Atlantic City N.J. Music Festival: Pianist Richard C. Alston in 'Classically Black' Oct. 14, 7 PM Dante Hall of the Arts

[Richard C. Alston]

ATLANTIC CITY N.J.
MUSIC FESTIVAL

Richard Stockton College

Dante Hall of the Arts

14 N. Mississippi Ave.

Friday October 14 • 7 p.m.

Pianist

Richard Alston

Classically Black

Extraordinary music by

composers of African descent,

including

Scott Joplin,

Margaret Bonds,

William Grant Still,

George Walker

and others.

Richard C. Alston

will open the concert/lecture with

"Troubled Water"

by

Margaret Bonds

[Margaret Allison Bonds, Scott Joplin,

William Grant Still and George Walker

are featured at AfriClassical.com,

which features Works Lists of

Margaret Allison Bonds

and William Grant Still

by

Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,

http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com]

Richard C. Alston Plays Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' at 'American Dreamers' Concert Feb. 12

[Richard C. Alston]

On Nov. 21 AfriClassical posted: “Ensemble du Monde in 'American Dreamers' Feb. 12: Gershwin, Barber, Copland, Still & Onovwerosuoke.” We have learned that pianist Richard C. Alston will perform at the concert as well.

“Ensemble du Monde presents ‘American Dreamers‘

concert in Black History Month features renowned director and producer Chapman Roberts (host) with special guest soprano Alison Buchanan and pianist Richard Alston:

“On February 12, 2011 at 8pm at Merkin Concert Hall, Ensemble du Monde will explore the diversity of American composers in Black History Month with a spectacular concert featuring iconic works of George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, William Grant Still and a world premiere by Fred Onovwerosuoke.

Music Director Marlon Daniel leads the orchestra. Also featured are critically acclaimed British soprano Alison Buchanan performing Barber’s Knoxville and Richard Alston in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Other guests include renowned director and producer Chapman Roberts and composer Fred Onovwerosuoke.

AMERICAN DREAMERS

Marlon Daniel, conductor & piano

Alison Buchanan, soprano

Richard Alston, piano

Chapman Roberts, host

ONOVWEROSUOKE New Work TBA (world premiere)

GRANT STILL Mother and Child

BARBER Knoxville: Summer of 1915

COPLAND Appalachian Spring*

GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

*soloists: Crystal Zagarello - flute, Liz Player - clarinet, Susanne Chen - bassoon

Tickets are $50 (priority), $40 and $20 (seniors and students)

MERKIN CONCERT HALL | 129 West 67th Street NYC | (212) 501-3330

Buy tickets online at http://www.smarttix.com

Programming of Marvin V. Curtis & Playing of Richard C. Alston Are Among Highlights of IUSB's 'Lift Every Voice'

(TOP: Richard C. Alston as "Jasbro Brown" in "Porgy and Bess" BOTTOM: Marvin v. Curtis)

In recent months, AfriClassical has frequently posted news of both Maestro Marvin V. Curtis and pianist Richard C. Alston. Since the concert on Feb. 27, 2010 we have already had occasion on March 9, 2010 to write “Richard C. Alston is 'Jasbro Brown' in New Jersey State Opera's 'Porgy and Bess' May 21 & 23.”

Indiana University, South Bend concert celebrates African-American composers and musicians

South Bend Events Examiner
March 8, 2010

Jessica Chalmers

With Marvin Curtis’s arrival in 2008 as Indiana, South Bend’s Dean of the School of the Arts, the Michiana arts scene has had an infusion of life. The African-American community has especially been gifted by his arrival, since he has produced and performed several significant concerts featuring top black performers, professionals who have performed classics as well as heretofore underplayed masterpieces by significant black composers. Curtis himself is mild-mannered, a gentlemanly sort of person whose softly spoken introductions at concerts belie what must be a determined and committed interior. To what is he committed? To the students at IU, South Bend, first of all, who have received the benefit of Dr. Curtis’s extensive experience as, most recently, Assistant Dean and Choral Director at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. As a composer from whom work was commissioned to be performed at the Clinton 1993 inaugural, Curtis has bolstered an already successful music department's international reputation and diverse offerings.”

“The concert Lift Every Voice, which took place on February 27, 2010, was the capstone event celebrating Black History Month at IUSB.” "Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953), a woman whose intensive classical training was matched by her knowledge and use of folk sources, was the first African American female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra.” “The evening’s selections began with her Fantasie Negre, played by Richard C. Alston on piano, which was reminiscent of Charles Ives in its 'democratic' mixture of modernist dissonance, Americana and classical scoring. The performers, in the main, distinguished themselves, starting with Alston, who poured himself into the changing drama of the Fantasie. Lecolion Washington on bassoon was wonderful to hear; his beautifully restrained tone and lyrical interpretation of pieces by Beethoven and Ulysses Kay were a pleasure.” (Florence B. Price and Ulysses S. Kay are profiled at AfriClassical.com)

The Vector: 'Music is Universal: The Sounds of Richard Alston'

[Richard C. Alston, Pianist]

The Vector, the student newspaper of the New Jersey Institute of Technology
NJITVector.com
Posted on 16 February 2010
Mike Lowry
Editor-in-Chief
Frank Minichini
Staff Writer
“Wednesday February 3rd in the Jim Wise Theatre, Essex County College professor and Julliard School of Music graduate Richard Alston performed a piano concert featuring classical music by composers of African descent. The concert, according to Alston, was 'A labor of love' and a tribute to the contributions people of color have made to the classical music genre throughout history. 'I stand on their shoulders,' he said before the concert began, 'if it wasn’t for what they went through, I wouldn’t be performing here today.'

“The entire theater was packed with students, professors, faculty, staff, deans, and administrators eager for something unique and compelling. In a little over an hour, Alston performed pieces from a wide range of artists including Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St. Georges, Scott Joplin, R. Nathaniel Dett, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and George Walker. In fact, for almost all of the songs, Alston played without the aid of a score. When asked, he admitted that in fact the entire repertoire was committed to memory, and the only reason he had the score at all for some selections was because he had only recently memorized them.

“The most important things that Alston hoped his audience learned from the composers he highlighted was 'The fact that they exist, and that they’ve existed for a long time.' He also added that 'Music is an international language,' and 'Everybody—any race of people—can write anything, and write it well.'” “Alston was passionate about his connection to other composers and musicians of his own heritage. 'When you play a part of music, you are becoming part of something that was created by somebody, and there is, I feel, a spiritual connection.' He continued to say that 'Music is beyond this,' meaning that the nature of music transcends the boundaries of the physical world and touches something deeper." [Margaret Bonds, R. Nathaniel Dett, Scott Joplin, Florence B. Price, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges and George Walker are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Comment by email
Richard, Wonderful, wonderful and congratulations! Yes, Richard. To know that the works of these artists exist and the compositions are of great merit is important. Kudos to you for your insight and determination. -- Gwen Moten

Richard Alston's 'Songs of Love for the Piano' on Feb. 7 is Postponed Due to Snow

[Richard C. Alston, Pianist]

Paul Somers, host of Maurice River Music, says he and Richard C. Alston have agreed to postpone the program until April or May due to forecasts of a foot or more of snow by Sunday.

Maurice River Music Presents its fourteenth salon concert

Concerts in an intimate home setting since 2007

Richard Alston

"Songs of Love for the Piano”

just right for the Valentines season

Music by Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, Kreisler, Rossini, Gershwin, and more, all arranged for virtuoso piano by the likes of Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and the late Earl Wild.

Sunday, February 7, 2:30 pm

Youʼll be home in time for the SuperBowl kick-off!

All concerts are held in a home in the Mauricetown, New Jersey area.

Because of very limited seating, reservations must be made previous to the day of the concert.

At the conclusion of each concert the hat (yes, a real hat) will be passed to defray expenses.

For information and reservations please call 856-506-0580

Richard Alston Plays Saint-Georges, R.N. Dett, S. Joplin, F. Price, M. Bonds & G. Walker Feb. 3 at NJIT

(Richard C. Alston)

New Jersey's Science and Technology University (NJIT) is the venue for a Black History Month performance by pianist Richard C. Alston, Assistant Professor of Music at Essex County College. AfriClassical's many posts about him include one on June 26, 2009: “Pianist Richard C. Alston Has Arensky CD & Performs African American Composers on YouTube.” We often listen to our copy of the CD, which he recorded with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Paul Freeman; the recording is: Centaur Records CRC 2307 (1997).

Wed. Feb 3, 3:00 – 4:30 PM

Jim Wise Theater
Richard Alston is deeply committed to sharing music as a distinguished pianist and educator, and classical works by composers of African descent are a specialty in his extensive repertoire. On February 3 at NJIT, he will perform and offer commentary on selections from the music of artists such as Joseph de Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint Georges, Scott Joplin, R. Nathaniel Dett, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds and George Walker. After earning his bachelor’s at The Juilliard School, Alston was awarded the prestigious Maria Guerra Judelson Scholarship in piano to return to Juilliard for his master’s. He then embarked on a career in both classical piano performance and performing arts education. His performance credits range from live opera and recitals to radio and television broadcasts as well as recordings.

Under Alston’s direction as assistant professor of music at Essex County College, the school’s associate’s degree program in music has flourished to become a full-fledged performing arts department of music, dance and drama. Highlights of his contributions to the department consist of a program that allows high school students to audition for opportunities to study at the college level, and the development of courses in musical computer technology marked by the construction of a new technical music lab. (Composers listed above are profiled at AfriClassical.com)

Pianist Richard C. Alston Has Arensky CD & Performs African American Composers on YouTube

[Anton Arensky: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 2; Twelve Etudes for Piano, Op. 74; Etude Op. 36, No. 13; Etude Op. 25, No. 3; Richard Alston, piano; Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Freeman, conductor; Centaur Records CRC 2307 (1997)]

The African American pianist Richard C. Alston has performed widely in the United States and Europe in solo recitals and concerts with orchestras. His website tells us: “A native of East Orange, NJ, Richard received his first instruction from Dorothy Earley, and by the age of eight, was playing organ and piano for the First Baptist Church in Union, NJ. He later continued with Sylvia Rabinof of New York and received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music, in New York City, where he studied with Irwin Freundlich and Josef Raieff. He was later awarded the highly prestigious Maria Guerra Judelson Scholarship in piano to return to Juilliard for his Master’s degree as well.” Richard Alston played the role of Jasbo Brown in the Metropolitan Opera's revival of “Porgy and Bess”. Richard Alston is Professor of Music at Essex County College in New Jersey and has frequently served as a part-time instructor at Rutgers University's Newark Campus. He is also on the Board of Music Advisors of the Education Opportunity Program (EOP) at Westminster Choir College, a division of Rider University in Princeton.

Anton Stepanovich Arensky (1861-1906) was a Russian composer of the Romantic Period. Richard Alston is the piano soloist on a recording of Arensky's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 2; Twelve Etudes for Piano, Op. 74; Etude Op. 36, No. 13 and Etude Op. 25, No. 3. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra performs under the direction of Paul Freeman, conductor, who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, on Centaur Records CRC 2307 (1997). Alston also performed two of the etudes on NPR's classical music program Performance Today for a broadcast on July 28, 1998. The program's website gives this background: “Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov predicted that his former student Anton Stepanovich Arensky would be 'soon forgotten' as a composer. Pianist Richard Alston proves him wrong with his performance of two Arensky etudes. (Centaur CRC 2307)” Alston says he met Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma “...when I made my debut with the Symphony of the New World, Everett Lee conducting.” Dr. De Lerma wrote this note of thanks for a copy of Arensky CD Alston sent him: “Thank you so very, very much for the Arensky CD! This healthy romantic literature I had not known before. You have performed a great service in bringing it to light..........you play so totally musically! It is a splendid recording! Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor of Music, Lawrence University”

Richard Alston specializes in repertoire of composers of African descent. An example of his many recitals is one listed in the April 2009 E-Newsletter of Essex County College: “Professor Richard Alston, music coordinator at ECC, will be the featured pianist in the concert/lecture 'Classically Black' on April 9, 2:30 p.m. in the Dasher Student Center, Newark campus. He will perform the works of composers of African descent.” Composers of African descent in Alston's repertoire range from Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) to George Walker (b. 1922). The pianist has 13 concert videos, including Adagio in F Minor of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, at: http://www.youtube.com/rcapno