"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about
things that matter." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
For 34 years, Chicago Sinfonietta has been committed to diversity
and inclusion--a commitment Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew well. But do you know why CS is so committed to this tradition?
Our founder, Paul Freeman, actually had an inspirational chance meeting
with Dr. King at the Atlanta airport. When asked by Dr. King why he was
in Atlanta, Maestro Freeman told him that he was there to guest conduct
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Dr. King responded, “Ah, the last bastion of elitism. Glory, Hallelujah”.
Three months later, Dr. King was assassinated, but Maestro Freeman felt like he'd left him with a mission: "That the symphony orchestra can be inclusive.
Classical music in particular should be available to everyone
regardless of race, creed, gender, or age, and this is what we strive to
do with the Chicago Sinfonietta."
Our annual MLK Tribute concert is BACK this weekend, and packed
some of the best talent in classical music. We sure hope you'll join
us.
COMPOSER JESSIE MONTGOMERY ON THE IMPACT OF MLK IN SOUL FORCE
Soul Force was the first orchestral piece by Jessie Montgomery,
and was commissioned in 2015 by The Dream Unfinished, an activist
orchestra based in New York City. The piece was written for a benefit
event, intended to raise awareness and build support for the Garner
family in the aftermath of the recorded murder of Eric Garner in 2014,
whose death received national and international attention and outrage.
Montgomery says about the work: "I have
drawn the work’s title from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”
speech in which he states: “We must not allow our creative protest
to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to
the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” "
She also shares: "I would ask listeners
to pay attention to a particular pulse that goes throughout the piece.
The pulse is meant to indicate walking - at different speeds and with
different attitudes. And with different meanings between each walk. If
you’ve never been to a Classical music concert before, you can also
listen to the different instrument families. There are different
families within the orchestra that are featured at different points
(strings, winds, brass, percussion).
Soul Force is meant to be a musical arc from chains to
exaltation and then a final, ‘we don’t know where we’re going to go’ in
the end. It is meant to be narrative in that way, and the piece unfolds
and evolves into something that is uplifting, I hope, in the end."
COMPOSER KATHRYN BOSTIC ON THE LASTING INFLUENCE OF AUGUST WILSON
My desire is to honor this iconic
playwright, with an orchestral statement that reflects the earthiness
and majesty of the African American experience within his plays. Rich in
musicality and cadence, Wilson's writing easily lends itself to
symphonic storytelling. I had the good fortune of collaborating with
August Wilson and scored several theatrical productions, including "Gem
of the Ocean" (Broadway), "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (directed by
Phylicia Rashad), and "Radio Golf". The August Wilson Center in
Pittsburgh hired me to score and sound design scenes from his plays in
their 2011 “August in August” tribute to the playwright. I also scored
the PBS American Masters documentary "August Wilson-The Ground on Which I
Stand.”
The overall influence Mr. Wilson has had on me is immense. His awareness
of his unique gift in storytelling African American lifestyle and
history has helped me to appreciate the power of individual expression
and its importance for me as an artist. This has deepened my commitment
to honor my artistic voice and pay tribute to August Wilson by writing
“The Great Migration: A Symphony in Celebration of August Wilson.”
BARITONE WILL LIVERMAN
When someone is called “a voice for this historic moment” by
The Washington Post, you know their performance is going to be good. And
we are so thrilled to welcome baritone Will Liverman to our 2022 MLK
Tribute concert.
In February 2021, Cedille Records released Liverman's Dreams of a New
Day: Songs by Black Composers. The album debuted at No. 1 on the
Billboard Classical chart. Whither Must I Wander (Odradek), with
pianist Jonathan King, was named one of the Chicago Tribune’s “best
classical recordings of 2020”. Performance highlights include starring
as the first ever Black Papageno in the Metropolitan Opera’s holiday
production of The Magic Flute.
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