San Gabriel Valley Tribune: “'Classically Black' is a musical showcase”

[Eldred Marshall]

On October 25, 2009 AfriClassical posted: “AfriClassical Interviews African American Pianist Eldred Marshall.” Eldred, whose website is http://www.eldredmarshall.net/, came to our attention because of his “Classically Black” program in San Bernardino, California. Today we report on plans for the second annual program in the series, whose sponsors include the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians:

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Michel Nolan, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/07/2010

“A. Majadi hopes an evening of beautiful music will expand the horizons of young people.

In fact, he's planning on it. President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino, Majadi says a concert of classical music on Sunday is an excellent way to expose young people to the genre. The event? 'Classically Black ... A Night at the Symphony.'

“It's a concert showcasing classically trained African-American musicians. The concert is the annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino. 'This event promises to enlighten the community and perhaps even inspire a young person to pursue a career in classical music,' he said. Now in its second year, the program will feature acclaimed pianist Eldred Marshall.”

“CLASSICALLY BLACK ... A NIGHT AT THE SYMPHONY

What: Showcase of classically trained African-American musicians

When: 4:30 p.m. Sunday; doors open at 3 p.m.

Where: California Theatre of the Performing Arts, 562 W. Fourth St., San Bernardino

Tickets: $20 adults; $10 students

Information: Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino, 909-888-6751”

Pianist Eldred Marshall Joins SMU Voices of Inspiration in Black History Concert Feb. 28

[“The Brahms Recital” of Eldred Marshall]

A story in today's Dallas News highlights the role of pianist Eldred Marshall in a Black History Month event set for Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. In October and November of 2009 AfriClassical explored Eldred Marshall's career in music, including his two CDs.

DallasNews.com

“A month celebrating black history set to end with a flourish”

12:00 AM CST on Wednesday, February 24, 2010

“The Southern Methodist University Voices of Inspiration gospel choir and classical pianist Eldred Marshall will be among singers, dancers and narrators who will explore Africa's influence on gospel music at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Mount Horeb Missionary Baptist Church, 3306 Carpenter Ave. Call 214-502-9077.”

On October 25, 2009 AfriClassical posted: “AfriClassical Interviews African American Pianist Eldred Marshall.” A short time later, on Nov. 4, 2009, Eldred was again featured in: “'The Brahms Recital' CD of African American Pianist Eldred Marshall Available From Website.” After six years as a staff member for several elected officials, he had recently returned to school. Eldred is currently a graduate student working on a Master's degree in Piano Performance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The pianist explained that in 2008 he made two CDs which are available at his website, http://www.eldredmarshall.net/ The first to be recorded was “Eldred Marshall: Live and Uncut,” consisting of works composed by Liszt, Haydn, Bach, Schumann and himself.

The second CD was “The Brahms Recital.” Its program is the “Piano Sonata No. 9 in F Minor, Op. 5” (1853) and “Four Piano Pieces, Op. 119” (1893). The CD was recorded at Wahlberg Studios in San Francisco in July 2008. The critically acclaimed artist has performed internationally: Spain, Italy and the Republic of San Marino. A landmark in his career was to become the first African-American/Black pianist to perform the entire cycle of 32 piano sonatas of Beethoven in public, from memory, as a concentrated series. In the fall and winter of 2007, he performed the feat in Portland, Oregon. In the winter and spring of 2008, he repeated the series in San Francisco.

Comment by email

You caught my on one of my busiest weeks yet: tomorrow, Thursday, I will conduct members of the SMU/Meadows Symphony Orchestra from the piano in two Mozart piano concerti - nos. 9 & 20, with all my own cadenzas - in addition to performing in that concert on Sunday. At the Sunday concert, I'll be doing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's arrangement of "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" from his 24 Negro Songs, op. 59. Hope you're doing well! Thanks for the post. Eldred