[Marlissa Hudson, soprano and Darryl Hollister, pianist]
African Musical Arts, Inc.
ST. LOUIS (March 15, 2011)— With a voice that has been called “beautiful, rich and elegant” and “capable of telling a story,” Soprano Marlissa Hudson stands poised to captivate audiences at her CD release concert. The concert will take place Friday April 1st at 7:00pm at Pilgrim UCC, located at 826 N. Union Blvd. in St. Louis and will feature music by African and African American composers from Hudson’s CD “Libera.” The concert, also featuring performances by the IMI String Quartet and Wendy Hymes, flute, will include an eclectic selection of works by composers Lettie Alston, Margaret Bonds, Mark Hayes, Felix Mendelssohn, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Rudy Jean Perrault, and Giacomo Puccini. Composers Lettie Alston and Fred Onovwerosuoke will give a pre-concert talk starting at 6:30pm.
The concert will feature several St. Louis premieres: selections from Onovwerosuoke’s 12 African Songs for Solo Voice and Piano, Lettie Beckon Alston’s Four Short Pieces for Soprano and Piano and Three Implied Jestors for Solo Flute, and Rudy Jean Perrault’s Brother Malcolm for Cello and Piano based on a fictional conversation between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King on the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States. Other artists performing are noted pianist Darryl Hollister from Boston, accompanying Hudson, the IMI String Quartet, flutist Wendy Hymes and the composer Lettie Alston, accompanying Hudson in a performance of her own compositions.
A native St. Louisan, Marlissa Hudson is also a graduate of the prestigious Peabody Conservatory, and has appeared as soloist in St. Louis and on either coast, with a repertoire including Bach, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, Richard Strauss and Gershwin. Ms Hudson was also selected to sing at the ceremonies to commemorate the establishment of the Ben Holt Memorial Chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians, in Washington D.C. In his review in the St. Louis American, Chris King notes that “Marlissa Hudson has a fascinating voice that carries intense emotion at the high end of her range and moody soul on the low end...”
Admission to the concert is $10 for adults and $5 for students and children under 12. Tickets can be purchased by calling Pilgrim Church at (314) 367-8173, Monday-Thursday, 10 AM-4 PM, or African Musical Arts Inc. at (314) 652-6800. (314) 652-6800.
The Intercultural Music Initiative Concert Series presents concerts, lecture-recitals, artist residencies and workshops about composers of African-descent along with the usual standard repertoire. Additional information about the Concert Series can be found at the website of its parent organization, African Musical Arts Inc., http://africarts.org. This concert is funded in part through Meet The Composer’s MetLife Creative Connections program. Future concerts will feature this pianist Peter Henderson, Gambian musician Alhaji Papa Susso, Italian pianist Silvia Belfiore, British oboist Althea Talbot-Howard, the Tema Youth Choir of Ghana, and more.
Founded in 1994, African Musical Arts Inc. has become the region’s premiere outlet for fostering and promoting composers of African-descent of traditional and contemporary choral music, as well as chamber and orchestral music that portrays Africa’s rich musical diversity.
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