Classical music is
not always embraced by the African American community, but a group of high
school music students will buck the system and show off their talent during a
special showcase while receiving feedback, and trips.
The Coalition
for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA), a Washington, D.C. area
based arts organization has been supporting aspiring, emerging, and established
African American classical musicians throughout the region for nearly fourteen years. This year, the 501c3 organization’s annual
scholarship program taps into the talents of high school students in a music
showcase on Saturday, May 6, 2107 at
Oxon Hill Library, 6200 Oxon Hill Road,
Oxon Hill, Maryland at 11:00 am. The free-to-the-public showcase focuses on
classical music performances of voice and instrumentalists, but also invited
the students to perform a second selection of their choice, surprising attendees with what could be a jazz,
gospel, R & B, country, folk or hip hop selection. The bottom line is CAAPA hopes to showcase the
youth fostering a love of classical music in the community. Along with an
opportunity to perform, students receive feedback from professional classical
musicians, coaching, free tickets to operas and other performances, and a trip
to the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. Coordinated by Jayne Johns, the
program also offers every student who performs in the Showcase a monetary award
with one top student selected and given a $1000.00 prize.
CAAPA Chairman of the Board Pamela Simonson, a classically
trained soprano with the Washington national Opera stated,
“The
Coalition is excited to see the budding talents of young people and are
thankful to support student’s dreams.” Simonson
also enjoys other genre of music and explained while youth often embrace the
more contemporary art forms, classical music is basic training ground for technique
and theory in other areas of music. Simonson continued by stating, “We hope
to dispel the myth that classical music is an elitist art form encouraging
others to embrace the art form.” She
believes once the community sees and hear classical musicians passionately
performed by African Americans, it will help people more readily embrace the
art form. Simonson co-founded the
organization a decade ago with her brother, is a classically trained pianist Victor Simonson, because they too were
supported as students from the support of organizations and arts lovers.
“This is our way of giving back to the
community”, shared Simonson. “We were beneficiaries of many organizations
and it’s our way of saying thank you for supporting us”, she stated. The co-founders currently also have
successful performance careers in classical music and often serve as mentors
and role models for aspiring classical musicians.
The scholarship winners will also be presented at
a CAAPA Gala, where the awardee will also perform. Additional information may
be found on the organization’s website at https://4caapa.org/music-scholarships.htmlor contact the CAAPA offices at 301-839-1444.
CAAPA - Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts
"Bringing Color to the Classics!"
301-839-1444 office
301-758-7768 mobile
www.4caapa.org
caapa@aol.com
"Bringing Color to the Classics!"
301-839-1444 office
301-758-7768 mobile
www.4caapa.org
caapa@aol.com
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