtown Music Productions at 212-477-1594 or dmpmimi@msn.com. Visit them online at http://www.downtownmusicproductions.org

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Margaret+Bonds" rel="tag">Margaret Bonds
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Black+History" rel="tag">Black History
African+American" rel="tag">African American
Downtown+Music" rel="tag">Downtown Music

Washington Sinfonietta Plays “Wood Notes” of William Grant Still, Feb. 16, 2008

[William Grant Still; (Photo is the sole property of William Grant Still Music, and is used with permission.)]

The African American composer, oboist, arranger and conductor William Grant Still (1895-1978) is profiled at AfriClassical.com

With its second season in existence, the Washington Sinfonietta has established a wonderful reputation in the Washington DC-metro area. We serve as a model for innovation in community classical music organizations through the presentation of the highest quality orchestral concerts and related programs.

Saturday, February 16, 2008 3:00 P.M.

Rufus Jones, Conductor
Michele Gutrick, Soprano

COPLAND Ceremonial Fanfare
STILL Wood Notes
BARBER Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24
BRANDON Legacy

Concerts are $10.00 at the door. 18 and under are admitted free.
National City Christian Church
5 Thomas Circle, N.W., Box 13
Washington, DC 20005
202.580.6535
info@washingtonsinfonietta.com

William+Still" rel="tag">William Still
Wood+Notes" rel="tag">Wood Notes
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
African+American" rel="tag">African American
Washington+Sinfonietta" rel="tag">Washington Sinfonietta
Rufus+Jones" rel="tag">Rufus Jones

South Africa, The Good News: African version of Magic Flute opens in London

SAGoodNews.co.za/:

Thursday, 14 February 2008

An African version of Mozart's "Magic Flute" opened in London on Wednesday night, the Telegraph reported. "Most of the 35-strong cast, trained in the townships' vibrant choral tradition, hail from Khayelitsha or somewhere like it," the newspaper said.

When critics saw the show before Christmas at the Young Vic, they were won over "by a spectacular and joyous Africanisation of Mozart's operatic fable." However, the opera is not as purists know it. The Telegraph said that two characters in the work, Tamino and Pamina "are fluent in Xhosa." And the costumes are "an explosion of African colour." Full Post

African Art Music for Flute: The Music of Ndodana, Nketia, Onovwerosuoke, Tamusuza and Uzoigwe

African Art Music for Flute: The Music of Ndodana, Nketia, Onovwerosuoke, Tamusuza and Uzoigwe was recorded by Wendy Hymes, flutes; and Darryl Hollister, piano (59:04). The CD is AMP Records AGCD 2081 (2008). The release date for stores is Feb. 27, 2008; the CD is also available from AfricanChorus.org at this web page.

The same page contains biographies of the performers, and liner notes by Dr. Wendy Hymes. Fred Onovwerosuoke's works on the CD are Just Before Dawn; Iroro and Ayevwiomo. Bongani Ndodana composed Visions Part I and Visions Part II. J.H. Kwabena Nketia is represented by his Republic Suite, in seven movements. The contributions of Joshua Uzoigwe are Ilulu; Ogbe Nkwa and A Sketch for Flute, all from Oja Flute Suite. Justinian Tamusuza wrote Okwanjula Kw Endere. The idea for the CD came from the doctoral dissertation of Wendy Hymes at Louisiana State University, African Art Music for Flute: Selected Works by African Composers. Darryl Hollister received his Master's in Music from the New England Conservatory of Music.

The liner notes by Dr. Wendy Hymes say of Fred Onovwerosuoke: “Born in Ghana to Nigerian parents, he has traveled to more than thirty African countries doing field work in African traditional musics, played violin, piano, organ, guitar and became an experienced choir and instrumental ensemble conductor.” “Through a desire to foster a better understanding of Africa through music and other art forms he founded the St. Louis African Chorus in 1994, an organization that has become a rallying platform for many African composers who until recently were unknown.”

Bongani Ndodana-Breen is described in these words: “Born in 1975 in Queenstown South Africa, Ndodana studied music at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa and composition with Roelof Temmingh at the Conservatory in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Ndodona-Breen has composed operas, oratorios, symphonies, chamber music and choral works.” We are further told that Ndodana-Breen has been Artistic Director of Toronto's Ensemble Noir since 2000.

Dr. Hymes writes that J.H. Kwabena Nketia was born in Mampong, Ghana in 1921. She continues: “Ghanaian composer and musicologist J.H. Kwabena Nketia is world-renowned for his many scholarly writings including his landmark book, Music of Africa in 1974, and has held teaching positions in Universities around the world including the United States, Australia, and China as well as in Ghana.” “He returned to the University of Ghana, Legon to teach, where he now is the Director of the International Centre for African Music and Dance.”

“Joshua Uzoigwe studied music in Nigeria while at the King’s College High School, the International School and the University of Nsukka, then abroad at the Guildhall School of Music in London, and then the University of Belfast, where he studied ethnomusicology under John Blaking, receiving an MA (1978) and PhD (1981).” “His 1998 book Ukom: A Study of African Musical Craftsmanship shows Igbo traditional music’s great influence on his compositions.”

“Justinian Tamusuza was born in 1951 in Kibisi Uganda. Early on he studied Kigandan traditional music: singing, playing drums and tube-fiddle, endingidi. He studied music with the Reverend Anthony Okelo and with Kevin Volans at Queens University in Belfast, Ireland, and received his doctorate in composition from Northwestern University in Illinois, studying with Alan Stout.” “Tamusuza has been a representative on many juries and taught at Northwestern University and Makere University in Uganda. His first string quartet, Mu Kkubo Ery’Omusaalaba, was featured by the Kronos Quartet on their CD Pieces of Africa, and many commissions have since followed."

African+Flute" rel="tag">African Flute
Fred+Onovwerosuoke" rel="tag">Fred Onovwerosuoke
Bongani+Ndodana" rel="tag">Bongani Ndodana
Kwabena+Nketia" rel="tag">Kwabena Nketia
Joshua+Uzoigwe" rel="tag">Joshua Uzoigwe
Justinian+Tamusuza" rel="tag">Justinian Tamusuza

Alain Pierre Pradel (b. 1949), Guadeloupean Composer

[Audio Samples: Alain Pierre Pradel: Sept pièces Créoles (Seven Creole Pieces), Vol. 1; Tatjana Rankovich, piano; Dezi'l Production DP 001 (2000) a Le château de cendre b La préférée]


Born July 5, 1949 in the former French West Indies colony of Guadeloupe, Alain Pierre Pradel began studying piano at age 12. His Web site, West Indies Piano, http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pradel/alain.htm explains [Translated from French]: “For him, balance came from music, from the piano. Rural standards did not facilitate his learning. Classical works were not prized and were sometimes abandoned in favor of local airs. Both forms of music have a place in his heart and are sources of interest, of reflection and of profound emotions. He was going to remain faithful and even seek to unite them, in spite of prejudgments.

After seven years in Paris, Pradel returned to Guadeloupe in 1975. His Web site continues: “It was the start of a period marked by research in composition and by an introduction to music for dance. In June 1982, at Deshaies, the dream, the merger, became real with the writing of La cité de voile (The City of Sail), an original work for piano directly influenced by the mixing of cultures.”

Sept pièces Créoles (Seven Creole Pieces), Vol. 1, Dezi'l Production 001 (2000) is the first CD of Pradel's contemporary music for piano. It was recorded by the classical pianist Tatjana Rankovich in New York. The works are La cité de voile (3:58), Pomme canelle (2:50), Le château de cendre (6:12), Piro et fanfan (2:35), Vue de do (5:34), La préférée (3:57) and Eclipse (4:42). Tatjana Rankovich is also the pianist for Sept pièces Créoles, Vol. 2.

[Alain Pierre Pradel is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Alain Pradel
Guadeloupean Composer
Afro-Caribbean Composer
Black Composer
Tatjama Rankovich
Pièces Créoles

Maestro Julius P. Williams: Works of Four Living American Composers on Albany CD

On January 28, 2008 AfriClassical posted a tribute entitled “Julius P. Williams, African American Composer & Conductor”. We have since discovered that Maestro Williams had recorded a CD, released Dec. 11, 2007, which we had missed. The CD Places In Time, Albany Records 979 (2007), includes works of four living American composers: Armand Qualliotine, Noi sian le triste and His Cove Is Now the Firmament; Lee McQuillan, Sweet Home Suite; Christopher Montgomery, Two Cities; and Helmuth Hans Fuchs, Chicago Fantasie Overture. Soprano Lucy Yates is accompanied by the Dvorak Symphony Orchestra; Julius Penson Williams is conductor.

Reviewer James Reel of Fanfare Magazine writes: “Each work on this disc of music by living Americans is tied to a very specific place: certain cities, in most cases, but also places as intimate as a poet’s desk.” “Julius P. Williams leads the Dvořák Symphony Orchestra—also known as the Prague Radio Orchestra—in secure, committed performances.”

[Julius Penson Williams is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Julius+Williams" rel="tag">Julius Williams
Black+Conductor" rel="tag">Black Conductor
African+American" rel="tag">African American
American+Composers" rel="tag">American Composers
Dvořák+Symphony" rel="tag">Dvořák Symphony
Albany+Records" rel="tag">Albany Records

Adolphus C. Hailstork, African American Composer (b. 1941)

[Adolphus Hailstork: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3; Grand Rapids Symphony; David Lockington, conductor; Naxos 8.559295 (2007)]

Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork is an African American composer and professor who was born on April 17, 1941 in Rochester, New York and is profiled at AfriClassical.com He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Howard University in 1963. He subsequently attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition in 1965 and a Master of Music degree in Composition in 1966. During the Summer of 1963 Hailstork studied in France at Fontainebleau with Nadia Boulanger.

He served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Germany from 1966-68, then attended Michigan State University, where he obtained a Ph.D. in 1971. Hailstork has been on the faculties of Youngstown State University, Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University. Hailstork's musical The Race for Space was performed at Howard University in 1963, when he was in his senior year. Statement, Variations and Fugue was his master's thesis and was performed by the Baltimore Symphony in 1966, according to the Presser site. The composer has employed a wide range of forms and styles.

Adolphus Hailstork: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 was recorded by the Grand Rapids Symphony, led by David Lockington, conductor, as part of the series American Classics, Naxos 8.559295 (2007). Bob McQuiston reviewed the CD for Classical Lost and Found, February, 2007: “These two symphonies by American composer Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) are well worth calling to your attention. Written in the last ten years, they're both in the standard four movements and fall into the late romantic category. They're full of those wonderful western sounding rhythms and themes so typical of American composers like Virgil Thomson, Aaron Copland and Don Gillis.”

Another recording is Celebration! (3:16), Black Composers Series, Sony Music Custom Marketing Group DSO-1111 (2002). Paul Freeman conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in a 1976 recording of Celebration! as part of the historic CBS Black Composers Series. Epitaph for a Man who Dreamed - In Memoriam: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (7:37), and An American Port of Call (8:32), are found on the CD African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. II, Cedille 90000 061 (2002). Both works were recorded by the Chicago Sinfonietta under the direction of Paul Freeman, conductor. Hailstork's Symphony No. 1 (23:10), can be heard on Symphonic Brotherhood, Troy 104 (1993). Julius P. Williams, conductor, leads the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic.

Adolphus+Hailstork" rel="tag">Adolphus Hailstork
Black+Composers" rel="tag">Black Composers
African+American" rel="tag">African American
African+Heritage" rel="tag">African Heritage
American+Classics" rel="tag">American Classics
Naxos+Symphonies" rel="tag">Naxos Symphonies


Carman Moore, African American Composer, Commissioned by Musica de Camara

Musica de Camara of New York City:
El Barrio’s own Musica de Camara, celebrating its 28th year presenting Puerto Rican and Hispanic composers in 2008, presents pianist Anthony Newton playing works by contemporary African-American composers, including Howard Swanson, R. Nathaniel Dett, and George T. Walker. The performance will feature a world premiere presentation of Piano Sonata II by Carman Moore, commissioned by Musica de Camara. [Robert Nathaniel Dett and George Walker are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Carman Moore
Carman Moore is an African American composer whose website is http://carmanmoore.com/
He is the cousin and frequent collaborator of Charles Oyamo Gordon, Associate Professor of Theatre (Playwriting) at the University of Michigan. AfriClassical contacted Carman Moore, who provided this update on his many compositional activities:

“Early in 2007 I had 3 music theatre works performed---The Sorcerer's Apprentice (libretto by Oyamo with my help) at the Seattle Children's Theatre; Club Paradise (a "take" on Milton's Paradise Lost set in a dance hall---book also by Oyamo with my contributions) at Manhattanville College; and a choral and instrumental score to Seamus Heaney's The Burial At Thebes at La MaMa Theatre in New York. In August I conducted my group The Skymusic Ensemble at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, in a concert dedicated to the memory of departed members Leroy Jenkins and Mark Heinemann. Honoring them I composed a work called Ruminations. In October a string trio of Sanford Allen, Violn; Jesse Levine, Viola; and Astrid Schween, Cello premiered my 3-movement Blue...Red...Green (beautifully, I might add). On February 24th of this year the Syracuse, New York Society for New Music will perform my The Mystery Of Tao which was originally commissioned and premiered in 2000 by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
As you can see, I've been busy. But I'm delighted to know that you and Ms. Black are chronicling the activities of black classical music makers. Keep up the good work.

Best,
Carman Moore"

Carman+Moore" rel="tag">Carman Moore
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Nathaniel+Dett" rel="tag">Nathaniel Dett
George+Walker" rel="tag">George Walker
Piano+Sonata" rel="tag">Piano Sonata
African+American" rel="tag">African American

MP3 of “Inter Vestibulum” by Afro-Brazilian Composer José Mauricio Nunes García

[Método de Pianoforte (1821); Portrait by José Mauricio Nunes Garcia, Jr.; Text Revised: Giulio Edoardo Draghi; Irmaos Vitale CPM 236 (2000)]


The blog “Sonidos Y Silencios” describes a new recording, Vol. 6 in a series of Baroque and Colonial Latin American Sacred Music. Among the works offered in mp3 format is “Inter Vestibulum”, a composition of the Afro-Brazilian composer José Mauricio Nunes García (1767 – 1830). It is performed by Camerata Barroca de Caracas, under the direction of Isabel Palacios, conductor. Garcia is profiled at AfriClassical.com

José+Garcia" rel="tag">José Garcia
Afro-Brazilian+Composer" rel="tag">Afro-Brazilian Composer
Inter+Vestibulum" rel="tag">Inter Vestibulum
Camerata+Barroca" rel="tag">Camerata Barroca
Black+Baroque" rel="tag">Black Baroque
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Lisa Codrington, African Canadian Librettist

Opera to Go 2008 showcases seven world premieres of six 15-minute chamber operas and a Bravo!FACT film by composer-writer teams who have graduated from Tapestry’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory, an annual opera “boot camp” that brings together artists of various disciplines to collaborate on new opera creation. Opera to Go 2008 previews February 14 and runs February 15- 23, 2008.

Lisa Codrington

Lisa Codrington is an actor/writer based in Toronto. She is currently an Associate Artist at Theatre Direct Canada and Playwright in Residence at The Canadian Stage Company. Nightwood Theatre in association with Obsidian Theatre Company produced the world premiere of her play Cast Iron, which went on to play at Frank Collymore Hall in Barbados, West Indies. Alison Sealy Smith was nominated for a Dora Award for her performance in the show and the play was nominated for a Governor General’s Award for Drama. Lisa's short radio drama Skylar aired on CBC Radio's Sunday Showcase and her monologue Vegas was presented in Theatre Direct Canada’s production The Demonstration. Her work has been published in The Canadian Theatre Review and in the Playwrights Canada Press anthologies Acting Out and Beyond the Pale. Lisa has a BA in Criminology from the University of Manitoba and a BFA in Acting from Ryerson University where she was recently awarded The Jack McAllister Alumni Award. This summer Lisa will perform in the Shaw Festival’s production of The Little Foxes and her writing will be presented in The Ambient Opera Society’s production of Opera on the Rocks at Paupers Pub, as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.

William H. Chapman Nyaho Gives Mixed-Media Presentation & Master Class at Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles Announces:

As part of a month-long series of activities honoring Black History Month, Loyola Marymount University is hosting a mixed-media presentation and master class delivered by world-renowned composer and pianist William Chapman Nyaho. The two events will be held on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 12:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Murphy Recital Hall.

The afternoon event will include a mixed-media presentation about African pop music as a resource for African art. A question and answer session will immediately follow. In the evening event, Nyaho will lead a master class with piano students featuring works by Ghanaian and Nigerian composers.

Nyaho is internationally known for the range and artistry of his performances and is the editor of a recently published five-volume anthology of music for solo piano by composers from Africa and the African Diaspora.

[Dr. William H. Chapman Nyaho's website is http://www.nyaho.com/ He is also profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Audio Samples: Florence B. Price (1887-1953), African American Composer

[Symphony No. 3; Mississippi River Suite; The Oak; The Women's Philharmonic; Apo Hsu, Conductor; Koch 3 75182H1 (2001)]

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953) was an African American composer, arranger and music teacher who is profiled at AfriClassical.com She was the first African American woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra. The following audio samples are from a symphony, a lively piano piece and two songs:

a Koch International Classics 3-7518-2 H1
Florence Price: The Oak, Mississippi River Suite, Symphony No. 3
The Women's Philharmonic; Apo Hsu, Conductor
Symphony No. 3 in C Minor
b Ars Harmonica AH037 (1998)
Compositio
Monica Pons, piano
Cotton Dance
c Clarion CLR907CD (2004)
Got the Saint Louis Blues: Classical Music in the Jazz Age
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers; Philip Brunelle, Conductor
1 Song for Snow
2 Moon Bridge

Florence+Price" rel="tag">Florence Price
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Cotton+Dance" rel="tag">Cotton Dance
Black+Symphonist" rel="tag">Black Symphonist
Audio+Sample" rel="tag">Audio Sample
Price's+Music" rel="tag">Price's Music

Audio Samples: Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), Afro-French Composer

[Violin Concertos, Op. 5, Nos. 1 & 2; Op. 3, No. 1; Op. 8, No. 9; Bernard Thomas Chamber Orchestra; Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Violin; Arion 68093 (1990)]

Joseph de Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) was an Afro-French composer, violinist and conductor who is profiled at AfriClassical.com He was a fashionable composer who was among the earliest French composers of string quartets. The following 5 audio samples are among 12 examples of his music which are found on the Audio page of the website:

a Cedille 90000 035 (1997)
Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19^th Centuries
Rachel Barton, violin
Encore Chamber Orchestra; Daniel Hege, Conductor
Violin Concerto in A Major, Op. 5, No. 2
b AFKA SK-557 (2003)
Chevalier de Saint-Georges: String Quartets
Coleridge String Quartet
String Quartet No. 3 in C Major Sample Time 5:03
c Avenira AV 276011 (2005)
String Quartets, Op. 14, Third Book of Quartets
Apollon Quartet
Quartet No. 3 in F Minor
d Avenira CD1 AV 9985 2E (2000); CD2 AV 9986 2E (2000)
Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Symphonies & Violin Concertos
Violin Concerto Soloist: Miroslav Vilimec, Violin
Symphony Concertante Soloists: Jiri Zilak, Violin; Jan Motlik, Alto
Radio Symphony-Orchestra Pilsen; Frantisek Preisler, Jr., Conductor
CD1 Symphony in D Major, Op. 11, No. 2 - Overture
CD2 Violin Concerto in G Major, Op. 8, No. 9

Saint-Georges+Music" rel="tag">Saint-Georges Music
Afro-French+Composer" rel="tag">Afro-French Composer
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Audio+Sample" rel="tag">Audio Sample
Saint-Georges+Symphony" rel="tag">Saint-Georges Symphony
Saint-Georges+Concerto" rel="tag">Saint-Georges Concerto

Free to Sing: The Story of the First African American Opera Company

Free to Sing: The Story of the First African American Opera Company is a world premiere original Strathmore concert production about the heroic story of Washington D.C.’s “Colored American Opera Company,” the first black opera troupe in the United States. This performance will take place on Saturday, February 16, 2008, 8:00 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, Maryland.

Commissioned by Strathmore, the original script charts the personal advancement of some of Washington D.C.’s most prominent African-American individuals, as they use their musical talent to raise money for their church community and build schools for their children in the 1870s. Free to Sing focuses on the musical accomplishments of the Opera Company with an introductory narrative, and features “Te Deum,” a recently discovered new John Philip Sousa work, and “Mass in C” by John Esputa. The evening will conclude with a rarely performed concert presentation of Julius Eichberg’s American operetta, The Doctor of Alcantara.

Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Tickets: $21-$58

(301) 581-5100 or visit http://www.strathmore.org

Sphinx Organization Seeks Director of Major Gifts

JOB POSTING: Director of Major Gifts

The Sphinx Organization, http://www.sphinxmusic.org, seeks qualified candidates for its Director of Major Gifts. Prospect research, cultivation, donor strategy and follow-up are a few of the core responsibilities essential to this position. Successful candidate will be highly attentive to detail while operating at a rapid pace. The position demands expertise in personal relations, writing and computers while offering the satisfaction of helping youths and promoting diversity in classical music. If you enjoy challenge, a broad scope of responsibilities and the opportunity to play a critical role in an organization that offers relationships of mutual respect, please fax resume and salary requirements to 313-887-0164 or E-Mail to info@sphinxmusic.org

Sphinx+Organization" rel="tag">Sphinx Organization
Position+Available" rel="tag">Position Available
Black+Musicians" rel="tag">Black Musicians
Latino+Musicians" rel="tag">Latino Musicians
Classical+Diversity" rel="tag">Classical Diversity
Classical+Music" rel="tag">Classical Music

Black History Quiz on New France & Québec

Long before the United States was established, people of African descent played important roles in French North America, or New France, just as they did in British North America. African Heritage Month is observed each February in Canada. The Government of the Province of Québec calls its celebration “Mois de l'histoire des Noirs” (Black History Month). Its website for the observance is “Québec interculturel” (Multicultural Québec). We are pleased to note that AfriClassical.com, which has a French version, is listed among the Internet resources for Black History Month. The following are selected questions, translated from French.

Questions from Black History Quiz on New France and Québec:

1. Who was the first Black person to arrive in New France?
2. Where was Mathieu Da Costa born?
3. What was Mathieu Da Costa's occupation?
4. With which Amerindian nation did Mathieu Da Costa employ his skills as an interpreter?
5. What languages did Mathieu Da Costa speak?
6. In what year were Black slaves first present in New France?
7. Who submitted a petition to the Provincial Government for the abolition of slavery about 1790?
8. When was the first Black woman appointed to the Council of Ministers of Québec?

Answers:
1. Mathieu Da Costa
2. Africa
3. Navigator and Interpreter
4. Micmacs
5. Dutch, English, French, Portuguese
6. 1628
7. Louis-Joseph Papineau
8. 2004

Black+French" rel="tag">Black French
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History
Mathieu DaCosta+warming" rel="tag">Mathieu DaCosta
Louis-Joseph+Papineau" rel="tag">Louis-Joseph Papineau
African+Navigator" rel="tag">African Navigator
African+Canadian" rel="tag">African Canadian


Leo Brouwer's 'Danza del Altiplano' on “Eklectica” CD of Robin Hill

[Concierto de Volos (28:01); Orquesta de Cordoba; Leo Brouwer, Conductor; GHA Records 126.025 (1998)]

Life of a musician – Robin Hill:

Leo Brouwer is a Cuban guitarist/composer/conductor who started playing the guitar at the age of 13, giving his first performance at 17. He was initially drawn to the guitar by flamenco music and encouraged by his father, a doctor, and amateur guitarist.

'Danza del Altiplano' is the only solo piece of music on Robin Hill's Eklectica, and is track number 11. It is an atmospheric arrangement of a Peruvian folk song, and the late Peter Sensier, the BBC Radio 3 presenter said of it:

"To me it embodies all the best aspects of guitar playing, it's authoritative, musicianly, it's stamped with the personality of the soloist and is full of the sheer joy of playing music on the guitar."

There's no doubt it is a beautiful piece of music. Robin frequently performs this piece, and consequently I often hear him rehearsing it pre concert. It never fails to make me stop whatever I am doing to listen. Think the Andes. Soaring condors. Enjoy.

Posted by Anna at Saturday, February 09, 2008

[Leo Brouwer is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Leo Brouwer
Afro-Cuban Guitarist
Afro-Cuban Composer
Black Composer
Danza delAltiplano
global warming

Eleanor Alberga: “Roald Dahl’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”

Eleanor Alberga is a composer and pianist of African descent who was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1949. Her early musical activities are recounted in a biographical essay at her Web site http://www.EleanorAlberga.com/ She is profiled at AfriClassical.com

Orchestra Music 101 is a resource for people looking for orchestral scores and parts. On Wednesday, February 6, 2008 it posted one of Alberga's compositions in the category:
“Orchestral Music for Children's Audiences”
“Eleanor Alberga: Roald Dahl’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1-4 narrators
2(pic)22(ca)2(cbsn) sax 2asax 2tsax barsax / 42(atpt) 2 btbn1 timp perc str / 42’
reduced orchestration 1-4 narrators – 2(pic)121 / 2111 perc pno str(min 11111) [Peters]

Eleanor+Alberga" rel="tag">Eleanor Alberga
Orchestral+Music" rel="tag">Orchestral Music
Children's+Music" rel="tag">Children's Music
Jamaican+Composer" rel="tag">Jamaican Composer
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Contemporary+Composer" rel="tag">Contemporary Composer

Collaborative Piano: Classical Music Bloggers are Macs, Traditional Media are PCs

[Dr. Christopher Foley of The Collaborative Piano Blog]

On Monday, February 04, 2008, Dr. Christopher Foley of The Collaborative Piano blog posted a comparison of classical music news coverage in traditional media and blogs. Here is an excerpt and a link to the full post:

Except for a few major newspapers, traditional news media only report on a very small segment of the classical music scene, targeted towards the media outlet's demographic, and fit into the space alloted by editors and producers.

Classical music blogs have no such restrictions, are only limited by the vision of their authors, and aren't subject to restrictions of space and economics. They are not limited by utilizing a sole medium (words), since a classical music blogger can easily expand the range of the medium through offering podcasts, online downloads, traditional books, ebooks, or even radio programs in addition to their core blog. In fact, there are huge chunks of the classical music world and its stories that literally never got their due until these types of blogs came along:

• Africlassical - the major contributions to the classical music world from the African diaspora.

• The Concert - written by soprano Anne-Carolyn Bird, and follows her career from graduate school to the Met and beyond.

• Opera Chic - the scandal-filled world of the opera scene and its larger-than-life players.

• On an Overgrown Path - the nooks and crannies of a wondrously diverse classical music culture

• Wolf Trap Opera - the inner workings of a vibrant opera company chronicled from the drawing board until opening night.

• Oboeinsight and Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog - instrumental niches that are usually not given their due, but in fact yield a vast wealth of insight into the art and industry of classical music (in addition to being uber-cool places to hang out).

Not to mention this humble blog, which focuses on the diverse (and lucrative) activities of those pianists that choose to make music with others and go on to become some of the busiest people in classical music even though they are often omitted from programs and reviews, and under-appreciated by the general public. Full Post

Classically+Blogging" rel="tag">Classically Blogging
AfriClassical+Blog" rel="tag">AfriClassical Blog
African+Diaspora" rel="tag">African Diaspora
Black+Composers" rel="tag">Black Composers
Black+Musicians" rel="tag">Black Musicians
Classically+Diverse" rel="tag">Classically Diverse

Marcia Johnson, African Canadian Librettist

Yesterday AfriClassical posted “African Canadian Librettists Thrive in Composer/Librettist Laboratory”. Dr. Christopher Foley is a member of the Tapestry New Opera Works Ensemble Studio. He told AfriClassical of the career of Marcia Johnson, an African Canadian librettist who has accepted our invitation to briefly introduce herself and share some of her experiences in the laboratory:

BIO

Marcia Johnson has been a performer and playwright in Toronto since 1983. She has acted for TV, film and stage, most recently reprising her role in Andrew Moodie’s The Real McCoy at Factory Theatre and the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Marcia’s radio dramas have been broadcast on CBC Radio’s Sunday Showcase, Sounds Like Canada and The Sunday Edition. Current projects include a full-length adaptation of her short play Late for Obsidian Theatre Company, and Courting Johanna, which she is adapting from an Alice Munro short story for Blyth Festival.

THOUGHTS ON LIB LAB

Before the Composer-Librettist Laboratory, I’d had no experience writing for music. On the first day of the “boot camp”, dramaturge Michael Albano told all the writers that we had to justify why our stories had to be told with music. That was an excellent piece which somehow put me at ease. Another piece of the puzzle for writing for opera was provided by coloratura Carla Huhtanen during her presentation. She said that word choice was very important. I understood that I had to be mindful of vowels and consonants. I learned to use “prettier”, more lyrical words while leaving room for music.

It was a thrill to be paired with four very different composers and collaborate on four very different stories. They were performed by extremely talented singers and pianists with very little rehearsal. I was moved by everyone’s work and have formed solid partnerships and friendships. I will definitely be writing for opera again.

Marcia+Johnson" rel="tag">Marcia Johnson
Black+Librettist" rel="tag">Black Librettist
African+Canadian" rel="tag">African Canadian
Black+Playwright" rel="tag">Black Playwright
Minorities'+Operas" rel="tag">Minorities' Operas
Diversifying+Opera" rel="tag">Diversifying Opera

African Canadian Librettists Thrive in Composer/Librettist Laboratory

Christopher Foley has supported AfriClassical from its early days, and recently contributed a link to a very informative article he wrote for The Collaborative Piano Blog, “African Chamber Music Program from Vancouver New Music in March 2000”. He presents this brief bio on his blog: “I live in Toronto, where I am the head of the voice department at the Royal Conservatory of Music Community School and teach piano, collaborative piano, chamber music, and vocal coaching. I am a member of the Tapestry New Opera Works Ensemble Studio, and also do a lot of freelance playing for various organizations.”

Dr. Foley recently told AfriClassical of three African Canadian writers who have benefited from a Composer/Librettist Laboratory in which about 70 people have taken part, and which has led to similar projects in other cities and countries. The Tapestry website explains: “The Composer-Librettist Laboratory is generously supported by the Laidlaw Foundation and Mr. Roger D. Moore. Workshop facilities are donated by Rosedale United Church, Toronto.”

Christopher Foley tells us of three African Canadian librettists: “Marcia Johnson and Alicia Payne are writers who participated in the Tapestry New Opera Works Composer/Librettist laboratory in 2007 and had their work performed in Opera Briefs 7 in September.” “Lisa Codrington is the librettist for The Colony, a one-act opera that opens on February 14 at Tapestry New Opera Works' Opera To Go 2008.” AfriClassical has invited each of the three to submit a brief bio and comments on the laboratory experience. First we present some background, from the Tapestry New Opera website, http://www.tapestrynewopera.com/liblab/liblabhistory/

Composer-Librettist Laboratory

For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one. Producers around the world agree that forming workable artistic partnerships between composers and playwrights is the single greatest challenge facing the development of new opera and music theatre. The Composer-Librettist Laboratory is Tapestry’s response to this challenge. Initiated in 1995, the laboratory is an intensive one-week workshop for composers and writers to explore the collaborative process. Currently, the program attracts participants from Canada, the United States, Germany and England. It is also the model for the English National Opera Studio’s All-in Opera, as well as Pacific Opera Victoria’s Composer-Librettist Workshop.

Tapestry’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory provides artists with the opportunity to work with several partners in a short period of time, thereby developing techniques for effective collaboration. Throughout the weeklong program, writers and composers are partnered with one another for one day each. With input from music and stage directors, each pair writes a short piece of music theatre and investigates the collaborative process. Their work is performed at the end of each day by a resident ensemble of singers and répétiteurs, and then constructively critiqued by the group.

Afro-Caribbean+Librettists" rel="tag">Afro-Caribbean Librettists
Marcia+Johnson" rel="tag">Marcia Johnson
Alicia+Payne" rel="tag">Alicia Payne
Lisa+Codrington" rel="tag">Lisa Codrington
Black+Librettists" rel="tag">Black Librettists
Afro-Canadian+Writers" rel="tag">Afro-Canadian Writers

“WITNESS: The Duke Ellington Effect” Feb. 17, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota

[The Definitive Duke Ellington; Sony 61444 (2000)]

The VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers will be led by conductor Philip Brunelle in a performance called “WITNESS: The Duke Ellington Effect” on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Here is an excerpt from the VocalEssence website:

“Big band” orchestra, soloists, the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers and conductor Philip Brunelle gather to celebrate the music of Duke (Edward Kennedy) Ellington — not only a great performer and band leader, but also considered the most important composer in jazz history.

Duke Ellington’s adventurous spirit opened the way for the next generation of African American composers including William Banfield and Stephen Newby, and the first half of the concert will explore the “Ellington Effect” — how these composers and others have been influenced by his music. Full Program

VocalEssence+Ensemble" rel="tag">VocalEssence Ensemble
Ellington+Effect" rel="tag">Ellington Effect
Philip+Brunelle" rel="tag">Philip Brunelle
William+Banfield" rel="tag">William Banfield
Stephen Newby+warming" rel="tag">Stephen Newby
African+American" rel="tag">African American

Afro-Caribbean Guitarist Atahualpa Ferly in Festival Feb. 23-March 7, 2008

On Nov. 26, 2007 AfriClassical posted: “Atahualpa Ferly (b. 1974) Guitarist of African Descent, Performs in Les Nuits Caraïbes”. With the Festival fast approaching, we are again calling attention to his participation:

Atahualpa Ferly is a native of Guadeloupe (b. 1974) and is a highly accomplished classical guitarist and educator of African descent. He first studied the guitar with his father at the age of 8 and has subsequently taken master classes with such prominent classical guitarists as Leo Brouwer and Costas Cotsiolis. His website is: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/citedesarts/c-ferly02-04-23.html

The 6th Annual Festival de Musique Classique des Nuits Caraïbes [Caribbean Nights Festival of Classical Music] will take place from February 23 to March 7, 2008 on Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Information is available from Bernadette Beuzelin, cafeierebeausejour@wanadoo.fr

Atahualpa+Ferly" rel="tag">Atahualpa Ferly
Afro-Caribbean+Guitarist" rel="tag">Afro-Caribbean Guitarist
Black+Guitarist" rel="tag">Black Guitarist
Nuits+Caraïbes" rel="tag">Nuits Caraïbes
Classical+Guitarist" rel="tag">Classical Guitarist
Guadeloupean+Guitarist" rel="tag">Guadeloupean Guitarist


Althea Ifeka, Nigerian Oboist, Favors Baroque Period & 20th Century

Three months ago AfriClassical posted: “Althea Ifeka, Nigerian Oboist of 18^th & 20^th Century Works”. Here is a summary of the post, presented as a Black History Month Resource:

Althea Ifeka is an oboe soloist who was born in Nigeria and specializes in works from the Baroque period and the 20^th century. Now based in London, England, she performs actively as a concerto soloist, duo recitalist and chamber ensemble player. Althea's CD From Leipzig To London; Oboe Classics CC2013 (2006) is given this introduction at her website, http://www.AltheaIfeka.com:

“This CD explores the innovative role of J.S. Bach in creating the earliest duo sonatas, by presenting three sonatas now known to date from his Leipzig period performed on the oboe, oboe d'amore and cor anglais and harpsichord. The demise of the oboe as a solo instrument and the complete demise of the harpsichord during the nineteenth century were overturned in the twentieth as both instruments made impressive comebacks.”

Althea+Ifeka" rel="tag">Althea Ifeka
Nigerian+Oboist" rel="tag">Nigerian Oboist
African+Oboist" rel="tag">African Oboist
Baroque+Period" rel="tag">Baroque Period
Duo+Sonatas" rel="tag">Duo Sonatas
Chamber+Music" rel="tag">Chamber Music

The History At Home 7. My Own Spades Dig Deeper

[Dr. Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork]

On Feb. 7, 2008, Springer's Journal: The History At Home posted a story on a January 2008 concert by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: “A Tribute To African American Heroes”. Here is an excerpt from “The History At Home 7. My Own Spades Dig Deeper”:

My criticism of PSO stems largely from how unchallenging this concert was. How they stayed so safe. How they scratched at the surface of Black history and chose to deliver something they must have perceived as accessible. Rather than innovate they chose to placate.

Jazz may have been uniquely our own, but, it is not the only classical form to which we have made extensive contributions. Any serious presentation of our African-American heroes would have recognized this.

A simple trip to AfriClassical.com shows a list of over 38 composers of African descent from the early 1700’s forward. And limiting the composers to the United States Of America does not limit - in any manner - the breadth and scope of work available.

Regardless, there are African-Americans whose work more closely resembles the traditional fare of the PSO. How might the evening have been changed by the pieces below?

“An American Port of Call” by Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork.

Maybe the contrast of Strayhorn’s piece with Hailstork’s “Epitaph for a Man who Dreamed – In Memoriam: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” may have been a fitting contrast in styles which could demonstrate our unique and individual voices. Find these on: African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. II; Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, Conductor.

How would the concert have differed and become more resonant if they had included the works of Edmond Dede or William Grant Still? How would things change if they'd used my spades to dig deep enough to understand that our collective work would thrill their audiences for years whilst simultaneously developing new ones.

Afro-Brazilian Guitarist & Composer Celso Machado is Nominee for 2008 Juno Awards

Celso Machado is a 2008 Juno Awards nominee for “Jogo Da Vida”. The nomination is one of five for World Music Album of the Year in Canada, where he now lives. Celso Machado is an Afro-Brazilian composer, guitarist, lyricist and singer. The works he writes and performs are played by guitarists in both classical and world music genres. He was born in Ribeiro Preto, Brazil on January 27, 1953. At age seven he began performing in street bands. Machado first performed in Canada in 1986; he moved there in 1989. His many CDs consist of music composed by himself and others. His recordings, compositions and awards are listed at his Web site: http://www.CelsoMachado.com Celso Machado is profiled at AfriClassical.com

Did Julia Amanda Perry (1924-1979) Write An Opera?

On Dec. 14, 2007 AfriClassical posted “Julia Amanda Perry (1924-1979), African American Composer”. Today we received the following inquiry: “I am most interested in knowing if Julia Perry wrote any operas or any works that can be considered a large-vocal work with or without soloists, and where can they be found. I thank you for your time.” AfriClassical has answered as follows: Julia Amanda Perry composed at least one opera The Cask of Amontillado, which is available from http://www.PeerMusicClassical.com

Comment from William H. Chapman Nyaho, African American Pianist

[ASA: William Chapman Nyaho, Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; MSR Classics (2008)]

Yesterday AfriClassical posted an announcement of an appearance by the Nyaho/Garcia Piano Duo at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon on March 11, 2008. Dr. Chapman Nyaho has made this comment by E-mail from UNISA (University of South Africa): Thanks so much Bill. I am wrapping up three weeks in South Africa at the UNISA International Piano Competition. It's been wonderful. I also gave a masterclass at UNISA and a lecture on Piano Music of Africa and the Diaspora at the University of Pretoria, well received. I also alerted the students of your website including myrtlehart.org and Richard Greene's. Returning on the 11th back to teaching as visiting prof at Willamette U. Wishing you all the best, Nyaho

[Dr. William H. Chapman Nyaho is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Chapman Nyaho
Black Pianist
Classical Music
African American
African Diaspora
Oxford Anthology

Nyaho/Garcia Piano Duo at Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, March 11, 2008

Dr. William H. Chapman Nyaho is a pianist and professor, profiled at AfriClassical.com, who has compiled and edited a landmark 5-volume sheet music anthology. Published by Oxford University Press, it is Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora. The first two volumes were issued in March 2007. The remaining three volumes will be published in February, March and June, 2008. On Dec. 27, 2007 AfriClassical published a post honoring Dr. Chapman Nyaho's birthday as well as the upcoming release of a new CD, ASA: William Chapman Nyaho, Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; MSR Classics (2008). Chapman Nyaho is also a longtime member of the Nyaho/Garcia PianoDuo with Susanna Garcia. The Duo has recorded Aaron Copland: Music for Two Pianos, Centaur 2405 (1998). William H. Chapman Nyaho and Susanna Garcia will perform on March 11, 2008 as part of the Grace Goudy Distinguished Artist Series at Willamette University in Salem,Oregon.

Nyaho/Garcia Duo
Chapman Nyaho
Susanna Garcia
African American
Black Pianist
Piano Duo

Arthur Cunningham (1928-1997), Jazz and Classical Composer of African Descent

[The Piano Music of Arthur Cunningham; John Ellis, piano; Equilibrium 65 (2004)]

John Ellis is a pianist and a Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, and was a student and a close associate of Arthur Cunningham, who is profiled at AfriClassical.com He has recorded The Piano Music of Arthur Cunningham, Equilibrium 65 (2004). He also wrote the liner notes for the CD, on which Cunningham's compositions for piano are accompanied by a 13-minute track entitled Excerpts from Interviews with Arthur Cunningham.

The liner notes begin: “Arthur Cunningham was born in Piermont, N.Y. In 1928. He was an eclectic composer trained from childhood in both jazz and classical music. His early studies were at the Metropolitan Music School in New York City. While there, he studied classical composition with the school's director, Wallingford Riegger and jazz piano with Teddy Wilson and John Mehegan.” “Upon graduation, he went to Fisk University, an historic all-Black school in Nashville, Tennessee. His education there was made possible by a fund set up by a group including Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes, Irving Berlin, and Richard Rodgers. At Fisk, he studied classical piano with the well-known accompanist William Duncan Allen, and theory and composition with John Work.”

“He studied further at The Juilliard School with Peter Mennin, Norman Lloyd, and Henry Brant. He earned a Masters Degree from Columbia Teachers College where he received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992.” “His work as a composer took flight in 1968 after a commission from Benjamin Steinberg and the Symphony of the New World. The piece he produced was the dissonant and rhythmically complex Concentrics for orchestra. It was given its premiere at Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center, NYC in February 1969. His most prolific period followed with works such as Engrams, Harlem Suite (including Lullabye for a Jazz Baby which was performed by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company), Night Song, Eclatette for solo cello or double bass, The Walton Statement for double bass and orchestra, and many other choral and instrumental pieces.”

Prof. Ellis notes that Arthur Cunningham pursued interests in jazz piano for some time before returning to classical composing: “Following a period in the early 1980's where he focused on jazz piano playing, vocal coaching and teaching, he returned to composing in 1986 with a group of short piano pieces. A high point of this late period was his revision of Concentrics for a performance by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta in 1989.”

The liner notes explain the role Kate Davidson played in the last several years of Arthur Cunningham's life: “His compositional activities and jazz performing continued until his death. His work with cabaret artist, Kate Davidson (whom he would later marry) was a central creative activity in the last decade of his life. Together, they performed throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Netherlands, and served as U.S. representatives at Expo '92 in Seville, Spain. Further evidence of Cunningham's wide-ranging activities was his work as music coordinator and narrator for the 1989 PBS documentary, The Exiles.” “He died after a long struggle with cancer in 1997, only a month after a concert in his honor produced by the Rockland Community College African-American History Month Committee.”

Arthur+Cunningham" rel="tag">Arthur Cunningham
John+Ellis" rel="tag">John Ellis
Harlem+Suite" rel="tag">Harlem Suite
Concentrics+orchestra" rel="tag">Concentrics orchestra
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
African+American" rel="tag">African American

Suites of Duke Ellington, James Price Johnson, Scott Joplin & William Grant Still

On Feb. 4, the blog of WFIU, “Night Lights” posted a history of classical suites by African American composers such as Duke Ellington, James Price Johnson, Scott Joplin and William Grant Still:

In the early 20th century African-American composers began to write extended musical depictions of black American life–Scott Joplin with his unstaged opera Treemonisha, pianist James P. Johnson with his Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody, and–perhaps most successfully-William Grant Still with his Afro-American Symphony in 1931. That same year Duke Ellington told a reporter, “I’m going to compose a musical evolution of the Negro race.” It took Ellington 12 years to achieve his goal–the 45-minute-long Black, Brown and Beige Suite: a Tone Parallel to the History of the Negro in America, which is now considered to be one of his greatest works. Full Post

Ron Bronson's "27 & Counting": AfriClassical

Ron Bronson's blog “27 & Counting” posted this on Jan. 29, 2008:

AfriClassical

I ran across a blog a few months back, that I thought was pretty neat. It’s called AfriClassical [http://africlassical.blogspot.com/ ] and as you might have guessed, it’s about classical artists of African heritage and a companion site to AfriClassical.com I thought it was pretty well done and informative, if nothing else. Given it’s the first genre I grew up listening to (by accident, mostly) and spent all of my school years playing in concert band except for one, it’s something dear to my heart.

Quintet of the Americas to Present African Impact Concert at Langston Hughes Library on February 8

[Dr. Akin Euba, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh]

Akin Euba, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and William Grant Still are among composers of African Descent whose works will be played, according to Sequenza 21:

The Quintet of the Americas will present a special “African Impact,” concert on Friday, February 8, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. at Langston Hughes Library, 100-01 Northern Boulevard in Corona, Queens, New York. This is part of a two-day celebration of author Langston Hughes.

Works to be performed will include a Woodwind Quintet by the eminent Nigerian composer Akin Euba, who is on the composition faculty of the University of Pittsburgh. some Zulu-South African music including “Nansi Imali” by Joseph Shabalala of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, music by African-Americans Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, and Charlie Parker.

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Langston Hughes Library at 718-651-1100 or visit their website at http://www.queenslibrary.org.

Visit the Quintet at http://www.quintet.org.

[Akin Euba is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Langston Hughes
Akin Euba
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
William Still
African Impact
Black History

Audio Sample of Nigerian Pianist Sodi Braide's CD of Franck's Piano Works

[Sodi Braide: Franck, œuvres pour piano; Lyrinx\Talents LYR 249 (2006)]

On September 24, 2007 AfriClassical was pleased to post: “Piano Works of Franck on CD by Nigerian Pianist Sodi Braide”. Today we present an audio sample of approximately one minute. At Sodi's suggestion, it is taken from Track 7, IV Variation, from the CD Sodi Braide: Franck, œuvres pour piano (Franck, Works for Piano); Lyrinx\Talents LYR 249 (2006). A link to the audio sample can be found at the bottom of the Audio page at AfriClassical.com The CD is available at various websites based in Europe, including http://www.alapage.com/ and the Classical Music section of http://www.amazon.fr/

Jérôme Bastianelli writes in the liner notes: “Saint-Saëns, who knew a thing or two about animals, said of his friend César Franck's Prélude, choral & fugue: 'These interminable digressions no more resemble a fugue than a zoophyte resembles a mammal.' In a sense he was right; Franck's style at the end of his life, with its elliptical harmonies and its perpetually shifting modulations, which add spice to his rather foursquare phrases, is so original that it cannot easily be compared to anything else.”

Sodi+Braide" rel="tag">Sodi Braide
César+Franck" rel="tag">César Franck
Nigerian+Pianist" rel="tag">Nigerian Pianist
Lyrinx+249" rel="tag">Lyrinx 249
organ+composer" rel="tag">organ composer
African+Pianist" rel="tag">African Pianist

Scott Joplin (1868-1917), African American Composer & Pianist of Ragtime & Classical Music

[Piano Rags; Roy Eaton, piano; Sony SBK 833 (1995)]

Scott Joplin was born in East Texas in 1868. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com His father was a former slave who worked as a laborer. His mother was born free in Kentucky. Both played musical instruments, and Scott and his five siblings were raised in a musical environment in which singing, fiddles and banjos were common. In the mid-1870s, we read in Africana Encyclopedia, the family moved to Texarkana, Arkansas. There his mother was a domestic employee for a family which allowed Scott to play its piano, before his father bought him a used one.

At the age of 11 the boy learned the basics of music theory from a local musician with classical training. Joplin left home while still a teenager, and it is thought that he then supported himself as an itinerant pianist working at bars and brothels in such places as St. Louis, Memphis and Dallas. Africana Encyclopedia recounts: “In 1893 Joplin emerged as a well-practiced musician at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, where he probably played along the Midway Plaisance. Although white management excluded African Americans from the official program of concerts, black pianists entertained fairgoers along the exposition's bustling periphery.”

It was at the Exposition that Scott Joplin met his friend and partner Otis Saunders. For the next two years they were part of a traveling quartet which performed pieces composed by Joplin.
Joplin and Saunders settled in Sedalia, Missouri in 1894. Africana Encyclopedia continues: “In Sedalia, Joplin married Belle Jones, wrote pieces for the Queen City Band, took a course in music composition at the George R. Smith College for Negroes, and, most importantly, began to peddle his music.”

Joplin struggled until he sold Maple Leaf Rag to a White businessman, John Stark. The piece was an instant success, and its first printing of 10,000 copies sold out quickly. More than half a million copies were sold by 1909. Stark and Joplin signed a contract and both moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Stark gave his client the nickname “King of Ragtime”. Subsequent hits included Peacherine Rag in 1901 and The Entertainer in 1902. Joplin attempted to establish himself as a composer of larger-scale works, with a folk ballet called The Ragtime Dance in 1902 and a 1903 opera A Guest of Honor, but neither work was performed widely.

Some of Joplin's most famous ragtime pieces are performed by the African American pianist Roy Eaton on the CD Piano Rags, Sony SBK 62 833 (1995). Eaton writes in the liner notes: “Joplin became a fixture in the ragtime craze with the publication of his Maple Leaf Rag in 1899, and his name became synonymous with ragtime. Still, he dreamed of the legitimization of his music as an art form, and even went so far as to compose three operas, the best known of which, Treemonisha, was ignored in his own lifetime. When Joplin died in 1917 from an advanced case of syphilis, both he and his ragtime had been forgotten in favor of another new rage, jazz. It would not be for another half-century, when Joplin's The Entertainer was used as the theme music for the film The Sting, that Joplin's extraordinary contribution to American musical life was finally acknowledged.”

Scott+Joplin" rel="tag">Scott Joplin
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Joplin's+Treemonisha" rel="tag">Joplin's Treemonisha
Classical+Composer" rel="tag">Classical Composer
African+American" rel="tag">African American
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Sound & Story of Duke Ellington's Musical “Jump for Joy” from WFIU

[Jump for Joy: The Genius of Duke Ellington; Tko Collectors (2002)]

“Night Lights” is the blog of WFIU, Public Radio at Indiana University:

The inspiration came from a late-night party, a convergence of Hollywood glamour and nascent civil-rights activism with one of America’s greatest jazz orchestras. In the summer of 1941, as Americans warily regarded a world war that seemed to be edging ever closer to their shores, Duke Ellington staged what he would later call “the first ’social significance’ show,” Jump for Joy. Jump for Joy was an all-black musical revue that Ellington said “would take Uncle Tom out of the theater and say things that would make the audience think.” It featured the Ellington orchestra in its so-called “Blanton-Webster” years, playing at the peak of its powers, and up-and-coming African-American performers such as the actress Dorothy Dandridge, the blues singer Big Joe Turner, and the comedian Wonderful Smith. The poet Langston Hughes contributed a sketch entitled “Mad Scene From Woolworth’s,” and Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn took a significant hand in scoring the show. Full Post

Violinists & Composers of African Descent in YouTube Videos

[African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. 1; Danse Nègre From African Suite (6:14); Petite Suite de Concert (13:36); Chicago Sinfonietta; Paul Freeman, Conductor; Cedille 90000 055 (2000)]

“Rachel's Musical Adventures” is the blog of Rachel Barton Pine, the violinist whose landmark 1997 CD of works of Black composers has led to her advocacy of the works of Black composers. I have the honor of serving as an Advisory Member of the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation http://www.rebf.org/ The Foundation is preparing a major educational resource for music students, “The String Student's Library of Music by Black Composers”. Today Rachel Barton announced a resource which is available immediately:

“Black History Month videos

In honor of Black History Month, I have created a special playlist on my YouTube channel highlighting the history and repertoire of important violinists and composers of African descent: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, William Grant Still, David Baker, George Bridgetower, and J. Rosamond Johnson. Check it out at
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A55A051443BC5441.”

Samuel+Coleridge-Taylor" rel="tag">Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Coleridge-Taylor+Perkinson" rel="tag">Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
David+Baker" rel="tag">David Baker
George+Bridgetower" rel="tag">George Bridgetower
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History
YouTube+Videos" rel="tag">YouTube Videos

Works of William Grant Still At Chamber Music Toledo Concert Feb. 10

[Oregon Festival of American Music Presents William Grant Still; Koch 3 7546 2H1 (2002)]

Greg Kostraba is a pianist, Senior Radio Host and Classical Music Director of WGTE in Toledo. He is also Winner of the 2007 Ohio Public Broadcasting Award for Radio Producer of the Year. Greg will be performing William Grant Still's Pastorela and Suite for Violin and Piano with violinist Rico McNeela in a Chamber Music Toledo concert this Sunday, February 10 at 3:00 p.m. at the Maumee Indoor Theater in Maumee, Ohio.

[William Grant Still is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Nicole Cash, Horn Player, Solos in Dallas Concert

[Nicole Cash, Horn Player, Dallas Symphony Orchestra]

Feb 23 St. Paul United Methodist Church @ 1816 Routh
Celebrating African heritage in classical music featuring chamber music by George Walker and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Beginning with a well-known chamber music selection, the concert opens with Mozart’s Quintet, K. 407, for horn and strings featuring Dallas Symphony Orchestra horn player Nicole Cash. Then, two rarely heard but important works will be presented –Lyric for Strings which is the second movement of String Quartet No 1 by George Walker and Quintet for clarinet and strings by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with Gregory Raden, principal clarinetist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. George Walker is the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. For more composer information, visit: www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/samuel_coleridge-taylor.html and www.AfriClassical.com. String musicians for the concert include Dallas Symphony Orchestra members Maria Schleuning and Kaori Yoshida – violins, Barbara Sudweeks and Ann Marie Roeske – violas, with Peter Steffens, cello.

Located in the Dallas Arts District, St. Paul United Methodist Church has a rich history. Beginning as a mission of the Wesley Church in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1865, St. Paul was founded by freed slaves of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. For more information about St. Paul, “the SOUL of the Arts District,” and to get directions to the venue, please visit their web site: www.stpaulumcdallas.com.

Margaret A. Bonds, Black Composer, Graduated from Northwestern University

Northwestern Luminaries, a blog on alumni of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has published a post on Margaret Allison Bonds which gives credit to Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor of Music at Lawrence University, for his research on her life and career. Here is an excerpt:

“NU is fortunate to have among it's luminaries Margaret Allison Bonds, a highly accomplished composer, pianist, teacher and musical director. She is perhaps best known for her piano composition "Troubled Waters." She also composed some of our best-loved gospel songs such as "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," "Dry Bones," and "Lord, I Just Can't Keep From Cryin."

Margaret enrolled at NU in 1929 when she was only 16 years old, and stayed at Northwestern for her undergrad and Masters degrees. She was an incredible pianist, making her debut at New York's Town Hall in 1932, and performing a concertino at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. While a student at NU, she became the first African American to solo with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1933.” Full Post

African Chamber Music: Akin Euba, Gyimah Labi, J. H. Kwabena Nketia & Joshua Uzoigwe

[Dr. Akin Euba, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh]

Chamber Music is popular among contemporary African composers. Canadian Pianist Christopher Foley has written an article on a concert of African Chamber Music in which he participated in March 2000. The works included: The Wanderer by Akin Euba; Four Nigerian Dances by Joshua Uzoigwe; At the Immaculate Beehive by Gyimah Labi; and Antubam by J.H. Kwabena Nketia. Akin Euba is profiled at AfriClassical.com Dr. Foley begins:

“Every so often, I'm privileged to play a concert that resonates with me for years afterwards. One of these took place in early March of 2000, in a concert for Vancouver New Music entitled "The Wanderer: Chamber Music of Africa". Full Article

Akin+Euba" rel="tag">Akin Euba
Joshua+Uzoigwe" rel="tag">Joshua Uzoigwe
Gyimah+Labi" rel="tag">Gyimah Labi
Kwabena+Nketia" rel="tag">Kwabena Nketia
African+Composers" rel="tag">African Composers
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Chris Foley: Classical Music Pagecast & The Collaborative Piano Blog

The Collaborative Piano Blog, is written by Dr. Christopher Foley, a good friend of AfriClassical He also operates a Pagecast at Pageflakes.com; it is a page with bookmarks to 220 leading Classical Music blogs, at http://www.pageflakes.com/chrisfoley/14649039 Thumbnail images show titles of recent posts, along with pictures from many of the blogs. Among those featured is AfriClassical We recommend Dr. Foley's Pagecast as an enjoyable way to keep abreast of many noteworthy blogs on Classical Music. Here is a quote from the the bio on his blog:

I live in Toronto, where I am the head of the voice department at the Royal Conservatory of Music Community School and teach piano, collaborative piano, chamber music, and vocal coaching. I am a member of the Tapestry New Opera Works Ensemble Studio, and also do a lot of freelance playing for various organizations. This blog is about the pianist's art of working with other musicians and the rewards of musical collaboration.

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Collaborative+Piano" rel="tag">Collaborative Piano
musical+collaboration" rel="tag">musical collaboration
Classical+Pagecast" rel="tag">Classical Pagecast
Tapestry+Studio" rel="tag">Tapestry Studio
New+Opera" rel="tag">New Opera

Alvin Singleton's “Through It All” Is Premiered by Imani Winds Feb. 8, 2008

[Sing to the Sun: Chamber Music by Alvin Singleton, Troy 902 (2007)]

On Oct. 15, 2007 AfriClassical published a profile entitled: Alvin Singleton, African American Composer: “Sing to the Sun”. The composer's website is: http://www.AlvinSingleton.com

The February 2008 issue of European American Music Distributors News and Notes reports: “Alvin Singleton's Through It All in World Premiere by Imani Winds”. Here is an excerpt:

This month Alvin Singleton's new work Through It All for wind quintet is given its world premiere performance by the Grammy-nominated ensemble Imani Winds at Clayton State University's Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia. The premiere performance comes as the culmination of a two day residency in which Singleton collaborates with the ensemble for an in-school performance at Fayette County High School and a master class at Spivey Hall for composition students in Clayton State University's Department of Music. Singleton remarks on writing Through It All for Imani Winds:

Imani Winds is such an exciting group, I got excited just from the idea of composing a new piece for them. They play well as an ensemble and individually as soloists, and my composition Through It All takes advantage of these attributes. There are solo opportunities for all five instruments, as well as duo, trio, quartet, and tutti combinations. What a fun experience it was to work with them.

Through It All, Singleton's second work scored for wind quintet, is commissioned by the ASCAP Foundation and Spivey Hall in honor of the tenth anniversary of Imani Winds. The world premiere of Through it All by Imani Winds at Spivey Hall takes place on Friday, February 8 at 8:15 PM.

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Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
African+American" rel="tag">African American
World+Premiere" rel="tag">World Premiere
Imani+Winds" rel="tag">Imani Winds

Imani Winds, African American Wind Quintet Enriching The Repertoire

Imani Winds is an innovative wind quintet comprised of African American musicians. Its website explains its name: http://www.ImaniWinds.com

"Since 1997, the Grammy nominated Imani Winds has been enriching the traditional wind quintet repertoire with European, American, African and Latin American traditions. As their Swahili name Imani ("faith") denotes, the five unabashedly adventurous musicians have followed their mission closely, carving out a distinct presence in the classical music world with their dynamic playing, culturally poignant programming, and inspirational outreach programs.”

To celebrate its 10^th Anniversary, and to expand the repertoire of works for wind quintet by composers of color, it began a Legacy Project in 2007 which will continue to 2011. Here is an excerpt from its Winter newsletter:

“All sorts of great things have happened in the past months. We performed in Paris with Wayne Shorter and premiered Valerie’s Afro-Cuban concerto. Our first recital at Oberlin College, Monica and Toyin's alma mater (go Oberlin!) was a big success, and we had a wide array of incredible concert experiences with young and young-at-heart audiences around the country.”

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Black+Quintet" rel="tag">Black Quintet
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Myrtle Hart Society: Harpist Ann Hobson Pilot Solos With Boston Symphony

The February issue of The Myrtle Hart Society eNewsletter includes an article by Rashida N. Black on Ann Hobson Pilot. We present an excerpt:

I first met Ms. Pilot during an open rehearsal at the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) when I was about 14 years old. I ran up to the stage while she was tuning and excitedly told her that I too played harp. I remember her smile. The very next school year, I began my study with her.

Ms. Pilot is the principal harp of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position she's held since 1980. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music under Alice Chalifoux, Ms. Pilot currently serves on the faculties of the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston University, the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. In 1998 and 1999 she was featured in a video documentary sponsored by the Museum of Afro-American History and WGBH, aired nationwide on PBS, about her personal musical journey as well as her African journey to find the roots of the harp. Sources tell me, there's a Part 2 in the works...

Ann Hobson Pilot solos this month with the Boston Symphony. Program includes Martin-Petite symphonie concertante, for harp, piano, harpsichord, and double string orchestra; Prokofiev-Violin Concerto No. 1; Saint-Saens-Symphony No. 3, Organ. Wednesday, February 6 at 7:30 PM, Thursday, February 7 at 8:00 PM, Friday, February 8 at 1:30 PM, Saturday, February 9 at 8:00 PM and Tuesday, February 12 at 8:00 PM.

Ann Pilot
Hobson Pilot
Black Harpist
African American
classical music
Black History

Myrtle Hart Society: Cellist Tahira Whittington in "Ain't I a Woman"

Rashida N. Black writes in the February 2008 issue of the Myrtle Hart Society eNewsletter:

You may remember Ms. Whittington as a founding member of the Young Eight and a Sphinx laureate, but this month, she's showcasing an original production. The Core Ensemble, a group comprised of piano, percussion, cello and actress (!!) will perform "Ain't I a Woman," a chamber music theater production featuring the lives of four significant African-American women in US history: Sojourner Truth, Zora Neale Hurston, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Clementine Hunter. This multimedia group presents all music by African American composers, including Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Diane Monroe and others. This is a must see. I'll be there!

Tuesday, February 5 at 7:30 PM , Harper College, Performing Arts Center, 1200 Algonquin Road, Palatine, IL and Wednesday, February 6, 7:00 PM hosted by Rock Valley College, County of Winnebago Memorial Hall, 211 N. Main Street, Rockford, IL.

Chicago Sinfonietta Will Help Commission Black & Latino Composers

On January 29, 2008 AfriClassical posted a press release entitled “Sphinx Commissioning Consortium to Highlight Composers of Color”. It announced a partnership involving the Sphinx Organization and 13 orchestras across the U.S., to commission and perform new classical works by Black and Latino composers. The Chicago Sinfonietta has since issued its own press release,

“Chicago Sinfonietta becomes part of Sphinx Commissioning Consortium”:

You might have heard already, but the Chicago Sinfonietta, the nation's most diverse orchestra, has committed to joining the newly formed Sphinx Commissioning Consortium (SCC), a new initiative, developed by the famed Sphinx Organization, aimed to bringing more music by African-American and Latino composers to concert halls across America. The Chicago Sinfonietta is pleased to be part of such a noble endeavor with such a talented group of organizations.

"As an orchestra that has devoted itself to promoting diversity and inclusiveness in the classical music field for over 21 years, the Chicago Sinfonietta is pleased to see other orchestras and organizations join us in our efforts to get this music heard," notes Sinfonietta Executive Director Jim Hirsch. "The work of the SCC is important and we are delighted to be a part of this nationwide effort to promote the works of composers of color."

Myrtle Hart Society: The Southeast Symphony of Los Angeles

The Myrtle Hart Society eNewsletter for February notes the 60^th anniversary of the Southeast Symphony of Los Angeles, http://www.SoutheastSymphony.org:

“The Southeast Symphony, a community orchestra in Los Angeles made up of primarily African-American musicians, is celebrating their 60^th anniversary! Under the baton of Music Director Charles Dickerson, the ensemble "aspires to remove perceived barriers from participation in, and appreciation for classical repertoire by presenting concerts in areas where access to live classical music is limited, and by offering and providing music instruction to young people in these areas." If you are in the LA area, attend this Annual Black History Concert featuring 17-year-old pianist Nicholas King.

Program also includes the Cuban Overture by George Gershwin, Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American Symphony) by William Grant Still, and the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2. Sunday, February 10 at 3:00 PM, Trinity Baptist Church, 2040 West Jefferson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.”

[William Grant Still is one of 52 composers and musicians of African descent who are profiled at AfriClassical.com, where over 100 audio samples of their music can be heard.]

First Anniversary of Myrtle Hart Society, Promoting Classical Musicians of Color

The Myrtle Hart Society is one year old this month. Its Founder/Executive Director is Rashida N. Black, an African American harpist and music researcher. The Society is named for an early harpist of African descent, and is dedicated to promoting all classical musicians of color. The MHS website is http://www.MyrtleHart.org/ The E-mail address for subscriptions to the free, fact-filled monthly MHS eNewsletter is: eNewsletter@myrtlehart.org

Here is an excerpt from a Letter to Readers in the current issue of the MHS eNewsletter, which was published today, February 1, 2008:

“Last February, I was overwhelmed with the reality that I had no idea what my musical friends and colleagues were doing throughout the year, that there was a huge age differential between myself and the seasoned researchers of black classical music (where's the next generation?) and that the music of black classical composers was not being performed often enough to educate the masses about their legacy. As an outlet for my frustrations, I built a web site and drafted a plan. On February 21, 2007, the Myrtle Hart Society was incorporated in the state of Illinois to make the classical community of color more visible and accessible to me and my friends.”