Henry Lewis
John Malveaux of
writes:
June 1, 2018 will mark the 50th anniversary of
Henry Lewis appointment as music director of New Jersey Symphony.
“Under Music Director Henry Lewis (1968–76)—the first
African-American music director of a major symphony orchestra—the NJSO entered
a new era of high-profile musical activity. The Orchestra made its Carnegie
Hall debut with famous soprano (and Lewis’ wife) Marilyn Horne, who became a
regular guest with the Orchestra during the Lewis years, as soloist; performed
three outdoor concerts led by Lewis in 1968 in a vacant lot on Prince St.—the
site of the 1967 Newark Riots—and one in Untermann Field that Lewis dedicated
to the memory of Martin Luther King; and gave a concert at Garden State Arts
Center with Luciano Pavarotti. The Orchestra would perform with Pavarotti again
in 1984, in the first classical music program ever performed at Madison Square
Garden.”
Henry Lewis was born in Los Angeles and he first made history
with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Lewis_(musician)
The movie and television industry has retold the slave
narrative, covered the courage and skills of sports heroes, the lives of pop
artists, and more recently women mathematicians. One day but probably after my
expiration, the Henry Lewis story will hit the big screen.
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