AfriClassical congratulates John Malveaux on the success of the Symphony of Brotherhood, to which he devoted several months of his life:
Symphony of Brotherhood concert
Stanley O. Williford | 8/22/2013
The Martin Luther King Jr. 50th Anniversary Concert Symphony of
Brotherhood at the downtown Colburn School’s Zipper Hall on Sunday was
just that—a symphony of brotherhood. It offered a gathering of Black
musicians and composers, Korean musicians and composers and White
musicians and composers—all in a musical show of solidarity. The concert
was the brainchild of event promoter John Malveaux.
The
extravaganza got under way with the all-African American MusicUNTOLD
String Quartet playing the “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Then
there was Korean-American Phoenix Park-Kim playing piano as
Afro-Asian violinist Annelle Gregory played the old Negro spiritual,
“Talk About a Chile that Do Love Jesus” and Afro-British composer
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Deep River.”
Korean-American
cellist Kristen Yeon-Ji Yun played African American composer
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s “Lamentations: Black Folk Song Suite
for Cello Solo, IV. Perpetual Motion.”
Anglo
pianist Polli Chambers-Salazar and flutist Laurel Zucker added Taylor
Perkinson’s “Little Light of Mine.”
Anglo
soprano Juliana Gondek sang African American composer John Carter’s
“Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees” with James Lent on
piano.
But
of course, there were operatic juxtapositions such as African
American bass-baritone Mark Steven Doss singing Gaetano Donizetti’s
“Cruda Funesta Smania,” and African American soprano Anita
Johnson singing Duke Ellington’s “Heaven” and “Almighty God”
as Richard Thompson played piano.
And
there was African American bass-baritone Cedric Trenton Berry singing
Hall Johnson’s “Ride on King Jesus” and Langston Hughes’ “I
Dream a World” from composer William Grant Still’s opera
“Troubled Island.”
In
between the presentations, narrators Dennis Bartel, the morning host
of classical radio station KUSC, and Zanaida Robles, a teaching
assistant at USC, offered historical sketches.
...
To
cap the evening off, soprano Jumi Kim sung a new work titled
“Candlelight for Soprano” written by Korean composer Joopoong Kim
to honor the late Dr. King. Most of the audience couldn’t
understand the words, but the sentiment was heartfelt.
[Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004), William Grant Still (1895-1978) and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) are
profiled at AfriClassical.com, which
features a comprehensive Works List for each by Prof. Dominique-René de
Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com
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