Wednesday, January 4, 2012

National Symphony Orchestra, Asheru & Tamika Jones Celebrate Music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges Jan. 8, 7 PM


[Joseph de Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)]

Article on Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges links to Biography and Music Sample at AfriClassical.com:


Sunday, January 8th at 7:00 – 10: 00 pm

BloomBars & The National Symphony Orchestra Present “NSO Meets Hip Hop & Soul” An artist exchange between the National Symphony Orchestra, Asheru and Tamika “Love” Jones – Celebrating the music of Chevalier de Saint-Georges, “The Black Mozart”
We’re hosting an exciting artistic exchange with NSO musicians Alexandra Osborne and Joel Fuller, violins; Mahoko Eguchi, viola; Rachel Young, cello, and Peabody Award-winning Hip Hop artist Asheru and rising vocalist Tamika “Love” Jones. The collaboration will celebrate the music of Afro-French composer and violin virtuoso Chevalier de Saint-Georges, also referred to as “The Black Mozart.” Youth from the Columbia Heights non-profit Hands on the Future will produce a short video about the collaboration with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.
From Un contemporain atypique de Mozart (An Atypical Contemporary of Mozart): Le Chevalier de Saint-George by Prof. Michelle Garnier-Panafieu:
Joseph de Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, was one of the most remarkable figures of the 18th century. Incredibly, this son of a slave rose to the top of French society through his mastery of fencing and his genius for classical music. Musically, Saint-George may very well have been the “King of Pop” of his age; militarily he helped prevent what could have been the early collapse of the French Revolution. In his lifetime, Saint-George was an elite musketeer of the King’s Horse Guard; a master-swordsman and Europe’s fencing champion; a composer, violin impresario, and opera director who influenced Mozart; a playboy; and a military hero – ironically all in an age when slavery was endemic and white superiority was dogma.
Read de Bologne's full story here, it's captivating!
Sample his music!

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