John McLaughlin Williams on Violin with Ypsilanti Symphony in Coleridge-Taylor's 'Keep Me From Sinking Down' Dec. 4

[TOP: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor BOTTOM: John McLaughlin Williams]

John McLaughlin Williams has won a Grammy Award as a conductor, and has performed as a violinist, harpsichordist and pianist with violist Eliesha Nelson on her highly-acclaimed CD, Quincy Porter, Complete Viola Works, Dorian Recordings DSL 90911 (2009). John has a strong background in neglected classical repertoire, including the works of the Afro-British composer and conductor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912), featured at AfriClassical.com and at the website of the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation, http://www.SCTF.org.uk.

On December 4, 2011 John McLaughlin Williams will perform on violin with the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra. He tells AfriClassical that Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Keep Me From Sinking down, Negro Spiritual for Violin & Orchestra, has not been published, and is only known to have been performed once:

“The program includes Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's "Keep Me From Sinking Down", Negro Spiritual for Violin & Orchestra, and Joseph Joachim's Finale from Violin Concerto (In the Hungarian Style) Op.11.

“The Coleridge-Taylor work was initially written by him as a slow movement for his Violin Concerto. Though considered extremely beautiful by the concerto's commissioners, the composer thought it unsuitable for use in the concerto and subsequently removed it from consideration as such. This work was apparently performed only once (in 1911), and it has never been published. Performing materials were created by me from a copyist's manuscript.”