DailyTarheel.com: Cellist [Timothy Holley] uses personal piece [by James Lee III] to honor Trayvon Martin

Prof. Timothy Holley

Daily Tarheel

By Jamie Stuart

When Timothy Holley picks up his cello in Person Recital Hall tonight, the piece he says will carry the most meaning will be played in memory of Trayvon Martin.

“It’s a reference both to the tragedy of Trayvon Martin two years ago, as well as the sense of human tragedy,” said Holley, a professor at N.C. Central University whose solo cello recital will feature the works of African-American composers.

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Holley said the work dedicated to Martin was written by African-American composer James Lee III.

The concert is hosted by the UNC Music Department through its Guest Artist Recital program.

Holley is a formally trained classical musician who did his doctoral research on the music of African-American composers for the cello, a field he said has interested him for a while. Tonight’s performance, entitled “Mors Janua Vitae — Music in Progress and Process: Memory Projected Into the Future,” will feature the works of four composers, three of whom are African-American.

The last work on the program is a three-movement solo cello sonata written specifically for Holley by composer Adolphus Hailstork. For the past month, Holley has been doing a series of performances of the piece.