Haitian Composer, Arranger & Flutist Julio Racine, Born February 4, 1945, is 72; Quartet No. 1 II. "Yanvalou Lent" is in a style from Benin in West Africa

Julio Racine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Lkxau8l9c

     Quartet No. 1 II. Yanvalou Lent, by Julio Racine

Crossing Borders Music

Published on Jul 13, 2015

Racine uses here the rhythm of a slow Yanvalou dance, a style that comes from Benin in West Africa.

Julio Racine is a Haitian composer, arranger and flutist.  He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on February 4, 1945 and is featured at AfriClassical.com. In 1970, while still residing in Haiti, Julio Racine was the scholarship recipient at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, School of Music. There he studied flute with Prof. Francis Fuge and composition with Dr. Nelson Keyes. He graduated in 1974 and returned to Haiti. 

Julio was immediately given a faculty appointment as Professor of Flute and Conductor of the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestre Philharmonique Sainte Trinité).  He has given numerous flute and chamber music recitals in Haiti.  In 1984 he conducted the Holy Trinity Orchestra on a tour of several U.S. cities.

From 1975 through the year 1986 Julio Racine had a key role in organizing the Summer Music Camp for young musicians in Haiti, the “École de Musique Saint Trinité.” In 1979 Julio attended a conducting symposium with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, Massachusetts and took flute lessons with Doriot Dwyer of the Boston Symphony.  He retired from the faculty of Holy Trinity School in 2001, and relocated to the U.S.

Racine's works are essentially Haitian-inspired, and have been performed and well-received in Haiti.  He now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where he devotes his time to composing, arranging and orchestrating vocal and instrumental pieces of music.  The composer's works were performed at a fundraiser for Blume on November 9, 2014 at the Music Institute of Chicago.  Flutist Prof. Laurel Zucker presented a faculty recital of works of African American composers for flute and piano, including Julio Racine,  with pianist John Cozza on March 19, 2014 at California State University in Sacramento in Capistrano Hall.

Samples of Julio Racine's music can be found at AfriClassical.com and at YouTube.com