Tafelmusik: The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Landmark Recording to be Reissued in Digital Audio on June 18

The Music of Joseph Bologne,  Chevalier de Saint-Georges Landmark recording devoted to influential  Black 18th century composer  to be reissued on June 18 Countdown to reissue includes  Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical  Tafel Talks online panel discussion  and the unveiling of a new portrait  of Bologne by Toronto  painter Gordon Shadrach Toronto, May 5, 2021 … On June 18, 2021,  Tafelmusik will reissue its 2003 landmark  recording devoted to the music of  Joseph Bologne, the influential Black  18th century composer. With the goal  of properly centering the composer’s  achievements, the digital audio  release will be reissued under a new title,  The Music of Joseph Bologne,  Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Tafelmusik  has acknowledged that the original title  (Le Mozart Noir) and the re-release  artwork contributed to and facilitated  the erasure of Joseph Bologne and his  legacy. Newly commissioned album  artwork by Toronto painter Gordon  Shadrach and an essay by American  conductor and Bologne scholar Marlon  Daniel will accompany the re-release.  The Music of Joseph Bologne,  Chevalier de Saint-Georges will be  available on major digital platforms  starting June 18. Marlon Daniel As part of its commitment to reframing and contextualizing the work of Saint-Georges, Tafelmusik has engaged Marlon Daniel as a consultant on this project. A champion of works by composers of African descent, he is the Artistic and Music Director of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges and has given numerous lectures on the composer in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and at institutions that include Columbia and Yale Universities. In addition to working with Tafelmusik on  the album’s reissue and penning a new  forward, Daniel will moderate Joseph Bologne:  Black & Classical, a Tafel Talks online panel  discussion about the music of Saint-Georges  at 7 pm EDT on May 19, 2021. Daniel  and panelists Dr. Christine Gangelhoff  (Nassau), violinist Tanya Charles Iveniuk  (Toronto), and Tafelmusik violist Patrick G.  Jordan (Toronto) will unpack Bologne’s  significance within past and current  contexts and discuss the impact of  systemic racism in music history. Tickets for  Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical are  $5 and are now on sale at tafelmusik.org.   "Tafelmusik is extremely grateful for the guidance and insight that Marlon Daniel has provided as we navigate the process around reframing and contextualizing our approach to the life and music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges,” said Carol Kehoe, Executive Director. “As the classical music world reckons with issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion, we invite you to join us in exploring the significant contributions of Joseph Bologne and the ways in which he continues to inspire us today." Who was Joseph Bologne and why has his music been neglected for centuries? The son of a wealthy plantation owner and his mistress, an enslaved woman on the plantation in Guadeloupe, Bologne confronted enormous adversities around class and race throughout his life. He eventually rose to the pinnacle of Parisian society to become one of France’s heroes and a highly regarded 18th-century musical figure. Thanks to the work of a number of scholars, musicians, and BIPOC activists, the world is witnessing a resurgence of interest in Bologne and his music, including a new Disney film directed by Canadian Stephen Williams, whose credits include the films Soul Survivor and Milgaard and the televisions series Watchmen, Counterpart, and Westworld. Tafelmusik’s Music Director Emerita Jeanne Lamon was an early advocate of Bologne’s music, which she programmed in concerts. Lamon also directed Tafelmusik in the original 2003 audio recording on CBC Records and DVD documentary produced by Media Headquarters. “His writing is very virtuosic and it’s clear that he could move around the instrument very easily. He had no technical limitations whatsoever,” Lamon said in the documentary, which has been broadcast on CBC, BBC, TV5, and ARTV among others. The film has garnered a number of distinctions including Winner of the Banff World Television Award, Finalist for the The Golden Rose of Montreux, and five Gemini Award Nominations. The Music of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges digital album includes orchestral excerpts from the composer’s opera L’amant anonyme, the Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 3, no. 1, and the Symphony in G Major, op. 11, no. 1 by Saint-Georges; the Allegro from the Violin Concerto in F Major, op. 10, no. 4 by Leclair; and the Symphony in D Major, op. 5, no. 5, “Pastorella” by Gossec. Jeanne Lamon, Linda Melsted, and Geneviève Gilardeau are the featured violin soloists. Gordon Shadrach’s brand-new portrait of Bologne, Opus 7, will grace the cover of the reissued digital album. The portrait is informed by Shadrach’s lifelong fascination with the semiotics of clothing and its impact on culture. In particular, his interest lies in the intersection and codification of race and fashion — codes that impact the way we navigate through spaces and influence how people associate with one another. Shadrach’s portraits of Black men utilize fashion— contemporary or historical dress—in order to pull viewers in to explore the biases embedded in North American culture. Shadrach seeks to disrupt the colonial constrictions of portraiture by inviting viewers to reflect upon the depiction of Black people in art and culture.   Image credits:  1. Detail from “Opus 7” portrait of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges by Gordon Shadrach 2. Marlon Daniel photo by Bob Estremera Listing information: TAFEL TALKS: Joseph Bologne: Black & Classical The music, life and legacy of the  18th-century violinist and  composer May 19, 2021 at 7 pm EDT online Panel discussion with Dr. Christine  Gangelhoff, Tanya Charles Iveniuk,  and Patrick G. Jordan, moderated  by Marlon Daniel Discussion will be followed by a  short Q&A Who was Joseph Bologne and  why has his music been  neglected for centuries? Our  conversation explores the music,  life, and legacy of the influential  Black violinist and composer,  Joseph Bologne, Chevalier  de Saint-Georges. Our panel of  contributors from New York,  Nassau, and Toronto will unpack  Bologne’s significance within  past and current contexts and  discuss the impact of systemic  racism in music history.   Ticket price: $5   Website: tafelmusik.org ABOUT THE TAFEL TALKS PANELISTS Dr. Christine Gangelhoff (Nassau), leading  scholar on Caribbean classical composers,  flutist, and founder of C Force chamber  ensemble. Associate Professor of Music at  The University of The Bahamas and  author of the textbook Tour de Force:  A Musical Journey of the Caribbean. Tanya Charles Iveniuk (Toronto), violinist  with roots in Saint Vincent and the  Grenadines and member of Ensemble du  Monde (Ensemble-in-Residence at the  Festival International de Musique  Saint-Georges), Toronto Mozart Players,  Sinfonia Toronto, and the Odin Quartet.  Faculty member at University of Toronto- Faculty of Music, The Regent Park School  of Music, and Axis Music. Patrick Jordan (Toronto), Tafelmusik  violist and member of the Eybler Quartet  and Gallery Players of Niagara.  Faculty member at the Glenn Gould  School. ABOUT MARLON DANIEL American conductor Marlon Daniel is  a protégé of the renowned Finnish  pedagogue Jorma Panula. He has  been described as “a natural and  enormous talent” by the Chicago  Sun-Times and as “fabulous and  exceptional” by Pravda –  Moscow. He is one of the most  dynamic conductors of his  generation and is a bright light  for diversity in the world of  classical music. He has performed  in prestigious venues in Asia,  Europe and the United States, from  Carnegie Hall to the Rudolfinum. A laureate of the 2018 Bucharest  Symphony Orchestra  International Conducting  Competition, he has also been a  recipient of the ‘Voice of the  Artist’ Award from the United  Nations in recognition of his  charitable work bringing  awareness to the crisis in Darfur and an Honorary Key to the  City of Chicago for Outstanding  Musical Achievement. Recently,  he has made acclaimed  débuts with Chineke! in  London, the Havana Lyceum  Orchestra, Sofia Sinfonietta,  Tatarstan National Symphony  Orchestra and the Orquesta  Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba,  where he was the first  American to date invited since  President Barack Obama’s  historic lifting of the U.S.  embargo in 2015, and the  only African American to  conduct the orchestra in its  sixty-year history. He is the world’s foremost  exponent and interpreter of  the music of Chevalier de  Saint-Georges and a  champion of works by living  composers, especially of  African descent. His  recording “Phoenix Forever”  (music of Hampson Sisler)  on the MSR Classics label  received rave reviews and  was in consideration for a  2011 GRAMMY. He has held positions as  Associate Conductor of the  Praga Sinfonietta, Principal  Guest Conductor of the  Pazardzhik Symphony  Orchestra and has been a  Guest Lecturer at Yale  University. Currently, he  is Artistic and Music  Director of the Festival  International de Musique  Saint-Georges, Music  Director of Ensemble du  Monde (chamber orchestra),  Director of the Diversity in  Classical Music Program  at Teachers College,  Columbia University and  has recently joined the  faculty Fordham University  as Director of Orchestral  Ensembles. Next season, he will  make débuts at the  prestigious Havana Mozart  Festival, Opera Créole in  New Orleans and release  a new CD on the French  label, Alpha Records.  marlondaniel.com ABOUT GORDON SHADRACH Toronto-based artist Gordon  Shadrach was born and  raised in Brampton,  Ontario in 1966. Gordon  started painting in 2013  and paints in oil and acrylic  on wood. He has exhibited  in solo and group art  shows in Canada and the  United States. He works  from photographs at his  in-home studio. He  received his B. Des.  (MAAD) from OCAD  University and has a  Master of Education  degree from Niagara  University. In the Spring  of 2018, Gordon’s  painting, “In Conversation”,  was included in an exhibit  developed by the Royal  Ontario Museum titled,  “Here We Are Here:  Black Canadian  Contemporary Art” and  toured to Montreal and  Halifax. His work is  currently exhibited  through the  United Contemporary  Gallery in Toronto.  gordonshadrach.com ABOUT TAFELMUSIK Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio and Executive Director Carol Kehoe, Tafelmusik is an orchestra, choir, and experience that celebrates beauty through music of the past. Founded over 40 years ago on the pillars of passion, learning, and artistic excellence, Tafelmusik continues to bring new energy to baroque music and beyond. Historically informed performances of 17th- to 19th-century instrumental and choral music (led by Chamber Choir director Ivars Taurins) share the stage with vibrant, insightful multimedia programs, and bold new music written just for the group. Each piece is played on period instruments, underscored and illuminated by scholarship.  Through dynamic performances, international touring, award-winning recordings, and comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik invites audiences to engage with beauty and experience the breadth of emotion music can inspire.