Hannibal Lokumbe's 'Dear Mrs. Parks' on WHPK-FM Chicago Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010

[ABOVE: CD Sleeve; BELOW: CD Cover; Hannibal Lokumbe: Dear Mrs. Parks; Janice Chandler-Eteme, Soprano; Jevetta Steele, Mezzo-soprano; Kevin Deas, Bass; Taylor Gardner, Child Soprano; Rackham Symphony Choir and Suzanne Mallare Acton, Chorus Master; Brazeal Dennard Chorale and Dr. Augustus O. Hill, Director; Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Thomas Wilkins, Resident Conductor; Naxos 8.559668 (2009) (59:03)]

On Dec. 3, 2009 AfriClassical posted: “Naxos Releases Hannibal Lokumbe's Oratorio 'Dear Mrs. Parks' On CD Dec. 15, 2009.” Sergio Mims is an African American radio host of a classical music program on WHPK-FM 88.5 in Chicago and streamed on the Internet. He sends us this news:

“I'm sure that you and all your readers will love to know that on Jan. 26, 2010 on my classical music show on WHPK-FM (88.5FM Chicago and http://www.whpk.org live stream worldwide) I will be broadcasting (around the 1:30 PM hour - Central Time) that new Naxos CD recording, released just last month, of Hannibal Lokumbe's oratorio “Dear Mrs. Parks.” Sergio Mims

Hannibal Lokumbé's “Dear Mrs. Parks” To Be Recorded By Detroit Symphony Orchestra

[African Portraits; Hannibal Lokumbé; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Teldec (1996)]

The African American jazz trumpeter and composer Hannibal Lokumbé (b. 1948) was born Marvin Peterson in Smithville, Texas. His oratorio Dear Mrs. Parks, about the famed Civil Rights figure Rosa
Parks, was given its world premiere by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2005. We recently learned that the orchestra plans to record the work for the acclaimed Naxos “American Classics” series next season. Scott Roush, Public Relations Associate for the DSO, tells AfriClassical: “William, thank you for your interest. I do know it will be recorded next season, I just do not know when yet. We will have a specific press release about the recording sometime next season.”