Thursday, November 29, 2007

David N. Baker (b. 1931), African American Jazz & Classical Composer With 2000 Works


[Basically (David) Baker; Buselli/Wallarab Jazz Orchestra; GM Recordings 3049]


Dr. David N. Baker is a renowned composer of both jazz and classical music. He is Composer-in-Residence for the 2007-2008 Season for the Ritz Chamber Players of Jacksonville, Florida. As an instrumentalist Baker first played trombone and later switched to cello. The author of 60 books and 400 articles, he has received commissions from over 500 people and groups; he has composed 2,000 jazz and classical works.

Baker's compositions appear on at least 65 recordings, including several conducted by the African American conductor Paul Freeman. One such CD is
African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. III, which includes his Cello Concerto (1975) (19:56). Katinka Kleijn is cello soloist; the Chicago Sinfonietta is conducted by Dr. Freeman; the CD is Cedille 90000 066 (2002). Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma writes in the liner notes:

His original intention to become an orchestral trombonist was short lived – orchestral work was more or less out of reach for African Americans at the time – so Baker entered the jazz world. He enjoyed rapid success, performing and rcording in the U.S. And Europe with several jazz legends including Quincy Jones, George Russell, Maynard Ferguson, and Lionel Hampton. An accident put an end to Baker's trombone playing in 1962. He began studying the cello, first with Leopold Teraspulsky and later with Janos Starker. In 1966, he joined the faculty at Indiana and began training a new generation of jazz musicians.

Dr. Baker's website includes this Biography:

David Nathaniel Baker, Jr. was born December 21, 1931 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is Distinguished Professor of Music and Chairman of the Jazz Department at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, as well as conductor and artistic director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (visit: David Baker's Oral History - Smithsonian Jazz). A virtuoso performer on multiple instruments and top in his field in several disciplines, Mr. Baker has taught and performed throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. He is also the conductor and musical & artistic director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.


Mr. Baker received both bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from Indiana University and has studied with a wide range of master teachers, performers and composers including J.J. Johnson, Bobby Brookmeyer, Janos Starker, George Russell, William Russo, Bernard Heiden, and Gunther Schuller, among others. A 1973 Pulitzer Prize nominee, Mr. Baker was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1979, and has been honored three times by Down Beat magazine -- as a trombonist, for lifetime achievement, and as the third inductee to their Jazz Education Hall of Fame.

Mr. Baker has received numerous awards, including the National Association of Jazz Educators Hall of Fame Award (1981), President's Award for Distinguished Teaching from Indiana University (1986), the Arts Midwest Jazz Masters Award (1990), the Governor's Arts Award of the State of Indiana (1991), the Indiana Historical Society’s Living Legend Award (2001), the James Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution (2002), the American Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (2000), and an Emmy Award (2003) for his musical score for the PBS documentary For Gold and Glory. He has received honorary doctorates from Wabash College, Oberlin College, and the New England Conservatory of Music. In 2007 he will be honored by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with their Living Jazz Legend Award.

As a composer Mr. Baker has been commissioned by more than 500 individuals and ensembles, including Josef Gingold, Ruggerio Ricci, Janos Starker, Harvey Phillips, the New York Philharmonic, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Beaux Arts Trio, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Louisville Symphony, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, the Audubon String Quartet, the International Horn Society, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Plymouth Music Series. His compositions total more than 2,000 in number, including jazz and symphonic works, chamber music, and ballet and film scores.

Mr. Baker's service in music organizations is wide-ranging and includes membership on the National Council on the Arts; board positions for the American Symphony Orchestra League, Arts Midwest, and the Afro-American Bicentennial Hall of Fame/Museum; and past chairs of the Jazz Advisory Panel to the Kennedy Center and the Jazz/Folk/Ethnic Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. He is past president and past vice president of the International Association for Jazz Education, and past president of the National Jazz Service Organization. He currently serves as senior consultant for music programs for the Smithsonian Institution. He has served a number of times on the Pulitzer Prize Music Jury and is Chair of the Jazz Faculty of the Steans Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, IL. He has more than 65 recordings, 60 books, and 400 articles to his credit.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Building Me A Home: Check Out AfriClassical.com & AfriClassical Blog

Building Me A Home writes:

If you enjoyed the Mahler post, check out this blog/website that's devoted to classical composers, musicians, and performers of African descent.

AfriClassical.com

AfriClassical the Blog

It's very interesting, especially finding out that Beethoven composed a piece for a black violinist. Except they had a falling out and Beethoven renamed it and gave it to someone else. Juicy!

Posted by Spinner at 5:04 PM

Zenobia Powell Perry (1908-2004), African American Composer


Judith Weingarten wrote a Comment on “Maria Corley, African American Pianist”:

This is great. Where can I buy Maria Corley's CD (on the web, as I live in Italy)?

I wrote a blog piece about Zenobia Perry in August [on Zenobia: Empress of the East] and have been dying to hear her work played. This is is my chance!

Judith November 2, 2007 6:24 AM

Judith Weingarten presents a brief biographical sketch of Zenobia Powell Perry, and notes that a website has been dedicated to her at www.ZenobiaPerry.org/ The liner notes for Soulscapes: Piano Music by African American Women; Maria Corley, piano; Troy 857 (2006) have this to say of the composer:

“Zenobia Powell Perry was born in Boley, Oklahoma, and died in Wilberforce, Ohio where she taught at Central State University from 1955 until her retirement in 1982. She was educated at the Tuskegee Institute, the University of Northern Colorado, and the University of Wyoming. Her teachers included Darius Milhaud and Robert Nathaniel Dett. She composed a mass, an opera, pieces for band and orchestra, songs, chamber works, and piano pieces. 'Homage' was written for the 90
th birthday of composer William Dawson (1899-1990) and is based on one of his favorite spirituals, 'I Been 'Buked'."

Conference on Black Music Research Feb. 14-17, 2008


The Center for Black Music Research of Columbia College Chicago, www.CBMR.org/, has announced its National Conference on Black Music Research, February 14-17, 2008 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois:

Please join us for the Center’s tenth conference dealing with issues relating to the research, teaching, and performance of music of the black diaspora. A major component of the 2008 conference will deal with reassessing the black music diaspora. Scholars and researchers of black music will be joined by scholars in the allied fields of diasporal studies, history, and philosophy to address such questions as what the black music diaspora is, why it is important, and how it should be understood.


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Black+History" rel="tag">Black History
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Music+Diaspora" rel="tag">Music Diaspora

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Call for Papers: 2009 William Grant Still Festival/Conference, Natchez, Mississippi


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


A cultural group in Natchez, Mississippi, is planning

A WILLIAM GRANT STILL FESTIVAL/CONFERENCE

for the year 2009 (dates as yet undetermined).


If you would like further information on this event as the planning develops, or if you think that you would like to present a scholarly paper or lecture-recital during this occasion, please send us your contact information. [The call for papers will be released sometime in 2008 or early 2009. It is proposed that the theme for the conference relate to multicultural arts and education.]


Send Name, Address, Phone, Fax & E-Mail. Mail to: William Grant Still Music, 809 W. Riordan Road, Suite 100, Box 109, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-0810

Or fax to: (928) 526-0321 Or email: wgsmusic@bigplanet.com


We Need To STOP: Francis B. "Frank" Johnson: Black Bugler & Composer


[The Music of Francis Johnson & His Contemporaries: Early 19th-Century Black Composers; Diane Monroe, Violin; The Chestnut Brass Company and Friends; Tamara Brooks, Conductor; Music Masters 7029-2-C (1990)]

We Need To STOP:

William J. Zick has done a fine job over at AfriClassical.com of compiling information on historical African American classical musicians. I like classical music, but I would not say you can find me in the record store aisle browsing CD covers, but this site is worth looking at. Figure skating is a sport I follow, so I can recognize a work or few. It is absolutely fabulous with its audio, photos, and important stories. It is a good visit for students and if you have children learning to play instruments. Perhaps they will appreciate lessons a bit more.

One of the musicians featured on his site is bandleader Francis Johnson (1792-1844) and he led the first African American musicians to Europe according to Zick. A research publication excerpt, from professor Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University, featured on Zick's site, details some of Frank's racial discrimination trials:

"Johnson's career was never far from the ugliest forms of racial persecution. White bands often refused to participate in parades when Johnson's band was scheduled to appear; and when the band toured to St. Louis, Missouri, its members were arraigned, fined and ordered from the state under laws prohibiting the entry of free Blacks. A particularly violent incident occurred near Pittsburgh: "At the close of the concert the mob followed Mr. Johnson and his company shouting "n____" and other opprobrious epithets, and hurling brick-bats, stones and rotten eggs in great profusion upon the unfortunate performers. One poor fellow was severely, it is feared dangerously, wounded in the head, and others were more or less hurt. No thanks to the mobocrats that life was not taken, for they hurled their missiles with murderous recklessness if not with murderous intention." The Tribune [NY], May 23, 1843."

Racialicious: Classical music not all whites in wigs

Racialicious:

“Zick’s AfriClassical.com website documents the history of minorities composing and performing classical music. His work combines a love of classical music with a commitment to racial equality.”

Full Post

Monday, November 26, 2007

Guadeloupe Attitude on homage to Guadeloupean guitarist Atuahualpa Ferly

In a post dated 26 November 2007, Guadeloupe Attitude, written by our friend Jean-Claude Halley of Guadeloupe, expresses approval of the AfriClassical post which favorably reviewed the career of the young classical guitarist of African descent, Atahualpa Ferly (b. 1974), who is a native of Guadeloupe:


Un juste hommage au guitariste Guadeloupéen Atahualpa Ferly De la part de notre ami Bill Zick, qui continue son reperrage des musiciens noirs sur son très beau site.

[A rough translation might be: “Rightful homage to the Guadeloupean guitarist Atahualpa Ferly from our friend Bill Zick, who continues his reporting on Black musicians on his very beautiful site.”]

ABC Søk: AfriClassical: From Pianos for Uganda to Kampala Music School

Verden.ABCSØK.no:

Pianos for Uganda was a charitable effort begun in 1998 which collected used upright pianos from Britain, shipped them to Uganda, and allowed music students ...


URL:

http://africlassical.blogspot.com/2007/11/from-pianos-for-uganda-to-kampala-music.html

Info

76k - hurtigbuffer - Lignende side


Atahualpa Ferly (b. 1974) Guitarist of African Descent, Performs in Les Nuits Caraïbes



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 website indicates that Ferly studied classical music at Ecole Nationale de Musique (ENM) [National School of Music] of Aulnay and is now in his 4th year at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSM) [National Higher Conservatory of Music] of Paris in the class of Roland Dyens. The site goes on to say that he is the winner of several contests, such as the Inter-Caribbean Competition of Martinique and the Montdidier and Rennes competitions, and has been invited to the Festival of Bair-Mahault Guadeloupe.

The website http://journeesdelaharpe.free.fr/spip.php?article13 reports Atahualpa was a unanimous 1st Prize winner at ENM and upon admission to CNSM won the 1st Prize for Guitar for 2002 in the class of Roland Dyens. It also notes he won the 2nd Prize in the Bardonechia Chamber Music Competition in Italy, and was a finalist in the 2004 International Guitar Competition of Coria, Spain. We are told further that Ferly gives regular concerts in France and abroad, all the while teaching at Ecole de Musique du Havre [School of Music of Le Havre] in Normandy. Interested in cultural exchange, he has made a concert tour in West Africa with the singer Jacques-Greg Belobo.

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


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Guadeloupe+Martinique" rel="tag">Guadeloupe Martinique

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Chicago Sinfonietta: THE DREAM LIVES ON, Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King’s message is too grand for any one art form to fully express. Recognizing this, the Sinfonietta combines dance, gospel music, and orchestral pieces both ancient and modern in this joyful annual celebration. Sphinx competition winners Christina Castelli and Melissa White join us on violin, while the Deeply Rooted Dance Theater presents a World Premiere piece set to the music of Samuel Barber. Then, the Apostolic Church of God Sanctuary Choir will rock the house with their gospel fervor.

Adolphus Hailstork
Celebration

Samuel Barber
Adagio for Strings

Joseph de Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Symphonie Concertante, Op.13

Gospel Music

January 20 - Sunday, 3:00pm, Dominican University, 7900 W Division, River Forest

January 21 - Monday, 7:30pm, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center 220 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago

[Maestro Paul Freeman, Founder and Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta, is profiled at AfriClassical.com]


Chicago+Sinfonietta" rel="tag">Chicago Sinfonietta
King+Tribute" rel="tag">King Tribute
Christina+Castelli" rel="tag">Christina Castelli
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Civil+Rights" rel="tag">Civil Rights

Chile Welcomes Cuba's Leo Brouwer, Afro-Cuban Guitarist, Composer & Conductor


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

Cuban composer, guitarist and orchestra conductor Leo Brouwer is currently in Chile to receive a tribute from the people and authorities of the South American nation.

For two weeks, the author of emblematic scores of Latin American vanguard music of the twentieth century, will teach classes, conduct a concert of pieces by him, and receive the Pablo Neruda Artistic and Cultural Order from President Michelle Bachelet.

"I'm very excited, as this is my first visit to Chile," said Brouwer, 68, shortly after arriving to Pudahuel Airport.

On Tuesday, December 4, the distinguished musician will perform in a one time only concert that will also include two other Cuban musicians, flautist Niurka Gonzalez and guitarist Joaquin Clerch.

Chilean music critics have compared Brouwer's visit to the one in 1960 by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. The El Mercurio newspaper reported that Brouwer's program in Santiago de Chile is having the same effect on music loving Chileans as the visit by Stravinsky, author of The Rite of Spring.
(CubaNews)

[Leo Brouwer is profiled on AfriClassical.com]

34pages: Corrected CD Description, “Electric Vivaldi, The Four Seasons” by Gregory Walker


Posted November 24, 2007

submitted to 34pages by Brandon Hebert

Composer and violinist Gregory TS Walker has provided us with corrected information on the CD Electric Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, which was discussed in the AfriClassical post Gregory TS Walker, African American Composer and Violinist …

You can read the full story here


Gregory+Walker" rel="tag">Gregory Walker
classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
New+Age" rel="tag">New Age
Four+Seasons" rel="tag">Four Seasons
Black+Violinist" rel="tag">Black Violinist
African+American" rel="tag">African American

Saturday, November 24, 2007

The Symphony of the New World is not the New World Symphony

Wilmer Wise comments on "Harry Smyles (1918-2003), African American Oboist, Helped Launch Symphony of the New World":

Please, don't confuse "The Symphony of the New World" with the "New World Symphony." They are different groups, with different goals.
The SOTNW was a NY based orchestra of pros. The NWS is a group of youngsters based in Florida.
I played the first concert with the SOTNW in the sixties, it was a major event for musicians of color.
Wilmer Wise

November 22, 2007 3:03 PM

AfriGeneas: Edmond Dede, African American Composer Born Nov. 20, 1827


[Edmond Dede; Hot Springs Music Festival; Richard Rosenberg, Conductor; Naxos 8.559038 (2000)]


AfriGeneas Genealogy and History Forum: Edmond Dede, Composer Born Nov. 20

By:Mhenga
Date: Tuesday, 20 November 2007, 6:28 pm


Edmond Dede, African American Composer Born Nov. 20, 1827
By William J. Zick
Subsequent instruction from Ludovico Gabici ended when White hostility against African American musicians forced him to flee to Mexico, where he continued his training. Upon his return to New Orleans Dede began working as a cigar maker. ...

[Full Post]:AfriClassical

Edmond Dede is profiled at AfriClassical.com


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Corrected CD Description, “Electric Vivaldi, The Four Seasons” by Gregory Walker


African American composer and violinist Gregory T.S. Walker has provided us with corrected information on the CD Electric Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, which was discussed in the AfriClassical post Gregory T.S. Walker, African American Composer and Violinist With CD “Electric Vivaldi”. He points out that his father George T. Walker is not included in the personnel for the recording. In addition, Marcelo Sanches plays cello, the synthesizer is played only by Lori Walker, and the catalog number is Newport Classic 85569 (2006). We appreciate these corrections from Gregory T.S. Walker.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Violin Blog: Gregory TS Walker, African American Composer and Violinist With CD

November 23rd, 2007

Since his debut with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 1992, Gregory Walker’s talents have been in demand for every conceivable musical challenge from the Colorado premiere of Black Romantic Joseph White’s Violin Concerto with the …[Full post]

Posted in Uncategorized on Violin Blog


Gregory+Walker" rel="tag">Gregory Walker
Hip-Hop+Symphony" rel="tag">Hip-Hop Symphony
classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
Electric+Violin" rel="tag">Electric Violin
Black+Composer" rel="tag">Black Composer
Black+Performer" rel="tag">Black Performer

Gregory T.S. Walker, African American Composer and Violinist With CD “Electric Vivaldi”


[Electric Vivaldi, The Four Seasons; Antonio Vivaldi, composer; George Walker, composer; Gregory Walker, violin; Marcelo Sanches, electric cello; George Walker, electric violin; Lori Walker, synthesizer; Lori Lynne Walker, synthesizer; Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra; Eric Bertoluzzi, conductor; Newport Classic 85669 (2006)]


Dr. Gregory T. S. Walker is an African American composer and violinist whose parents are also professors of Music. Dr. Helen Walker-Hill is a pianist and scholar of music by African American women. Dr. George T. Walker is a composer and pianist who is the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music during his lifetime, in 1996. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com

Gregory Walker is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Colorado at Denver. His faculty web page and his personal website describe a prolific and adventurous composer and performer. The Orchestral Solos page of his website reads:

"...silky violin tone and beautifully calibrated phrasing..." - The Newark Star-Ledger

"Since his debut with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in 1992, Gregory Walker's talents have been in demand for every conceivable musical challenge from the Colorado premiere of Black Romantic Joseph White's
Violin Concerto with the Loveland Chamber Orchestra to a cameo electric violin solo on tour with French pop star Anne Pigalle. Dr. Walker has performed throughout the United States and abroad with numerous orchestras including the Cleveland Chamber Symphony (Ohio), the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra (Oregon), Encuentro Musicale de los Americas (Havana, Cuba), the Breckenridge Festival Orchestra (Colorado), and the Filharmonia Sudecka (Walbrzych, Poland)."

Multimedia Guitar is a section which includes The Intelligent Life (music, dance, and drama) (1994). The Concert Works web page credits Walker with being the first Black composer of a rap symphony:

"In 1993, the Colorado Symphony commissioned Walker to compose what was acclaimed to be the first rap symphony, Dream N. the Hood. He received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Charles Ives Fellowship in 2000.

In performances ranging from Filharmonia Sudecka's premiere of the previously-censored
XUCUOYKCUFA in Poland to the Detroit Symphony's controversial reading of micro*phone for Amplified Orchestra, Walker has pushed the stylistic limits of the symphony orchestra."


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Black+Violinist" rel="tag">Black Violinist
New+Age" rel="tag">New Age

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Sim ÖZDEN: Dr. Timothy K. Njoora, Composer, 'claiming Kenya’s place in the world of concert music'

submitted to Sim ÖZDEN by Ty Barry

Njoora for his insights into classical music composition in Kenya in general and, more specifically, his own creative process of presenting African and Kenyan musical heritage in classical music forms and, ‘claiming Kenya’s place in the …

full story on AfriClassical here


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Kenyan+Heritage" rel="tag">Kenyan Heritage
Kenya+News" rel="tag">Kena News
Africa+News" rel="tag">Africa News
African+Music" rel="tag">African Music

Blog Design: Dr. Timothy K. Njoora, Composer, 'claiming Kenya’s place in the world of concert music'


submitted by Rey Andrews

Njoora for his insights into classical music composition in Kenya in general and, more specifically, his own creative process of presenting African and Kenyan musical heritage in classical music forms and, ‘claiming Kenya’s place in the …

click here for full story

Rey Andrews on 22 Nov 2007

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Kenyan+Music" rel="tag">Kenyan Music
African+Composition" rel="tag">African Composition
AfriClassical+Blog" rel="tag">AfriClassical Blog
Kenyan+Concert" rel="tag">Kenyan Concert

Our Michigan: Classical music not all whites in wigs


"It isn't right for people to grow up thinking that classical music is all white men in wigs." These are the words of Bill Zick, who wants people to know that minorities played an important role in the history of classical music.

Zick's AfriClassical.com website documents the history of minorities composing and performing classical music. His work combines a love of classical music with a commitment to racial equality.

A retired administrative law judge based in Ann Arbor, Zick has created an internationally recognized education resource on African heritage in classical music. The site contains biographies and audio samples of 52 composers and musicians and spans 500 years of music history. Last year, departments of education in 15 states used the resource.

"People of color have always been a part of classical music and that should be public knowledge," said Zick. In creating and maintaining his blog and website, Zick's main goal is education. "I want people to know the history of blacks in classical music. I want them to know that Henry VIII had a black trumpeter. I want them to know that Beethoven wrote his most challenging sonata for a black violinist," said Zick.

Although racial minorities have a long history in classical music, they are still under-represented among professional symphony orchestras. According to the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based advocacy and education organization, less than 4 percent of symphony orchestra members in the U.S. are African-American or Latino.

Zick, a white American, began his lifelong interest in civil rights in his youth. "I grew up with the sense that there was a great societal wrong about the way people of color were treated," he said. "My father was a fan of jazz and knew about racial inequality." His father would attend segregated jazz concerts in the 1930s in Flint. Zick said that after the white bands would play, whites were required to leave and then black performers could take the stage. He said his father would hide in the theater "because after midnight when the black musicians were allowed to play, that's when the music really got good."

He also had an early awareness of racial violence. "I grew up hearing my parents talk about living in Detroit in 1943. During the riots, my mother witnessed a mob of whites chase a black man, catch him and beat him," Zick said. "She is still haunted by what she saw and has always feared that the man was killed." During World War II, racial violence erupted in Detroit among factory workers. It arose from the stresses of a housing shortage, racial tension and inequality among workers who migrated from the south.

Zick hopes his efforts will lead to fair treatment of minorities by raising awareness of their accomplishments. "Regardless of your race, the more you learn about this history, the more basis you have for respecting people of color," he said.

The website gets over 100,000 visits per year, but not all are from educators or supporters of the work. Zick says that some white nationalists have visited the site and left disparaging remarks -- evidence of the persistent prejudice he seeks to mitigate.


Dr. Timothy K. Njoora, Composer, 'claiming Kenya’s place in the world of concert music'


Dr. Caleb Okumu Chrispo of the Department of Creative and Performing Arts at Kenya's Maseno University has informed us: “The most active Kenyan Composer at the moment is Dr. Timothy Njoora.”

Dr. Timothy K. Njoora is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Music and Dance, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. His faculty web page is: http://www.ku.ac.ke/music/njoora_home_page.htm

Dr. Njoora gives this account of his Background and Music Training:

I am currently working at Kenyatta University in the Department of Music and Dance. I studied Music, Composition and Music Education at Barrington College, Rhode Island, BA (1980) in Music and in Mississippi College, Clinton, Mississippi for my M. Mus, 1983 (Music Education). I joined Kenyatta University as a Lecturer in 1983, and worked in various capacities, including Departmental Chair (1991 to 1994), teaching music composition, acoustics, music history, music aesthetics, and music education until 1996 when I went for further studies. In the year 2000, I graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts (Music Education and Composition) degree from University of Oregon. Beyond the University activities, I participated as a national music adjudicator for the Kenya Music Festival for many years, assisted the Ministry of Education in Kenya in various capacities in matters dealing with the national music curriculum. For my professional growth I attended several locally organized seminars and workshops and also attended international composers workshops in Amsterdam, Holland and Legon, Ghana. My compositional output includes pieces for solo voice, choir, orchestra, gamelan, and you will probably gather from my scores most of my compositional inspirations draw from Kenyan folk songs which I believe to be rich in rhythmic and melodic vitality among many other aspects.”

Prof. Njoora closes his faculty page with this thoughtful remark about his purpose as a composer:

Beyond the obvious implications for regional and national identity I see my compositions as a tool for 'construction of a personal artistic and stylistic space' well suited for claiming Kenya’s place in the world of concert music, but more importantly a fitting contribution to knowledge and posterity.

The following are excerpts from Prof. Timothy Njoora's list of compositions, which include vocal works, a composition for brass quintet, and a work for solo violin with piano accompaniment:

Sherehekea Maisha (Celebrate Life)

In our lives we often are privileged to share a life with people or “life forces” that is so special,
powerful and personal that words sometimes fail to capture the essence of such persons.

Songs From Kenya

This 1994 arrangement for orchestra and piano got the inspiration from the rich Kenyan folk tradition.” “The work received its premiere performance by the Nairobi Orchestra in March 1994, conducted by Dr. Paul Basler, a visiting Fulbright Scholar from the University of Florida, and Prof. Emily Akuno as the pianist.”

Ruru Mwana Koma (Sleep Child)

This beautiful lullaby is taken from the Gikuyu people and its traditional role quite obvious.” “The piece received its premier performance on Wednesday May 5th 1999 during the “Composers' Forum” of the University of Oregon. It was conducted by Dr. Bernard Scherr, while the pianist was Hung-Yun Chu. The vocalists were Rachel Gross, Norman Hetzel, Valerie Meidinger, Lewis Pollard, Natasha Spikler, Ohj Tavallai, Melody Vogel, Gene Yu, and Missok Yun.”

Re-Union, For Solo Violin & Piano Accompaniment

The piece was conceptualized over a relatively short period, which does not in any way reduce its emotional, structural, and artistic perception. It was composed to celebrate a long-cherished family re-union, and its performance the ultimate climax of a rather lonely period. It was first performed on Tuesday February 16th 1999 at Beale Hall, a University of Oregon Performance center, on the occasion of “Composers’ Forum,” with Derick Colson, violin and Charles Badami, piano (both colleagues).”

"Mt. Kenya Passage" For Brass Quintet

Mount Kenya Passage” for brass quintet explores one of the most colorful traditional ceremonies among the "Embu" people who live near the legendary mount Kenya. The ceremony had various aspects including dance, ceremonial rituals marking passage into adulthood by the boys and girls (referred to as candidates) of specified ages. The music opens with solemn section to portray the sombre mood associated with the beginning of the ceremony.

This is followed by an "echo" effect played by the trumpets, suggesting early dawn wake-up calls for the candidates. After the flowing middle section the music breaks into the dance-like mood which normally followed the ritual ceremony. The melody is repeated several times partly to emphasize the "call and response" singing style characteristic of the "Embu" people and partly consistent with repetitive mode, a feature consistent with many other communities in Kenya, and the nature of some folksongs of the region.”

AfriClassical wishes to express its appreciation to Dr. Timothy K. Njoora for his insights into classical music composition in Kenya in general and, more specifically, his own creative process of presenting African and Kenyan musical heritage in classical music forms and, 'claiming Kenya's place in the world of concert music'.








Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Blog Design: Civic Orchestra of Chicago Performs Amadeo Roldán's “Rítmicas” Nov. 30


Dominique-René de Lerma is Professor of Music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He has been writing about African heritage in classical music for four decades, and has generously made his research entry on Amadeo Roldán

full story here

Amadeo+Roldán" rel="tag">Amadeo Roldán
classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
chamber+music" rel="tag">chamber music
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History
African+Heritage" rel="tag">African Heritage
Percussion+wEnsemble" rel="tag">Percussion Ensemble

Civic Orchestra of Chicago Performs Amadeo Roldán's “Rítmicas” Nov. 30


[Dorian 90245 (1997); Rítmicas; Tambuco Percussion Ensemble; Camerata de las Américas; Ricardo Gallarda, Conductor] Audio Samples: Rítmica 5 Rítmica 6


Amadeo Roldán was an Afro-Cuban composer, violinist, conductor and professor who is profiled at AfriClassical.com He was born in Paris to Cuban parents on July 12, 1900. Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma is Professor of Music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He has been writing about African heritage in classical music for four decades, and has generously made his research entry on Amadeo Roldán available to this Website. Prof. De Lerma points out that Roldán's full name was Amadeo Roldán y Gardes. He also tells us Roldán was only 5 years old when he began studying the violin.

Roldán graduated from the Madrid Conservatory in 1916 after studying music theory and violin. He later took private lessons in composition from Conrado el Campo, according to Prof. De Lerma. The young musician also played the violin on tour in Spain. The research entry of Dominique-René de Lerma continues:

He moved to Havana in 1919 and became a student of Pedro Sanjuan.

In 1924 he became concertmaster of Havana's Orquesta Filarmonica and, following the death of Sanjuan, its conductor.”

Roldán's promotion to conductor of the Orquesta Filarmonica occurred in 1932.
Suite de La Rebambaramba (8:56) and Rítmica V (2:42) were recorded on CD by the New World Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Argo 436 737 2 (1993). In the liner notes Simon Wright appraises Amadeo Roldán's role in the classical music of Cuba:

“An enthusiastic conductor and composer, Roldán put 'serious' Cuban music on the map by primarily bringing Afro-Cuban rhythms and sounds to the concert hall. They were the inspiration behind the ballet
La Rebambaramba(1827-28), based on a scenario by Alejo Carpentier depicting Havana's low-life on the day of Epiphany in 1830.”

This recording has been reissued as Latin American Classics, Eloquence 467603 (2002).

The Tambuco Percussion Ensemble has recorded Roldán's Rítmica V (2:14) and Rítmica VI (2:00), both composed in 1930, on the CD Rítmicas, Dorian 90245 (1997). The liner notes compare these to Edgar Varése's Ionisation, another work which helped pioneer the percussion ensemble.

At 7:30 pm Friday, Nov. 30, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Chamber Series will present
Amadeo Roldán's Rítmicas I, II, III, IV, for woodwind quintet and piano. Other composers whose works will be on the program are Heitor Villa-Lobos of Brazil, Mario Lavista of Mexico, Elbio Barilari of Uruguay and Gustavo Leone of Argentina. The concert will take place in Buntrock Hall, Orchestra Hall – 200 South Michigan Ave. Members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago will perform under the direction of Maestro Cliff Colnot.




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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

'Classical music not all whites in wigs' says Michigan Messenger



"It isn't right for people to grow up thinking that classical music is all white men in wigs." These are the words of Bill Zick, who wants people to know that minorities played an important role in the history of classical music.

Zick's AfriClassical.com website documents the history of minorities composing and performing classical music. His work combines a love of classical music with a commitment to racial equality.

A retired administrative law judge based in Ann Arbor, Zick has created an internationally recognized education resource on African heritage in classical music. The site contains biographies and audio samples of 52 composers and musicians and spans 500 years of music history. Last year, departments of education in 15 states used the resource.

[Read Celeste Whiting's full article in Michigan Messenger, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 19:19 PM]



Michigan Messenger
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James DePreist Conducts Juilliard Orchestra in George Walker's Sinfonia No. 3


[Photo courtesy of George T. Walker]

The Juilliard Orchestra will present a concert on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 8 PM. It will feature James DePreist, Conductor; Brent Grapes, Trumpet; and Liza Stepanova, Piano. The concert will open with Sinfonia No. 3 by George T. Walker (b. 1922), an African American composer who is profiled at AfriClassical.com

André Jolivet's Concertino for Trumpet, Piano and Strings, and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55 ('Eroica') will complete the program. The Concert will take place in the Rose Theater on the fifth floor of the Time Warner Center at Broadway and 60th Street. Only standby tickets are available.







Monday, November 19, 2007

Harry Smyles (1918-2003), African American Oboist, Helped Launch Symphony of the New World


[Oboist Harry Smyles with his son in the foreground]

When African American oboist Harry Smyles died in 2003, Andante quoted Ben Mattison's article on his life in The Plain Dealer (Cleveland):

Harry Smyles, an African-American oboist who helped to create the racially integrated Symphony of the New World, died on 15 January, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Smyles grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and served in Europe during World War II, leading a dance band and editing a regimental newspaper. After the war, he studied at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood and in New York City. He played oboe for two years with the National Orchestral Training Orchestra, and then began to work as a pit musician on Broadway.

In 1965, Smyles joined the newly created Symphony of the New World, intended as the first fully integrated ensemble. He was first oboist and personnel director for the group, which helped many musicians to gain the experience needed to play in major orchestras.

(Correction: A paragraph from Wikipedia on the New World Symphony Orchestra has been deleted in response to a Comment by Wilmer Wiles, who notes it is not the same ensemble as the Symphony of The New World)

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classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
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Black+Performers" rel="tag">Black Performers
Black+History" rel="tag">Black History

Edmond Dede, African American Composer Born Nov. 20, 1827


[Edmond Dede; Hot Springs Music Festival; Richard Rosenberg, Conductor; Naxos 8.559038 (2000)]


A Creole Romantic In Exile Was A Conductor in Bordeaux for 27 Years


Edmond Dede, profiled at AfriClassical.com, was a free Creole of color, born Nov. 20, 1827 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents had arrived from the French West Indies around 1809. Edmond's father was a bandmaster for a militia unit.

The boy first learned Clarinet, but switched to Violin, on which he was considered a prodigy. The liner notes for the Naxos CD were written by Lester Sullivan, University Archivist at Xavier University in New Orleans. Sullivan writes:

“He studied violin with Constantin Debergue, a local free black violinist and director of the local Philharmonic Society founded by free Creoles of color sometime in the late antebellum period, and with Italian-born Ludovico Gabici, director of the St. Charles Theater orchestra and one of the earliest publishers of music in the city. He studied counterpoint and harmony with Eugène Prévost, French-born winner of the 1831 Prix de Rome and conductor of the orchestra at the Théâtre d'Orléans, and with New York-born free black musician Charles Richard Lambert, father of Sidney and Lucièn Lambert, and a conductor of the Philharmonic Society, which was the first non-theatrical orchestra in the city and even included some white musicians among its one hundred instrumentalists, an extremely large aggregation for the time.”

Subsequent instruction from Ludovico Gabici ended when
White hostility against African American musicians forced him to flee to Mexico, where he continued his training. Upon his return to New Orleans Dede began working as a cigar maker. He saved his earnings to pay for further studies in Europe. Lester Sullivan adds:

In 1852 Dede's melody Mon pauvre coeur appeared. It is the oldest surviving piece of sheet music by a New Orleans Creole of color. He supplemented his income from music with what today would be characterized as his day job: he was a cigar maker, as were a number of other local musicians.”

His savings and money contributed by friends enabled him to travel first to Belgium and then on to France.
An audition in 1857 secured his admission to the Paris Conservatoire de Musique (Paris Conservatory of Music). Marcus B. Christian writes in Africana Encyclopedia:

“One of his teachers at the conservatory was the celebrated Jacques-François Halevy, who taught Charles-François Gounod. In this way, Dede later became an intimate friend of this great composer. His other instructor was noted French violinist and teacher Jean Delphin Alard.”

Upon completion of his studies,
Dede settled in Bordeaux, France. He married a French woman, Sylvie Leflet, in 1864. Their son, Eugene Arcade Dede, also composed classical music. Eugene's mazurka En chasse (4:12) was orchestrated by his father and is included on the Naxos CD.

The elder Dede served as
Orchestra Conductor at the Theatre l'Alcazar (Alcazar Theater) for 27 years. He also conducted performances of light music at the Folies Bordelaises. As a highly accomplished violinist, Dede performed his own compositions as well as those of others. He favored pieces by the French composer Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831).

An African American composer, musician and conductor named Samuel Snaer, Jr. (1835-1900) conducted the first New Orleans performance of Dede's
Quasimodo Symphony. Patrons and music critics alike regarded the concert a great success. Marcus B. Christian continues in Africana Encyclopedia:

“Dede's Quasimodo Symphony was presented at the Orleans Theater on the night of May 10, 1865, before a vast audience composed of the leading blacks of New Orleans and prominent Northern whites, with composer-conductor Samuel Snaer, Jr. leading his own orchestra in its production. All of his compositions were considered of the highest order, including his best known piece, Le Palmier Overture (1865). During a stint in Algeria he wrote Le Sermente de L'Arabe (1865).”

Dede returned to New Orleans only once, in 1893. He lost his treasured Cremona violin at sea during the voyage to the United States, but his performances on another instrument were praised by critics and audiences alike. Lester Sullivan writes:

“Dede also introduced two new songs, one of which, Patriotisme, he regarded as his farewell to New Orleans, for in it he laments his destiny to live far away because of 'implacable prejudice' at home. [The song is a setting of a poem of the same name, written by the African American historian Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes (1849-1928).]

Grateful for receiving honorary membership in the Société des Jeunes-Amis, a leading local social group composed mostly of Creoles of color of antebellum free background, but
weary of the increasing inconveniences and indignities of racial segregation, Dede returned to France and became a full member of the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers in 1894.”

Dede died in 1903 in Paris, where many of his compositions have been preserved at the Bibliotheque Nationale (National Library) . It was there in 1998 that Richard Rosenberg found the sheet music for the Naxos CD. He also found scores for works by several other Creole Romantics, including:

Eugene Arcade Dede
Charles Lucien Lambert
Lucien-Leon Guillaume Lambert
Sidney Lambert

Rosenberg is Conductor of the Hot Springs Music Festival, www.hotmusic.org, which brings together 200 music students and professionals from around the world each Summer. Master classes and public performances are given in the historic resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Marcus B. Christian identifies two locations at which the early African American sheet music of New Orleans has been conserved:

“For original scores of New Orleans black music, see the Howard-Tilton Library of Tulane University and the Marcus Christian Collection of the Earl Long Library at the University of New Orleans.”

My Poor Heart [Excerpt]
When I see you Oh! my Creole love,
I think I see a halo,
Decorating your brow,
Divine one, every day I beseech you,
With passion,
To share the flame that devours,
My poor heart.

An additional recording with one track devoted to compositions of Edmond Dede is: Turn-of-the-Century Cornet Favorites; Columbia Chamber Ensemble; Gunther Schuller, conductor; Sony 94886 (2005).