François Clemmons Sings Opera & Spirituals; holds 'Twilight Chair' in Dept. of Music, Middlebury College, Vermont

[Prof. François S. Clemmons]

Almeta Speaks of Paris, France tells AfriClassical about François Clemmons, who is a tenor and Professor in the Department of Music of Middlebury College, Vermont. She writes, in part:

“Before he embarked on his academic career he sang Opera and Classical concert world-wide. He also had a recurring role...on Mr. Rogers for PBS. He sits the very prestigious Twilight Chair in the Music Department of Middlebury College.

“The Chair is named for the first Vermont free-born African-American to earn a college degree in America, Alexander Lucius Twilight (Sept. 26, 1795 - June 19, 1857). Twilight attended Middlebury College from 1821 and graduated 1823.”

François Scarborough Clemmons refers to himself as “Diva Man” at his website,

https://segue.middlebury.edu/sites/clemmons

Middlebury College

Department of Music

Alexander Twilight Artist-in-Residence

François Clemmons [Excerpts]

“François S. Clemmons was born April 23, 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama and moved with his family to Youngstown, Ohio at an early age. When it was discovered that he had a singing voice of purity and power, he began singing at Church functions and at a nursery school. His first songs were the Spirituals of pre-Civil War America, which he had heard his mother sing at home while she was working. He branched out to sing for different community groups, and for a while, was even the lead singer of a rock 'n' roll group called the 'Jokers'.

“He earned his Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin College (Ohio) and his Master of Fine Arts at Carnegie-Mellon University (Pennsylvania). During graduation exercises in 1996 at Middlebury College in Vermont, he was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts. In 1968 he won the regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Pittsburgh, and went on the Cleveland, Ohio where he won a position in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Studio.

“He sang there for seven seasons performing over seventy roles with various companies such as: The New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Opera Ebony, Opera South, Toledo Opera, and Washington Civic Opera.”

“Clemmons has performed the role of 'Sportin' Life' from George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess over 100 times. His recording of the role on London Records with the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Lorin Maazel won a Grammy Award in 1973.”

“As Founder/Director of the world-famous Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, Maestro Clemmons performs regularly all over America, Europe, and Asia, carrying on his vision for preserving, sustaining and commissioning new and traditional arrangements of American Negro Spirituals for future generations. In 1996 Strube Verlag of Munich, Germany published a volume of American Negro Spirituals arranged by Dr. Clemmons entitled: Song For Today. In 1997 He commissioned an arrangement of Spirituals from composer Linda Twine, entitled ‘Changed My Name.’ They are published by Hinshaw Music. In 1999 Dr. Clemmons wrote the introduction to An Index to African American Spirituals for the Solo Voice compiled by Kathleen Abromeit and published by The Greenwood Publishing Group.”

Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Tours With Music of William Grant Still

“William Grant Still: Celebrating An American Master Composer” is a 5-city tour of Mississippi by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Crafton Beck, in honor of the African American composer who was a native of the State.

“The Mississippi Arts Commission and the MSO present a tribute to the legendary William Grant Still, Mississippi native and internationally known composer. The concert will showcase the broad range of Still’s inspiring compositions, from his symphonic works to his arrangements of spirituals. Choirs from across Mississippi will be joined by soloists and the full MSO for this tribute. The concert is presented through the leadership of the Mississippi Arts Commission and generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Initiative and the Phil Hardin Foundation and will be presented in several venues throughout the state.”

The dates and locations of the concerts are:

Oct. 12, 2007 Thalia Mara Hall, Jackson, MS 7:30pm

Oct. 14, 2007 Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 4:00pm For tickets, call (662) 915-7411
The Ole Miss Concert Singers, Delta State University Chorale, and Rust College Choir will perform with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Crafton Beck.

Nov. 9, 2007 Riley Center, Mississippi State University, Meridian, MS 8pm

Nov. 11, 2007 Bennett Auditorium, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 3pm

Nov. 15, 2007 Bologna Performing Arts Center, Cleveland, MS 7:30pm

The CD shown above, Bridge 9086 (1999), features William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Karl Krueger, conductor.

"What a mighty God; Spirituals and gospels for chorus" by Dominique-René de Lerma

Introduction

Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma is an oboist and musicologist who has been a Professor of Music and a prolific author for more than half a century. For the past four decades he has specialized in Black classical music. The review of the series of four CDs appears in the August 2007 eNewsletter of the Myrtle Hart Society and is used by permission of its Founder/Director, Rashida Black, an African American harpist. The eNewsletter is free and may be requested by E-mail to enewsletter@myrtlehart.org

Witness, the soul of American music
By Dominique-René de Lerma; Part 3 of 4

What a mighty God; Spirituals and gospels for chorus

VocalEssence Ensemble; Philip Brunelle, conductor; liner notes by Dominique-René de Lerma; texts; series note; performer bios.

Abels, Michael. What a might God. Moore by Four; VocalEssence Chorus; Sanford Moore, piano; Joe Pulice, drums; Gordon Johnson, double bass. (4:14).
Adelmann, Dale. Swing low, sweet chariot. Steve Burger, baritone. (3:27).
Burleigh, Harry T. My Lord, what a morning. (3:40).
Dennard, Brazeal W. Hush! Somebody's calling my name. Yolanda Williams, soprano. (4:40).
Hailstork, Adolphus. Crucifixion. (5:14).
Hairston, Jester. In dat great gittin' up mornin'. Yolanda Williams, soprano. (3:03).
Halloran, Jack. Witness. Sigrid Johnson, conductor. (3:27).
Harris, Robert A. Go down, Moses. Yolanda Williams, soprano. (5:12).
Hogan, Moses. Elijah rock. (3:42).
Moore, Sanford. Go, tell it on the mountain. Robert Commodore, drums; Jay Young, double bass. (5:04).
Moore, Sanford. This train. Moore by Four. (7:39).
Scholz, Robert. Were you there? Brian Link, Tenor. (4:00).
Smallwood, Richard. Jesus, lover of my soul. Moore by Four; Philip Brunelle, piano. (5:22).
Smith, William Henry. Walk together, children. Sanford Moore, piano. (2:33).
Thomas, André. Death is gonna lay his cold, icy hands on me. James Bohn, baritone; Sanford Moore, piano. (3:45).
Thomas, André. Go where I send thee. Michael Morgensen, baritone; Charles Kemper, piano. (3:27).

Non-Black choruses and soloists are either fearless or inhibited when it comes to the performance of spirituals or texts with dialect. Is there any reason why they should avoid this music? If so, then in a parallel situation, a Black singer should avoid German Lieder and Italian opera, but what a loss it would be had Leontyne Price or Jessye Norman followed that restriction! Of course, these ladies had to deal with diction in the foreign language, but that is an obligation every singer must face. It is not a linguistic barrier facing the non-Black singer when the repertoire is enriched, it is political. Jessye Norman's French is so flawless that she was called on to participate in the 200^th anniversary of the French revolution, and no protest was registered to my knowledge from France, which has a very strong protectionist policy about its culture.

Brunelle's singers face the dialect straight on, and replicate the sonority of a fine Black college chorus. So also do the singers from St. Olaf, guided by Dr. Anton Armstrong.

The question arises about the setting of a traditional spiritual by one who is not Black, and that is exemplified in a few instances with this recording, but a critical listener would be no more able to identify those composers than one can signal the gender of a composer by the sound of the music.

Of course, we are blessed by the masterful settings of such classic figures as Burleigh (his My Lord might well be the most marvelously performed work here), Hairston, and the more recent figures such as Thomas, Dennard, Hailstork, and Harris. The gospel element enters with the performances of Moore by Four, a well-established ensemble, although some might feel this idiom is in strange company here.

Bach's Sheep may safely graze is merged with Jesus, love of my soul, a gospel synthesis so often beautifully performed in recital by the late Pearl Williams-Jones.

But who is Michael Abels? We first encountered his work in Detroit some years back, when Global warming heralded the emergence of a quite gifted young man. We do not even yet have a proper perspective on his output, where are found pieces for children performers and now he appears in gospel guise. One yearns to have him better represented on recordings.