Uel Wade, Joana Genova & Nathaniel Parke in Music of Composers of African Descent, Chatham, N.Y., Oct. 30, 3 PM

[Wallace McClain Cheatham]

This is an excerpt from an email from Uel Wade of www.UelWade.org:

“Dear Bill,

I am the pianist/artistic director of Bend the Knotted Oak (BKO) chamber music, and along with violinist Joana Genova and cellist Nathaniel Parke will be performing music exclusively by black composers on Oct. 30, 2011, 3 pm, at St. James Church in Chatham, New York, in commemoration of the beginning of the Civil War 150 years ago.

“Here is the program:

Battle of Manassas by Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins for solo piano

Gypsy Suite: Lament & Tambourine by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor for violin and piano

Sonata for Cello & Piano: II: Slow (Blues) by David N. Baker

Louisiana Blues Strut by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson for solo violin

Troubled Water by Margaret A. Bonds for solo piano

Sonata for Cello & Piano: II, III by George Walker

--INTERMISSION--

Suite for Violin & Piano: I, III by William Grant Still

Three Preludes by Wallace McClain Cheatham for solo piano

Blue/s Forms for Solo Violin by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson

Theme & Variations (based on Draw the Sacred Circle Closer) by Adolphus C. Hailstork for solo cello

Blues (Deliver My Soul) by David N. Baker for violin and piano

Roots II: Boogie-Woogie, Dance in Congo Square by David N. Baker for violin, cello, and piano

--END--

“As you can see, I have elected not to play any extended works, to achieve greater variety. To provide historical and cultural context, we include spoken dialogue, shared by a black actor and the musicians, which is often playful, but always informative, to avoid the formality of written program notes.

We also have paintings, drawings, and photographs projected on a screen as a backdrop that may change with each new musical piece. I hope this will generate some interest among your followers. Thanks for all your great work,

Uel Wade"
[Margaret A. Bonds, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Adolphus C. Hailstork, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still, George Walker and Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins are featured at AfriClassical.com, which displays Works Lists for Margaret A. Bonds, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still and Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins which have been compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]

Comments by email:

Dear Mr. Zick, Many thanks to you for sharing this information with me!!! Looking forward...,Wallace Cheatham

WOW to the WOW!! Baker and Hailstork cello music in performance on the same day!! BRAVO and best wishes!! TWH [Timothy W. Holley]

Fishers Chamber Orchestra Plays Works of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson January 31, 2009

[Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Conducting the New Black Music Repertory Ensemble;
Photo courtesy of the Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College, Chicago]

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, will be included in
the following program of Fishers Chamber Orchestra, http://www.FishersMusic.org
Conner Prairie Recital:
3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 31, 2009, Fishers, Indiana
Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord; J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Caprice No. 1; Mark O'Connor (b. 1961)
Louisiana Blues Strut (a Cakewalk) (2002); Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1934-2004)
Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major; W. A. Mozart (1756-1791)
The Stream Flows (in two movements); Bright Sheng (b. 1955)
Caprice No. 2; Mark O'Connor
Blue/s Forms (1979); Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
La Folia Variations; Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Davis Brooks, Violin; Associate Professor, Butler University, Indianapolis
Lisa Evans Brooks, Violin; Associate Professor, School of Music, Butler University
Kurt Fowler, Cello; Associate Professor, Indiana State University
John Glennon, Harpsichord; Completing Doctorate in Music at Indiana University
Sheldon Person, Viola; Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

MusicOMH.com: 'Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is someone we really should be proud of'

[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; Cedille 90000 055 (2000)]

MusicOMH.com
Proms Chamber Music 7: The Nash Ensemble - Vaughan Williams, Coleridge-Taylor @ Cadogan Hall, London, 1 September 2008
Hot on the heels of a weekend that saw glorious Summer weather on one day give way to autumnal flooding the next, Proms Chamber Music recital No. 7 contrasted Coleridge-Taylor's sunny Clarinet Quintet with the darker side of nature in Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is someone we really should be proud of in this country but instead we've allowed him to slip into near-oblivion. Like Vaughan Williams, he was a pupil of Charles Villiers Stanford at the RCM, and a favoured one, but his brand of late nineteenth century lyricism has sadly gone out of fashion now. The Nash Ensemble gave a spirited account of his lively Clarinet Quintet (1895), with a languidly lovely 2nd movement Larghetto affettusoso. Richard Hisford's nimble clarinet led a merry dance in the closing Allegro agitato, concluding a work notable for its melodic inventiveness.

There will be the chance to acknowledge Coleridge-Taylor's mix of exoticism and Britishness in his centenary year of 2012 and perhaps we'll see the Royal Albert Hall ringing once more with the impressive sounds of his large-scale choral work Hiawatha as tribute. Here's hoping. [The Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Christmas Music Sought for Chamber Music Group or Small Ensemble

John Malveaux has asked AfriClassical to post a research inquiry: “I have been unable to locate any chamber or small ensemble (12 or less) pieces by a composer of African descent specifically appropriate for the annual Christmas Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Music Center in Los Angeles. The piece may include vocals or be all instrumental. Please help. Thanks, John Malveaux johnmalveaux@hotmail.com

Afro-Cuban Composer Tania Justina León and Finnish Cellist Juho Laitinen Perform May 15

Interpretations is excited to present two movers-and-shakers in the international New Classical scene. Both León and Laitinen are world-travelers and new music thrill-seekers, tirelessly promoting their works and performing the works of others for new audiences and die-hard fans around the globe. Ask them where they’ve been lately.

A rising star on the new music scene, Finnish cellist Juho Laitinen returns to New York with a solo program featuring his fellow Finns Tapio Tuomela, Kaija Saariaho, and Jukka Tiensuu, plus a brand-new work from Brooklyn composer Michael Rose.

The celebrated composer and conductor Tania Justina León (b. 1943) presents an evening of recent chamber works: a new foray into live musician+electronics and two song cycles with texts by Margaret Atwood and Derek Walcott.

Featuring: Airi Yoshioka, violin; Elizabeth Farnum, soprano; Adam Kent, piano; Diana Herold, marimba. Thursday, May 15 at 8pm. Roulette: 20 Greene Street (between Canal and Grand). General admission: $15 ($10 students, seniors, Harvestworks & DTW members; free for Roulette and Location One members). For reservations, call 212-219-8242.

Tania Justina León is an Afro-Cuban composer and conductor of contemporary classical music. Born in Havana, she is Director of Music Composition at Brooklyn College, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1985.

Violinist Samuel Thompson Again Performs With Cortlandt Chamber Orchestra

Violinist Samuel Thompson will perform both Mozart’s Concerto in D Major, KV 218 and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the Cortlandt Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 7:30pm. This concert takes place at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, 110 Grand Street, Croton-on-Hudson, New York. The performance, Thompson’s second appearance with the Cortlandt Chamber Orchestra, comes after his highly successful performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto during a 2007 concert to benefit the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra that became the subject of an article in the September 2007 International Musician.

A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Samuel first performed as soloist in 1989 with the Carolina Amadeus Players Chamber Orchestra, and made his national debut with the National Repertory Orchestra in 1998. He was a semifinalist in the 2000 New World Symphony Concerto Competition and has been presented in concert with the Marian Anderson String Quartet.

2005 was a year of significance for Samuel, as he became the subject of international media attention during Hurricane Katrina. Maintaining a sense of loyalty to the New Orleans arts community, Samuel was recognized by National Public Radio in 2006 as one of ten artists whose work shows “their spirit, their spunk, and their commitment to Crescent City”. Information is available at CortlandtMusic.org/

Nicole Cash, Horn Player, Solos in Dallas Concert

[Nicole Cash, Horn Player, Dallas Symphony Orchestra]

Feb 23 St. Paul United Methodist Church @ 1816 Routh
Celebrating African heritage in classical music featuring chamber music by George Walker and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Beginning with a well-known chamber music selection, the concert opens with Mozart’s Quintet, K. 407, for horn and strings featuring Dallas Symphony Orchestra horn player Nicole Cash. Then, two rarely heard but important works will be presented –Lyric for Strings which is the second movement of String Quartet No 1 by George Walker and Quintet for clarinet and strings by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with Gregory Raden, principal clarinetist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. George Walker is the first African-American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. For more composer information, visit: www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/samuel_coleridge-taylor.html and www.AfriClassical.com. String musicians for the concert include Dallas Symphony Orchestra members Maria Schleuning and Kaori Yoshida – violins, Barbara Sudweeks and Ann Marie Roeske – violas, with Peter Steffens, cello.

Located in the Dallas Arts District, St. Paul United Methodist Church has a rich history. Beginning as a mission of the Wesley Church in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1865, St. Paul was founded by freed slaves of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. For more information about St. Paul, “the SOUL of the Arts District,” and to get directions to the venue, please visit their web site: www.stpaulumcdallas.com.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Chamber Music

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Chamber Music is a world premiere recording of three works of the composer by The Coleridge Ensemble on AFKA SK-543 (1998). They are Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces) for String Quartet, Op. 5 (20:55); Five Negro Melodies for Piano Trio, Op. 59, No. 1 (18:10); and Nonet in f minor, Op. 2 (26:40). The members of the ensemble are John McLaughlin Williams, violin; Hilary Walther, violin (Quartet); Lisa Sustowicz, viola; William E. Thomas, cello; Pascale Delache-Feldman, bass; Jane Harrison, oboe; Eric Thomas, clarinet; Ronald Haroutunian, bassoon; Robin Cavalear, horn; Fredricka King, piano (Trio); and Christopher Walter, piano (Nonet).

Rob Barnett has reviewed the CD for MusicWeb International. William E. Thomas has written a liner note on the chamber music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor:

It is clear that the period of time Coleridge-Taylor spent as a student at the Royal College (1890-1897) from age 15 to 22 was the period when he turned his attention to chamber music. There are many reasons one might think to explain this: personal interest and knowledge; requirements of his teacher, Sir Charles Stanford; the greater possibility of performance; i.e., the economy of smaller instrumental forces; and the models presented by other great composers like Brahms and Dvorak.

Whatever the reasons Coleridge-Taylor chose the idioms of the trio, quartet, quintet and nonet, we who love chamber music are the beneficiaries. In choosing these structures Coleridge-Taylor found and developed for himself a form that was receptive for a type of profound musical expression that suited both himself and the structures.

Performances of most of his early works took place at the Royal College. Sir George Grove, who was then director of the College, was present at the premiere of the Nonet on July 5, 1895. In his book Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Musician, His Life and Letters, W.C.B. Sayers records the following incident:

At the conclusion of the piece, the applause was very great, and there were demands for the composer. He, however, was not forthcoming, and, the applause continuing, Sir George himself went n search of Coleridge-Taylor. Although he (Coleridge-Taylor) had found the courage to face an audience in his own town, at college so great had been his dread... he had fled upstairs and hidden himself in the organ room, whence Grove dragged him forth.

John McLaughlin Williams writes of the Fantasiestücke for String Quartet, Op. 5:

Coleridge-Taylor's Fantasiestücke (Fantasy Pieces) were composed in 1895, while he was still a student at the Royal College. This work was dedicated by Coleridge-Taylor to his composition teacher, Charles Villiers Stanford, Esq. The work is breathtakingly assured technically, the composer employing some cyclic elements and generally showing great understanding of the textural problems of quartet writing. Each movement creates a character unto its own, all the while retaining a palpable freshness that remains to this day. The Fantasiestücke were published posthumously in 1921.

William E. Thomas comments on Five Negro Melodies for Piano Trio, Op. 59, No. 1:

This work is an arrangement for piano trio of five of the compositions for solo piano taken from his Twenty-four Negro Melodies.

The songs are: "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" (Audio sample of complete track) (4:55); "I was way down a-yonder" (4:20); "Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel" (1:25); "They will not lend me a child" (5:20); and "My Lord delivered Daniel" (2:00).

Thomas says of the Nonet in f minor, Op.2:

This recording of chamber music by the Africa-English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is the first recording made of the works presented here. The task of presenting "new" works to the repertoire is both challenging and rewarding. In the case of the Nonet the ensemble was working from copies of the original manuscript. The process of collecting and editing has been interesting and deeply satisfying. The thought of bringing to life a major piece of chamber music that has been neglected for over 100 years is enormously exciting and bears a considerable responsibility.

The Nonet, written for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, string bass, and piano, was first performed on July 5, 1895.