Arrangements of Florence B. Price & Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Played by Pianist Richard C. Alston Oct. 17

[Richard C. Alston]

“Trinity Presbyterian Church Presents

Richard Alston, Pianist

in a benefit* concert performing

Virtuoso Piano Compositions by Franz Liszt and

Virtuoso Arrangements of Hymns & Spirituals

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Trinity Presbyterian Church

Orange Road and High Street, Montclair, NJ 07046

Sunday, October 17, 2010, 4:00 pm

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$25* general admission advance purchase

$35.00* at the door

$15.00* Students and Seniors advance purchase

$20.00* at the door

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For more information and reservations call the church office

973-744-3396

“Richard Alston, pianist, has appeared in recitals and performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. A native of East Orange, N.J., he received his Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from the Juilliard School of Music, in New York City.

"After receiving a standing ovation at the Brevard Festival for his performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1, Richard made his New York debut performing with the Symphony of the New World, under the direction of Everett Lee at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. Over the years he has performed at the Weill Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, as well as an outstanding portrayal of “Jasbo Brown” in the Metropolitan Opera revival of “Porgy and Bess”. Recently he repeated his portrayal of “Jasbo Brown” in the New Jersey State Opera’s historic production of “Porgy and Bess.” A guest artist with the New Jersey Symphony in commemoration of the birth of William Grant Still, Richard has been the subject of a PBS television documentary “Classically Black” in which he performs piano compositions by composers of African descent.

“The renowned Maestro Paul Freeman invited Richard to Europe to record the Arensky Piano Concerto with the Czech National Orchestra. The CD recording which also included 'Etudes for Piano Op.74' by Arensky has been released by Centaur Records and is currently available in stores.

“Presently the Coordinator of Essex County College’s Performing Arts Department, Richard Alston is currently Minister of Music at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montclair, New Jersey. He is also the Founder of the Crossroads Music Academy in East Orange, New Jersey. Alston is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. His website is: http://www.richardcalston.com. His video performances are at http://www.Youtube.com/RCAPNO.”

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 Liszt

Liebestraume (Song of Love) No.3 Liszt

Etude No.2 in E Flat Paganini/Liszt

Etude No. 3 “La Campanella” Paganini/Liszt/Busoni

Ave Maria Schubert/Liszt

Consolation No.3 in D Flat Liszt

Grand Galop Chromatique Liszt

INTERMISSION

Praise Him, Praise Him Crosby, Allen arr. Wolaver

Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross Crosby, Duane arr. Hayes

Softly and Tenderly Thompson arr. Dalton

Deep River arr. Samuel Coleridge–Taylor

Fantasie Nègre (Sinner Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass) Florence B. Price

The African American composer Florence B. Price (1887-1953) and the Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) are profiled at AfriClassical.com, which says this about Price's Fantasie Nègre: "Fantasie Nègre (8:56) is a work which is found on the CD Kaleidoscope; Leonarda 339 (1995). It is performed by Helen Walker-Hill, piano, and Gregory Walker, violin. Walker-Hill, a noted musicologist, describes it: “Composed in 1929, it is her first ambitious work for piano, and combines Negro melodic and rhythmic idioms with classical European forms and techniques, presenting ternary and variation forms in florid fantasia-style. The theme is the spiritual Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass.”