Saturday, June 4, 2011

CEJJES: 'H. Lawrence Freeman, A Historical Initiative: Harlem Renaissance Garden Party' 2-5 PM, Pomona, New York

"Harry Lawrence Freeman garnered fame as a composer of operas and musicals. He composed some 15 grand operas in addition to several stage works. Freeman's wife Charlotte (Carlotta) Thomas, anaccomplished singer and actress became a prima donna of several of his performed operas. Around 1908, the Freeman family moved to New York City. Their Harlem brownstone became the center of Sunday afternoon music and readings for a group of several hundrfed members that produced theater and opera. In New York, H. Lawrence Freeman began composing what he called a 'Jazz Opera,' a fusion of the two artistic expressions."

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