Jay Fluellen
Evelyn Simpson Curenton
Ruth Naomi Floyd
Dr. Rollo Dillworth
Darin Atwater
MANN COMMISSIONS FIVE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMPOSERS TO CREATE
NEW WORKS FOR BERNSTEIN FESTIVAL
New Compositions to Examine Themes of Social Justice and Faith
PHILADELPHIA (July 10, 2018) – In a year of worldwide celebration of the 100th
birthday of composer and conductor
Leonard Bernstein, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts is
celebrating Bernstein’s musical excellence and cultural impact through
the lens of his commitment to social justice and inclusion.
Brilliantly Bernstein: Beyond the Baton is the Mann’s 2018
community festival, for which it has commissioned five African American
composers to interpret Bernstein’s legacy with new works to engage
audiences of all ages in new ways.
District of Columbia-based composer, Darin Atwater, will make his Mann debut with the world premiere of
South Side, Symphonic Dances during the Mann’s Bernstein: Broadway & Beyond concert with
The Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Kensho Watanabe, on July 18. South Side, Symphonic Dances is based on the eternal tale in Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein's romantic musical update West Side Story,
and represents the tragedy and triumph of African American youth who
navigate the complexity of urban living. The war between rival teenage
gangs in Bernstein's
West Side Story is replaced with the metaphoric rival "gang" of
oppressive forces and structures of subordination, including racism,
economic and educational disparities, injustice and media bias.
“In
South Side Symphonic Dances,
I’ve explored African
American social dance encased in a modern language – American Roots and
Pop Music. These dances reach back to the slave plantation and extend
forward to urban street dancing - Buck Dance, Wing Dance, Jig, Waltz,
Two-Step, Dub Step "Trap", Healing Dance, Shout
and AfroFuturism,” said Darin Atwater. “It is Dance as a creative
expression of our collective struggle; resistance and release from the
social tensions addressed in the larger South Side narrative.”
In
addition to Atwater, four Philadelphia-based composers, Dr. Rollo
Dilworth, Ruth Naomi Floyd, Jay Fluellen and Evelyn Simpson Curenton,
will be featured on August 11 during the Philadelphia Community Mass,
jointly presented by the Mann and NEWorks Productions. Inspired by
Bernstein’s MASS, and conceived and artistically directed by Nolan
Williams, Jr., this program will draw together a collective of
Philadelphia-based composers, musicians and directors from
Philadelphia’s rich African American church community to create a
community Mass that explores the relevance of faith in our times. Each
commissioned composer was encouraged to explore within themselves to
create a piece that honors Bernstein, but also touches
their favorite genre, such as jazz, blues and gospel.
Featuring
the Bernstein-inspired compositions, the Philadelphia Community Mass
will be presented as a full concert at the Monumental Baptist Church.
The concert will feature a collective of singers, with
a majority coming from the Absalom Jones Choir, and be punctuated by
spoken libretto excerpts from Bernstein’s MASS delivered by leaders from
Philadelphia’s civic and religious communities.
For
the past five seasons the Mann has mounted multi-faceted, artistic
festivals that wrestle with poignant issues raised by the lessons of
history and explored through a modern lens.
The Mann’s 2018 festival, Brilliantly Bernstein: Beyond the Baton, aims
to engage audiences of all ages to examine Bernstein’s legacy of
musical excellence and his commitment to social justice and to
understand both in new ways.
Brilliantly Bernstein: Beyond the Baton is curated in partnership with Nolan Williams, Jr., the Mann's Festival Artistic
Director and CEO of NEWorks Productions, Collaborative Artistic Partner.
To explore the full line-up of Festival events, visit the Mann’s website at
https://manncenter.org/bernstein.
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About the Mann
As
one of the foremost outdoor music centers in the country, the Mann, a
leading non-profit organization, has a historical legacy of artistic
excellence as a world-class
entertainment destination presenting premier artists in association
with AEG Presents. Each summer season, renowned symphony orchestras,
iconic rock stars and the latest touring artists in indie rock, hip hop,
R&B and pop take the stage here. The Mann is
the summer home of The Philadelphia Orchestra and has presented
critically acclaimed performers in every decade since the 1930s.
Located in the heart of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, the Mann hosts
more than 200,000 visitors annually. Signature concert
experiences are surrounded by Philadelphia’s stunning skyline and
include seats beneath the Mann’s acoustically acclaimed pavilion;
picnics, blankets and music under the stars on its great lawn; and
dining in Crescendo, the venue’s spectacular tented restaurant.
For more information, visit www.manncenter.org.
About NEWorks Productions
As
one of the country's premiere producers of inspirational arts
programming, NEWorks Productions partners with leading humanitarian,
educational,
arts, and renowned institutions to present curatorial festivals,
concert productions, special events, and other signature projects that
leverage the power of music and the arts for community engagement and
social good. Past and present partners include: The
Mann Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts, Washington National Opera, the American Cancer
Society, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Georgetown University, Oberlin
College, the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Project Foundation, the Embassy of India, the Embassy of the Republic
of South Africa, the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, the National
Symphony Orchestra, and the world class Philadelphia Orchestra.
www.NEWorksProductions.com.
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