Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Leo Brouwer, Afro-Cuban Guitarist, Composer & Conductor Born March 1, 1939
[ABOVE:
Leo Brouwer BELOW: Leo
Brouwer: The String Quartets, The String Trio;
Havana
String Quartet; Zoho Records 201108 (2011)]
The
Afro-Cuban composer, classical guitarist and conductor we now know as
Leo Brouwer was named Juan Leovigildo Brouwer when he came into the
world in Havana, Cuba on March 1, 1939. He is featured at
AfriClassical.com. His enormous influence on guitar music in
particular and classical music in general is demonstrated by more
than a hundred recordings on which he has played, composed or
conducted. Brouwer's compositions reflect classical, Afro-Cuban, jazz
and avant-garde influences. His many film scores have brought his
music to the attention of a huge audience around the world.
Brouwer's influence in his native country results in part from the
important positions he has held in Cuban music institutions.
The
sheet music of Leo Brouwer is available from Chester Novello,
www.chesternovello.com.
It is hugely popular with professional and amateur guitarists alike.
Leo
Brouwer initiated the Havana String Quartet in 1980. It recorded Leo
Brouwer: The String Quartets and String Trio on
the
ZOHO
Music label as ZM 201108 (2011). As Leo Brouwer writes: “This
recording won the LATIN GRAMMY for Best Classical Recording in
November 2010!” The CD won
a Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording in November 2010,
but was
released to the public in August 2011.
Jerry Rubins reviewed the recording for FANFARE Magazine, and
concluded with these words: “This
is a wonderful recording by an ensemble of superb players, one that I
can strongly recommend.”
Prof.
Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com,
provides us with his review of the recording:
“An
initial contact with the music of Leo Brouwer (1939- ) is enough to
convince any listener that this composer is quite distinct from his
contemporaries. Most of the previously available recordings (there
are many) offer new insights into the potentials of the guitar. But
now we have yet another definition of contemporary music with this
CD, Zoho Classix ZM 201 108 (2011) by the superb Cuarteto de Cuerdas
de la Habana paying tribute to Brouwer's 70th year.
“The
liner notes (English and Spanish) are substantial and properly
laudatory, but there is no explanation why Au
clair de la lune
is quoted or those ghostly fragments culled from the past, why a
percussion (wood block?) appears, as well as the players counting (in
English), or those jazz moments. Maybe because of politics, we do
not have evidence of the composer's relationship to his Cuban
heritage. To identify some kinship to Bartók (to whom the first
quartet is dedicated) does not diminish the works' originality. The
intensity of introspection equates not only that of Bartók, but also
late Beethoven. Here then is a valid stimulus for a monograph and
most welcome addition to the repertoire.”
Kentucky.com: William E. Thomas Seeks to Preserve Slave-Built Church as Venue for African American Music
[TOP:
William Ethaniel Thomas MIDDLE: Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor: Chamber Music;
The
Coleridge Ensemble; AFKA SK-543 (1998).
BOTTOM: “Rev. L.H. McIntyre, retired pastor of First African
Baptist Church, tells attendees at a reception Feb. 25 launching the
First African Foundation about the history of the church, which
traces its roots back to about 1790.” TOM EBLEN — Herald-Leader]
On
May 27, 2008 AfriClassical posted: “William E. Thomas Conducts Farewell Concert of Cambridge Community Chorus.” Former Music Department Chair at Phillips Academy Andover,
Thomas is now organizing an effort to buy a former church in
Lexington, Kentucky built primarily by slaves, and convert it to a cultural
center including a concert hall which would be a venue for African
American music. While at Andover, William E. Thomas played important
roles in two recordings of works by classical composers of African
descent. One was Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor: Chamber Music,
on
which he played the cello and for which he wrote the liner notes.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is featured at AfriClassical.com:
Lexington
Kentucky.com
Tom
Eblen
“One of Lexington's most significant black-history
landmarks would become a concert hall, a cultural center and a museum
if a new non-profit foundation can raise several million dollars to
buy, restore and operate it. The
First African Foundation has reached a tentative agreement with
Central Christian Church to buy the former First African Baptist
Church building at the corner of Short and Deweese streets.”
“William Thomas, a
Lexington native who moved back in 2008 after retiring as music
department chair at the prestigious Phillips Academy Andover in
Massachusetts, said he was inspired to organize the effort after
reading about the building's amazing history two years ago. The
Italianate-style sanctuary, which is on the National Register of
Historic Places, is a handsome building. What makes it amazing is
that most of the people who built and paid for it in the 1850s were
slaves.
“First African
Baptist Church and Historic Pleasant Green Missionary Baptist Church
trace their roots to Peter Durrett, a slave who in 1790 started the
first black church west of the Allegheny Mountains. Durrett died in
1823 and was succeeded by London Ferrill, a slave who gained his
freedom and was widely respected by blacks and whites alike.”
“Because slave families were often split up by sale, many walked
miles each Sunday to attend services at First African Church — and
have their only opportunity to see each other.”
“Architect Gregory
Fitzsimons, who developed a renovation plan for the foundation, said
the building is in good condition. Still, it would take about $4
million buy, renovate and enlarge the building for the foundation's
proposed uses. Thomas also wants to raise several million more
dollars to operate and endow the building and programs. The old
sanctuary, now used as a gymnasium, would become a 400-seat concert
hall. Thomas would like the proposed concert hall to host local
musicians and visiting ensembles that highlight African-American
music. One such group is the American Spiritual Ensemble, a
Lexington-based international touring company founded by Everett
McCorvey, director of the University of Kentucky's Opera Theatre
program.
"'It's
something we would certainly consider,' McCorvey said. 'I was very
impressed with the potential of what that facility could become. The
church has a wonderful history. It's certainly worth preserving.'
Thomas, who taught at Phillips Andover for 36 years, spent three
years as artistic director of Project STEP, a classical music academy
for gifted minority students in Boston run by the Boston Symphony and
the New England Conservatory of Music. Thomas would like to start a
similar program here.
“'Fiscally, we're
in tough shoes, but this building is a national treasure,' Thomas
said of the foundation's ambitious fund-raising goal. 'To know that
folks in bondage committed their resources, which were so limited, to
build such a remarkable structure inspires us to do great things with
it.'"
Comment by email:William Thomas is immediately one of our major heroes: a splendid musician, teacher, administrator, and activist, much of whose work is veiled in modesty. When this re-consecration takes place, his name should be remembered! [Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]
Comment by email:William Thomas is immediately one of our major heroes: a splendid musician, teacher, administrator, and activist, much of whose work is veiled in modesty. When this re-consecration takes place, his name should be remembered! [Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]
African Music Publishers: 'poster attached is available for high resolution printout'
[African Musical Arts, Inc.]
Melanie Knolls of
African Music Publishers writes to AfriClassical:
“Good
afternoon, Bill:
Thank
you for helping to highlight our recent publications. Our Black
History Month promotion was a tremendous success, and one more day to
go! If you'd be so kind to share with your readers that the handsome
poster attached is available for high resolution printout - actual
size 24x36 or reduced sizes 8.5x11 and 11x17. Those interested may
simply send email to us at info@africarts.org”
Melanie
KnollsPublicity & Representation
African Music Publishers
3547 Olive St., Suite 110
St Louis, MO 63103
http://africarts.org/AMP
http://fredomusic.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Chicago Magazine, The 312: 'Black Composer Florence Price, Rediscovered Again'
[TOP:
Florence
B. Price: Concerto in One Movement, Symphony in E Minor;
Albany Records Troy 1295 (2011) BOTTOM: Florence B. Price]
By Whet Moser
Posted Feb 28,
2012
“This was an unexpected pleasure: 'Classical Lost and Found: Florence B. Price Rediscovered,' from Bob McQuiston of NPR
Classical (via Robert Loerzel and the Chicago Philharmonic), a brief
piece about the Arkansas native and longtime Chicagoan who was the
first black woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra:
her Symphony in E Minor, which was premiered by the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra in 1933. McQuiston's writing on the occasion of the
symphony's late-2011 recording by the New Black Music Repertory
Ensemble of Columbia College.”
“I hear some Aaron
Copland (who was also doubly an outsider, and who led his fairly
conservative arrangements with catchy, hummable vernacular melodies).
That should triangulate it for you: 'lushly romantic' symphonic music
that uses folk rhythms and melodies to create a distinctively
American landscape. I'm both surprised and not that she's not better
known—her conservative sensibilities mean she's not as storied as
her near-contemporaries, but they also make her comparatively
accessible, and well worth a listen.”
[Florence B. Price (1887-1953)
[Florence B. Price (1887-1953)
is
profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works
List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]NYTimes.com: 'Tania León...fused the barbarous perplexity of early Stravinsky with Gershwin-esque swagger'
[Tania León]
The
New York Times
February 28, 2012
Music Review
Tune-In Music
Festival Salutes Philip Glass
By STEVE SMITH
Published:
February 28, 2012
“In
classical music, a landmark birthday for a composer of note is nearly
always celebrated with a concert (more likely, concerts) stuffed full
of significant works. Philip Glass, true to his status as an
idiosyncratic maverick, adopted a different approach in helping to
program the second annual Tune-In Music Festival, which ran from
Thursday through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory.”
“If
reedy organ samples and insistent, repetitive rhythms suggested an
inheritance from Mr. Glass, concision and a holistic integration of
digital media indicated Mr. Muhly’s divergent path. And Tania León,
playing piano alongside Samuel Torres, a percussionist, fused the
barbarous perplexity of early Stravinsky with Gershwin-esque swagger
and the salsa master Eddie Palmieri’s reckless brio in an original
piece dedicated to Mr. Glass.”
[The
website of the Afro-Cuban composer and conductor Tania León (b.1943) is http://www.tanialeon.com/;
she is also profiled at AfriClassical.com]
'Tune in...February 29 at 7:30 pm EST for a special broadcast of the Sphinx Competition Finals Concert!'
[Ade
Williams, First
Place
Junior Laureate and Gabriel Cabezas, First Place Senior Laureate.
(Photos:
Glenn Triest)]
15th Annual Sphinx Competition
Presented by
DTE Energy Foundation
Though
we already know the outcome,
join us to witness the incredible journey!
join us to witness the incredible journey!
Featuring
Maestro Michael Morgan
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Catalyst Quartet
Senior Division Laureates
Francisco Vila, cello
Danielle Wiebe, viola
Rainel Joubert, violin
Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Junior Division First-place Laureate
Ade Williams, violin
Maestro Michael Morgan
Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Catalyst Quartet
Senior Division Laureates
Francisco Vila, cello
Danielle Wiebe, viola
Rainel Joubert, violin
Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Junior Division First-place Laureate
Ade Williams, violin
Join
the Facebook event!
D.S.O. Blog: 'Hale Smith is regarded as one of America’s finest composers.'
[Hale
Smith]
The late African American composer Hale Smith (1925-2009) is
profiled at AfriClassical.com,
which
features a comprehensive Works
List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com
“DETROIT,
(Feb. 27, 2012) – The Detroit
Symphony Orchestra
(DSO)
is proud to announce its annual Classical
Roots Celebration
will be dedicated to the late Dr.
Arthur L. Johnson,
who was the founder of the event and was recently made a lifetime
board member of the DSO. This much-anticipated black tie celebration
raises awareness about the contributions of African-Americans to
classical music and supports increased opportunities through special
programs, such as the DSO’s African-American Orchestral Fellowship
Program, a mentoring opportunity for young professional musicians.
The Classical
Roots Concerts
on Fri.,
Mar. 16
at 10:45
a.m.
and Sat.,
Mar. 17
at 8
p.m. will
also honor the late African-American composer Hale
Smith.”
“About
Hale Smith
Hale Smith is
regarded as one of America’s finest composers. He also had a
distinguished career as an arranger, editor, and educator. Born in
Cleveland, Ohio on June 29, 1925, he began study of the piano at age
seven, and his initial performance experience included both classical
and jazz music. After military service (1943-45), he entered the
Cleveland Institute of Music as a composition major, receiving a
bachelor’s degree in 1950 and a master’s degree in 1952. His
principal teachers were Ward Lewis in theory and Marcel Dick, his
only teacher of composition.”
Monday, February 27, 2012
Dr. Barbara Baker Conducts '2012 African American Music Gala' of Houston Ebony Opera Guild March 3-4, 2012
[Dr.
Barbara Wesley Baker]
March 3-4
“THE ANNUAL
AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC GALA:
A Concert of Works by Black
Composers
“And Ye
Shall Have A Song” is the inspiring title of the 2012
AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC GALA.
The
program for this popular annual concert will feature works by
contemporary Black composers known for both their fresh approach to
the Negro Spiritual and original compositions that reflect African
American music traditions. The renowned Ebony Opera Guild Chorus and
soloists will perform under the baton of Dr. Barbara Baker, an
internationally acclaimed choral conductor based in Washington, D.C.
“SPECIAL
GUEST PERFORMERS:
- Fisk Jubilee Singers (Saturday only)
- Winners of HEOG Encouragement Award for Opera and Concert Soloists (Sunday only)
“Performances
will be held at 7:00
p.m., Saturday, March 3 and 4 p.m., Sunday, March 4, 2012
at Christ Church Cathedral located at 1117 Texas Avenue at San
Jacinto. Tickets required for admission. Parking is FREE in the
Cathedral’s garage.”
“This concert is sponsored by
Friends of Houston Ebony Opera Guild with the generous support of the
Religion and Arts Council of Christ Church Cathedral. For additional
information, please call Houston Ebony Opera Guild 713-335-3800.”
John Malveaux: WWFM's Radio Broadcast of Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's 'Treemonisha' CD 'was truly a milestone'
[Anita
Johnson; Scott
Joplin Treemonisha;
The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and Singers; Rick Benjamin, conductor;
New World Records 80720 (2011)]
The
Ragtime and Classical Music Composer Scott Joplin (c.1867-1917) is
featured at AfriClassical.com. On
Feb. 25, 2012 AfriClassical posted: “John Malveaux: WWFM & NPR
Air Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's CD 'Scott Joplin Treemonisha' 3-6 PM
Eastern, Feb. 26.” Today John Malveaux posted a comment which we
feel deserves to be a post on the blog:
“The 100th
anniversary radio/internet broadcast on WWFM Classical Network's
'Sunday Opera' program of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's Scott
Joplin's TREEMONISHA opera featuring Anita Johnson was truly a
milestone and encouragement for greater participation in Opera.”
John
Malveaux
William Grant Still's 'Kaintuck' for Two Pianos on 'Seta Karakashian: Rarely Performed Piano Works,' Romeo Records (2004)
[ABOVE: Seta Karakashian: Rarely Performed Piano Works; Romeo Records 7227 (2004) (68:44) BELOW: William
Grant Still (Photo is the sole property of William Grant Still Music,
and is used with permission)]
William Grant Still (1895-1978) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which
features a comprehensive Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de
Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com
The entry for Kaintuck'
describes
the composition as a work for piano and orchestra. It was also arranged for two pianos. The work was commissioned by the League of
Composers, and was dedicated to Verna Arvey:
“Kaintuck';
Poem,
for
piano & orchestra (1935). Mission Viejo CA: WGS Music. 30p.
Instrumentation: 3232 (p), 4331, timp, perc, strings. Commission:
League of Composers. Duration: 14:00. Dedication: ´To my wife, Verna
Arvey.' Library: Columbia (lead sheet, 1937), Lerma, Library of
Congress (lead sheet, 1937), Yale (manuscript).”
“This
remarkable recital by renowned pianist Seta Karakashian brings
together splendid performances of notable works by composers of the
19th and 20th centuries, from Franz Liszt (b. 1811) through Arno
Babadjanian (b. 1921). Interestingly, all five composers whose works
are played by Ms. Karakashian are especially known for their
compositions for the piano.”
The
liner notes tell us:
“Kaintuck'
(1935)
was composed as a work for piano and orchestra and in an arrangement
for two pianos heard on this recording. The work represents Still's
reaction to his exposure to Bluegrass music from the state of
Kentucky, a lovely piece that evokes the spirit of the music it pays
tribute to. And yet, according to Still's daughter, Judith Anne
Still, her father 'composed Kaintuck'
while
riding a train through Kentucky, and the sound of the locomotive is
built into the music, [but]
Kaintuck' is
also a love poem for Verna Arvey,' the woman Still would marry in
1939.”
We
agree that the works on this album are rarely performed. We have
recordings by all of the five composers, with many discs by Still,
Grieg and Bartók. None include Six
Poetic Tones Pictures,
Op. 3 of Edvard Grieg; the Burlesques
or Rumanian
Folk Dances
of Bela Bartók; the Six
Consolations, Six Pensées Poètiques of
Franz Liszt; the Four
Pictures
of Arno Babadjanian; or Kaintuck'
of
William Grant Still.
The
recording is one of many collection discs which include works of William
Grant Still. For an inquisitive fan of classical music, it stands
out for its lesser-known works of composers who are themselves
relatively well known. Seta Kashkashian is joined on Kaintuck'
by
the late pianist Richard Fields, to whom the recording is dedicated.
The time of this version is 11:13. It was performed before a live
and appreciative audience. We have enjoyed listening to the CD for
pleasure many times since receiving it. Disclosure:
A review copy of this CD was provided by William Grant Still Music.
'Tribute to Charlotte Holloman' by University of the District of Columbia Friday, March 9 at 7:30 PM
[Charlotte
Holloman]
Special
Tribute Will Present Perfomances by UDC Students and Alumni and Raise
Funds for Music Scholarship
University
of the District of Columbia’s Music Program of the Department of
Visual and Performing Arts will present a Tribute
to Charlotte Holloman
on Friday,
March 9, 2012
at 7:30pm
at UDC Van Ness Campus, University Auditorium (Bldg 46 East) located
at 4200 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, DC.
The
program will feature special collaborative performances by UDC music
department students, alumni and faculty in recognition of the great
achievements of Holloman’s outstanding career in vocal performance.
The event is also a fundraiser to support a special music
scholarship.
Produced
by the faculty of the Music Program, this Tribute
seeks
to recognize the great attributes of one of our own, Professor
Charlotte Holloman, Director of Vocal Program, Music Department,
Howard University, and Professor of Voice, University of the District
of Columbia who will be honored in a Music Tribute and Scholarship
Fundraiser. Dr. Marjorie Holloman Parker, former Chairman of the UDC
Board of Trustees, was her sister-in-law.
The
fundraiser program will spotlight the spectacular variety of talents
of its music students and faculty who will perform in a wide-spectrum
of musical genres to include, voice, piano, instrumental ensembles,
classical, rhythm and blues, and jazz, as Professor Holloman has sung
with and/or taught in all of the above genres with prominent artists.
Tickets
are available at the Performing Arts Bldg., 46 West, Music Program,
Room A05-C, UDC Van Ness Campus, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Ticket
prices are $20 (general admission), $15 (senior) and $10 (student).
Tickets will also be available at the University Auditorium door on
the night of the performance.
The
University Auditorium (Bldg. 46 East) is conveniently located on
Metro’s Red Line at the Van Ness-UDC stop. For more information,
contact Dr.
Marva
Cooper at 202-274-5801
or mcooper@udc.edu.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
'George Walker: Great American Orchestral Works, Vol. 3' Continues Successful Series on Albany
[ABOVE:
Dr. Rochelle Sennet, Pianist BELOW: George
Walker: Great American Orchestral Works, Vol. 3;
Albany Records 1334 (2012) (Cover
Photo: Frank Schramm) (56:13)]
On
Feb. 16, 2012 AfriClassical posted: “Albany Records: 'The series of George Walker's orchestral music continues!' on Vol. 3, Albany 1334 (2012).” The works on this diverse program were composed by George
Walker over a period of 34 years, from 1975 to 2009, illustrating his
compositional style during a significant period of his successful career in music.
The Krannert Center for the Performing
Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign says of Dr.
Rochelle Sennet, “Sennet’s recitals showcase her versatility
through works by Bach, Beethoven, and African American composers such
as H. Leslie Adams, Adolphus Hailstork, and the Pulitzer
Prize-winning composer George Walker.”
Icarus
in Orbit (3:27)
is the first of five works on the CD. The liner notes tell us: “This
score was commissioned by the New Jersey Youth Orchestra for its 25th
Anniversary Gala Concert in 2004 at the New Jersey Performing Arts
Center in Newark, New Jersey. It encapsulates the principal aspects
of the myth of Icarus.” The Sinfonia da Camera is conducted by Ian
Hobson, who founded the ensemble in 1984, we learn from the liner
notes. The notes continue: “Sinfonia, the resident chamber
orchestra at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is
composed of musicians from the university and throughout the Midwest.
Concerto
for Piano and Orchestra is
a work in three movements, and according to the liner notes “was
composed in 1975 for the late Natalie Hinderas, a brilliantly gifted
pianist.” The pianist on this recording is Dr. Rochelle Sennet,
Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois. The notes say of
the orchestra: “Sinfonia Varsovia originated in 1972 as the Polish
Chamber Orchestra...” The conductor is again Ian Hobson.” “The
official premiere of the concerto was given by Ms. Hinderas in 1976
with the Minneapolis Symphony with Paul Freeman conducting. It was
recorded for the historic Black Composers Series of Columbia Records
with the Detroit Symphony.” The length of Movement I is 11:55;
Movement II is 5:57; Movement III is 6:10. The notes indicate “The
first movement begins with an orchestral introduction,” “The
second movement begins with a Duke Ellington song,” and the third
movement has an “orchestral introduction.”
Abu
for Narrators and Chamber Ensemble (6:19)
“was commissioned by the Network for New Music, a contemporary
music ensemble in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The premiere was given
in May of 2004. The text of Abu is the well-known poem, Abu Ben
Adhem, by the English poet, James Henry Leigh Hunt.” The narrators
are Richard Herrera and Yvonne Gonzales Redman. The instrumentalista
are Sherban Lupu, violin; Brandon Vamso, cello; and Rochelle Sennet,
piano. Ian Hobson is conductor.
Dialogus
for Cello and Orchestra (12:15)
“was commissioned by Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra for
the Bicentennial of 1976. It is a work in one movement that was
begun by George Walker during a residency at the Villa Serbelloni, a
Rockefeller Foundation site in Bellagio, Italy.” Dmitri Kouzov is
on cello, and Ian Hobson conducts the Sinfonia Varsovia.
Da
Camera for Piano Trio, Harp, Celesta, String Orchestra and Percussion
(10:05)
features Rochelle Sennet, piano; Sherban Lupu, violin; Brandon Vamos,
cello; and the Sinfonia da Camera under the direction of Ian Hobson,
conductor. “Da Camera is a work in one movement composed in 2009.
The title is a contraction of Musica da Camera. The music
incorporates an infusion of disparate voices. Quotes from a Broadway
musical, a spiritual and two jazz standards appear in the parts for
the piano trio. The second jazz tune is restated by the sting
orchestra. The piano is used primarily in a soloistic
configuration.”
[George Walker (b. 1922) is a composer and pianist whose website is http://georgetwalker.com/, and who is featured at AfriClassical.com. The website also features Adolphus C. Hailstork and H. Leslie Adams.] Disclosure: A review copy of this CD was provided by the record label.
[George Walker (b. 1922) is a composer and pianist whose website is http://georgetwalker.com/, and who is featured at AfriClassical.com. The website also features Adolphus C. Hailstork and H. Leslie Adams.] Disclosure: A review copy of this CD was provided by the record label.
Drexel Concert Band Performs Valerie Coleman's 'Roma' and 'Umoja' at Kimmel Center 7 PM Feb. 29
[Valerie
Coleman]
On
Feb. 5, 2012 AfriClassical posted: “PhillyBurbs.com: Drexel ConcertBand at Kimmel Center 7 PM Feb. 29 in Bonds, Coleman, Dickerson,Hailstork, Nelson & C.C. White.” Drexel University provides
additional details of the event:
Drexel University
When:
Wed, February 29, 8 pm
Where:
Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center
“Description:
The University Concert Band will take the stage at the Kimmel
Center for an evening dedicated to a wide range of African American
composers in honor of Black History Month. Dr. Mike Moss, Music
Program Director, has devoted his scholarship to this little-known
repertoire, and he will conduct the Concert Band on Wednesday,
February 29th at 8 PM in a concert at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman
Theater (300 S Broad St). At 7 PM a pre-concert discussion will be held by Stanford Thompson and Jeri Lynn Johnson. Admission is $5 with a Drexel ID and $10 for the general
public.
"The Coleman commissions involve a consortium of 25 university bands,
including Yale, Clemson, Morgan State, and Auburn, and were initiated
by Dr. Moss and our University.”
Dr. Myron D. Moss has provided AfriClassical with this program:
Dr. Myron D. Moss has provided AfriClassical with this program:
Music of African American Composers
Umoja - Valerie Coleman
Essay for Band - Roger Dickerson
His Song - R. Nathaniel Dett,
Arranged by William L. Dawson
Triumphal March - Clarence Cameron White
Orchestration by Jack Stamp
Roma - Valerie Coleman
INTERMISSION
Troubled Water - Margaret Bonds
Tim Ribchester, Piano
Minstrel Man - Margaret Bonds
Dream Variation - Margaret Bonds
Perry Brisbon, Tenor; Tim Ribchester, Piano
New “Wade ‘N Water” - Adolphus Hailstork
Fugue and Bossa - Oliver Nelson
Look to This Day - Adolphus Hailstork
With the Drexel University Choru
[Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork (b. 1941) and Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1978) are profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive works list for Margaret Bonds by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com] ThirdCoastDigest.com: Adrienne Danrich sings 'art songs by...Margaret Bonds, and...William Grant Still' in Milwaukee
[Adrienne
Danrich]
Soprano
Adrienne Danrich recently performed in the Vocal Arts Series of the
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Margaret A. Bonds and William
Grant Still are
profiled
at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works
List for each composer by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com:
ThirdCoastDigest.com
February 26th, 2012
By
Tom Strini
“An
echo of not only the sounds but also the excitement of the Harlem
Renaissance electrified the Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall
Saturday.
“Adrienne Danrich,
a world-class soprano with blues in her soul, put on her Evening
in the Harlem Renaissance
on UWM’s Vocal Arts Series. I talked with Danrich Thursday, but
didn’t realize the scope of her show until I experienced it. She
brought along Will Johnson, a spectacular bass-baritone with
international credits, to give a spine-tingling account of Old
Man River,
among other numbers.”
Danrich, who wrote
this show, shines as its sun, and not just because of her gorgeous
singing. Her passion for that admirable group of black Harlem artists
and intellectuals, some famous and some forgotten, came through in
her body language and in every word and note. She read the poetry of
Langston Hughes, whose work is at the heart of her show, as
brilliantly as she sang them. She wrote a punchy, efficient script;
she gives us the facts of Harlem life quickly.” “Danrich made
clear the great achievement of a small group who set out, in the
1920s and 1930s, to create an African-American high art with
techniques borrowed from Europe but an essence rooted in black
experience and tradition.”
“And brother, can
Adrienne Danrich sing. Her richness and clarity, her seamless tonal
quality throughout the range, her deft articulation and emotional
commitment to the sentiments of the music dazzled at every turn. She
brought out the big, operatic guns for Alexander von Zemlinsky’s
setting of Hughes’ Misery
(Zemlinsky! Who knew?), art songs by the nearly forgotten but
compelling Margaret Bonds, and the still-current William Grant Still.
She hit her operatic peak in My
Man’s Gone Now,
from Porgy
and Bess.
You can’t have a champagne reception for this singer; that voice
would break all the glasses.”
Pianists William Chapman Nyaho & Nicole Kim at Lake Washington Music Teachers Concert on YouTube (9:59)
[William
Chapman Nyaho]
Dr. William Chapman Nyaho (b. 1958) is an accomplished pianist of Ghanaian Heritage who
is featured at AfriClassical.com. His performance website is
http://www.nyaho.com/
and he has a Facebook Page.
His performance with pianist Nicole Kim has been uploaded to YouTube
(9:59):
Uploaded on Feb 20,
2012
“Lake
Washington Music Teachers Association Annual Concert. Nicole Kim and
William Chapman Nyaho play Mozart Concerto K488, 3rd Movement; Nyaho
plays Ginastera Sonata no. 1. ip. 22, 1st; Kim plays Toccatina from
Grand Etude, op. 40 no. 3 by N. Kapustin.”
WickedLocal.com: Curtis Richardson Directs Choir in Music of R. Nathaniel Dett & Moses Hogan in Westborough, MA Feb. 26, 4 PM
[Curtis
Richardson; Choir Photo from website of The Congregational Church of
Westborough, Massachusetts]
R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which
features a comprehensive Works list
by
Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com:
WickedLocal.com
GateHouse News
Service
Framingham,
Massachusetts
Posted
Feb 25, 2012
WESTBOROUGH
—
“Every February,
Curtis Richardson, choir director and organist at the Congregational
Church of Westborough, gathers a joint choir from churches in
Westborough, including St. Stephen’s Episcopal, St. Luke the
Evangelist, and the Congregational Church, along with his home
church, the Pleasant Street Seventh Day Adventist Church in
Worcester, for a Black History Month concert. Wesley United Methodist
Church in Worcester and Northborough Seventh Day Adventist church
also have some of their choir members participate.
“The concert will
feature spirituals important during the days of the Underground
Railroad, when slaves listened for songs that indicated by their
words either the opportunity to flee or the success of those who made
it. 'Peter, Go Ring Dem Bells' was sung in the fields when a slave
escaped to freedom, according to Richardson.” “Richardson, a
native of Trinidad, studied piano at Atlantic Union College in
Lancaster after winning a local talent contest in his teens. 'I
majored in piano but I always had a love for spirituals. Spirituals
are based in pain but founded in hope,' Richardson said.
“'The more I did
church choral music, the more gems I came across in spirituals and
classical music,' Richardson said. 'I wanted to find more music that
showcased African American composers who aren’t recognized.'”
“'One of my favorite arrangers of spirituals, Moses Hogan, died
young but produced some gems. We’re doing “Abide With Me” and
“Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”, both arranged by him.”
“'Nathaniel Dett,
another unknown African American composer wrote “Listen to the
Lambs” in the early twentieth century,' said Richardson. 'It’s
one of the most poignant, moving spirituals I’ve come across.
Nathaniel Dett received a bachelor’s in piano from Oberlin College,
toured as a concert pianist and was the first black director of the
Hampton Institute in Virginia. He introduced spirituals in the
classical style.'”
Saturday, February 25, 2012
John Malveaux: 'Soprano Nicole Cabell sings Langston Hughes' on YouTube
[Nicole
Cabell (Devon Cass)]
John
Malveaux of www.MusicUNTOLD.com
sends us this link to soprano Nicole Cabell's YouTube performance of
a poem by Langston Hughes:
Kid
in the Park
by Langston Hughes
Lonely little
question mark
on a bench in the park:
See the people
passing by?
See the airplanes in the sky?
See the birds
flying
home
before
dark?
Home's just
around
the corner
there--
but
not really
anywhere.
John Malveaux: “Soprano Nicole Cabell will sing in Jacobs Masterworks 'Fauré's Requiem' with San Diego Symphony” 3/30-31, 4/1
[Nicole
Cabell (Devon Cass)]
“Soprano Nicole Cabell will sing in
Jacobs Masterworks FAURE'S REQUIEM with San Diego Symphony on March
30, 31, and April 1 at Copley Symphony
Hall