Sierra Leone Telegraph: 'Celebrating the life of Sierra Leone’s ingenious classical music composer – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor'

[“Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at 23”]

The Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is featured at AfriClassical.com  An extensive Bibliography of his works has been compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com and entrusted to the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation website, www.sctf.org.uk

Abdul R Thomas – Editor – The Sierra Leone Telegraph

29 January 2012

“Ten years ago, I discovered the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, whilst driving on the M1 Motorway to London from Leeds, on a very quiet and wintry Sunday morning. It was not until the end of a beautiful Adagio – which I wished had never ended, when the Classical FM Radio presenter announced that the piece was by no other than Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. How proud I felt, when the presenter added that the composer’s father had hailed from Freetown – Sierra Leone.

“Since then I have become a great fan of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s music, rivalling the likes of Mahler, Mozart, Brahms, Elgar and Dvorak. This year marks the centenary of the death of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 – 2012) whose father, Daniel Hughes Taylor, a medical doctor, was a Sierra Leonean. His centenary is being marked by a yearlong festival in Croydon and elsewhere, in which it is hoped that most if not all of his works, will be performed as well as talks given about his life and work.

“It is hoped that through the year long festival planned, Sierra Leoneans in the UK and abroad will become more aware of Coleridge-Taylor’s prodigy, which should make him and his music stand along the great composers of our time.” “Meanwhile, it would be good to see Sierra Leoneans in large numbers at some – if not all of the year long events planned, in particular – the world premiere of his operatic work ‘THELMA’ on the 9th, 10th and 11th February 2012.”

“Tuesday 31st January, 1pm – Lunchtime Concert by students from the Croydon Centre for Young Pianists at the Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, CR9 IDG, Croydon, featuring piano music by SC-T and original compositions inspired by SC-T (Presented by Croydon Music and Arts). Tickets: from 0208 688 9291 or www.fairfieldhalls.co.uk”