Philly.com: NANM Honors Pianist Blanche Burton-Lyles, Founder of 'Marian Anderson Residence Museum'

[Blanche Burton-Lyles, Founder of Marian Anderson Residence Museum]

Philly.com

Posted on Sun, Jul. 24, 2011

Nurturing and advancing a proud musical tradition

By David Patrick Stearns

Inquirer Classical Music Critic

“In a city with much music and many African American musicians, the National Association of Negro Musicians, whose national convention begins here Sunday, shouldn't seem like such a secret. Were it not for the 92-year-old organization, the early careers of the late, legendary Marian Anderson, as well as the very much alive mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, might well have been harder.” “So if there's extra excitement around Center City's Doubletree Hotel this weekend, it's because NANM is using it as its convention nerve center though Monday. (The concluding gala concert, featuring Simpson and numerous well-known singers such as Donnie Ray Albert and Marquita Lister, will be Monday at North Philadelphia's Bright Hope Baptist Church.)”

“One member currently being boosted by the organization is the young Philadelphia pianist Dynasty Battles, a longtime Settlement Music School student who won last year's NANM competition and has recently finished his first year at Temple University. If there's one thing that tells him his talent is worth developing, it's that the African American composer George Walker's Piano Sonata No. 1, generally considered to be challenging, almost feels easy to him, 'as if I'm playing something out of my own life experience.'" “Battles will perform during the convention under the watchful eye of pianist Blanche Burton-Lyles, one of the guild's venerable members, who is being honored for her decades of service to the Philadelphia community.

“Now in her 70s, she discovered while growing up in Philadelphia that she had perfect pitch and went on to become the first African American woman to graduate from the Curtis Institute and to perform as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic. While she has plenty of music chops, she's something of an attitude-adjustment counselor - or, as Simpson calls her, 'a finishing school for when you think you're already finished.'" “One of the local guild's main philosophical beacons is the iconic Anderson, whose memory is kept alive by Burton-Lyles' creation of the Marian Anderson Residence Museum at 762 Martin St.” [George Walker (b. 1922) has a website at: http://georgetwalker.com/ and is featured at AfriClassical.com]

CBMR Newsletter: 'Early Registration Deadline is May 31' for 2011 Annual Meeting of NANM

The CBMR Newsletter is distributed by email to members of the Center for Black Music Research. AfriClassical presents an excerpt from the May, 2011 Newsletter:

“NANM Annual Meeting

The 2011 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Negro Musicians is being held in Phildelphia during July 22–29, 2011. The early registration deadline is May 31, so register now:

http://www.nanm.org/page2.htm”

NANM's D.C. Chapter Named For Ben Holt (1955-1990) & Inaugurated in Presence of Mrs. Mayme Wilkins Holt

[Ben Holt (1955-1990) (Photo by Christian Steiner)]

Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory is principal advisor to AfriClassical.com. He sends this post on Ben Holt and steps taken to commemorate his life and career:

The National Association of Negro Musicians has established a chapter in Washington DC, named in memory of baritone Ben Holt (1955-1990). The formal inauguration was held 17 October at Ashbury United Methodist Church in the presence of Mrs. Mayme Wilkins Holt, who had previously established a student scholarship in her son's memory at his alma mater, the Juilliard School of Music.

Charter members include Patrick D. McCoy, president, and the composer Evelyn Simpson-Currenton, vice-president. Dr. Mickey Thomas Terry, organist, was among the participants for the occasion, as was mezzo-soprano Kehembe Eichelberger, who spoke on behalf of Ben Holt's colleagues from the Metropolitan Opera.

A tribute was offered from his residence in Switzerland by bass-baritone Kevin Short, who had appeared in the première of X; The life and times of Malcolm X, the opera by Anthony Davis in which Holt played the title role: "His technical command and interpretive gifts were so outstanding that they still resonate with me almost 30 years later."

The Ben Holt Memorial Concert Series, originated in Chicago in 1992 by the Center for Black Music Research, is now an annual feature of Lawrence University's Conservatory of Music, dedicated to the presentation of young minority professional artists. A web site, developed by Antonio Green, can be consulted at http://www.benholtarchive.com/.

Art Songs & Piano Works of H. Leslie Adams at NANM Scholarship Hearing in Cleveland April 16

[H. Leslie Adams]

The American Composers Alliance Announces that Art Songs and Piano Works of H. Leslie Adams will be performed at a Scholarship Hearing of the NANM (The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc.) in Cleveland on April 16, 2010. H. Leslie Adams explains the event:

“Aspiring contestants perform for a jury their chosen selections on the regional division of the national organization. Those receiving high ratings will go on to perform at the annual national convention. The regional 'hearing' is attended by local audiences in and around the state. The national convention is attended by members from all the states.”

Friday, April 16, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.

Antioch Baptist Church

East 89th & Cedar Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44106

(216) 721-0046

Special featured performance of "The Ecstasy of Love for Viola and Piano." Eliesha Nelson, viola; Dianna White-Gould, piano. The public is invited.

HOMEPAGE: http://www.hleslieadams.com and http://www.hleslieadams.net

[H. Leslie Adams (b. 1932) is an African American composer, pianist and professor who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a Works List and Bibliography compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma]

Imani Winds: 2009 NANM Gala Artists in Concert, Monday, July 27, 7:30 PM

The Imani Winds will be in concert in the Grand Ballroom, The Double Tree Hotel, Chicago Magnificent Mile, 300 East Ohio Street,Chicago, Il 60611 Ticket price: $35.00. Tickets may be purchased at http://www.nanm.org or at the Hyde Park Suzuki Institute, 5500 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, on Mondays through Thursdays from 2:00 until 7:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Please call 773-643-1388 to confirm ticket availability. If ordering by mail, please make checks payable to NANM, Inc., and furnish a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Celebrating our 90th Anniversary in Chicago, “Our Hometown.” NANM (The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc.) 11551 South Laflin Street, Post Office Box 45053, Chicago, IL 60643 773-568-3818 (Voice) 773-785-5388 (Fax)