Sunday, June 15, 2008

Chicago Sun-Times: William Grant Still Concert of American Symphony Orchestra March 22, 2009

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

The online version of the Chicago Sun-Times, SunTimes.com, publishes more AfriClassical posts than any other major media outlet, and not only during Black History Month. Posts are provided to the Sun-Times by BlogBurst, of which AfriClassical is a member, and are prefaced with this explanation:

“Powered by BlogBurst
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.”

We were especially pleased by the publication in full of this important post on an historic concert entirely devoted to works of the African American composer William Grant Still:

William Grant Still Concert of American Symphony Orchestra March 22, 2009
Saturday, June 07, 2008

Ask The Maestro
American Symphony Orchestra
Leon Botstein, Music Director
Jun 6

More American music for ASO?
Category: general
Dear Maestro,
For several years now we have enjoyed Summerscape and the ASO season at Fisher Center and look forward to many more. Our favorite evening, we must admit, was when Ken Burns narrated Lincoln, but last season we also enjoyed Erica’s solos and hope she will do more in the future. We’d like to know, as New Yorkers and baby boomers if you’d consider a Summerscape of Bernstein or even Gershwin? We loved Copeland and long for more of the unique sound of American music. The American Symphony Orchestra should, after all, be the instrument to celebrate what is best about American music. Thanks for listening…we’ll see you soon

Robert and Johanna
———————–
Dear Robert and Johanna

Though Bernstein and Gershwin may not be our first choices when the Bard Music Festival turns again to an American theme, rest assured that we are planning to do more American music both at the Bard Festival and during our regular season in New York. I hope you will join us for our March 22, 2009 concert of music by William Grant Still, one of the greatest but underrepresented American composers.

Leon Botstein
at

No comments:

Post a Comment