Yéle Haiti: 'Trilogy and Voilà Honored by US State Department'

[After presenting the ACE Award, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poses with (from left) Brad Horwitz, President of Trilogy International Partners; John Stanton, Chairman of Trilogy; Wyclef Jean; Bernard Fils-Aime, President, Fondation Voilà.]

On Nov. 29, 2009 AfriClassical posted: “Yéle Haiti, Wyclef Jean, OAS & École de Musique Sainte Trinité Launch 'Youth Orchestra of Haiti.'” A Newsletter post was made today on an award to a principal sponsor:
http://www.yele.org/newsletter:
“Trilogy and Voilà Honored by US State Department - December 30, 2009
The Yéle team, led by founder Wyclef Jean, was on hand in Washington, D.C as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Trilogy International Partners with the Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) on December 9, 2009. The company was recognized for their extensive corporate responsibility programs offered by its wireless telcommunications subsidiary, Voilà, and its contribution to economic development in Haiti and transparency of its business practices there.

“Fondation Voilà [Voilà Foundation] has been a principal sponsor of Yéle Haiti since we launched in 2005.”

Sphinx Organization: 'Sphinx Programs and Founder on Fox News Tomorrow!' 3-4 PM & 7-8 PM ET

[Photo of Aaron P. Dworkin by Bruce Giffin, Detroit Public Television]

The Sphinx Organization announces that its video at RealAmericanStories.com will be shown on Fox News tomorrow, Dec. 31, 2009:
“Catch 'Real American Stories' on Fox News,” 3-4 PM ET; or 7-8 PM ET Dec. 31”
On the video Melissa White, violinist, Sphinx Laureate and member of the Harlem Quartet, joins in articulating the vision and unparalleled accomplishments in Classical Music Diversity of Aaron P. Dworkin, Winner of a MacArthur Genius Fellowship and countless other honors, who is Founder and President of the Sphinx Organization, headquartered in Detroit and serving the country. [Aaron P. Dworkin (b. 1970) is profiled at AfriClassical.com as a Musician of African Descent]

AfriClassical.com Bio of Haitian Composer Julio Racine Has New French Version

[Julio Racine]

Renée Schwartz is a Research Engineer at l'Université de Liège in Belgium. She generously volunteered to translate the new page on the Haitian composer Julio Racine. Her translation was added to the website yesterday: http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/Julio.html

This contribution is very timely, because Black History Month will be observed in February in Canada, Jamaica and the United States. Julio Racine sends us this message:
“Thank you for the effort to obtain a translation of the page. This is very good and I will tell some of my friends in Haiti.”

For educators who would like to celebrate Black History Month as part of French instruction, AfriClassical.com offers a number of pages which have been translated by native speakers of French: Akpabot, Samuel Ekpe; Alberga, Eleanor; Brouwer, Leo; Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel; Dédé, Edmond; Dett, R. Nathaniel; Ellington, Edward Kennedy “Duke”; Joplin, Scott; Price, Florence Beatrice Smith; Racine, Julio; Saint-Georges, Le Chevalier de; Still, William Grant.
Julio Racine
Haitian Composer
French Version
French Language

Roberto Sierra's 'Sinfonia No. 4' is First Work Composed for Sphinx Commissioning Consortium

[Roberto Sierra]

Sphinx Organization
“The Quarter Note,” Vol. 11, No. 1, Winter 2010
“Much like the musicians on classical music stages, there is little diversity among the composers whose work is performed on those stages. Intent on building diversity in this important aspect of classical music, Sphinx joined forces with twelve orchestras to commission a new work from a Black or Latino composer each year. Thus was born the Sphinx Commissioning Consortium.

"From a pool of nominees, the consortium awarded the commission to Roberto Sierra. His new Sinfonia No. 4 is the consortium's first completed piece. The Nashville Symphony Orchestra premiered the piece in October with Giancarlo Guerrero conducting. Performances by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, both consortium member orchestras, followed. After just a handful of performances, Sierra's piece is fulfilling the mission of the Sphinx Commissioning Consortium. Performances are already scheduled with orchestras around the country, including two that are not members of the consortium.”

The article indicates that the next three performances of Roberto Sierra's Sinfonia No. 4 will be:
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra January 24, 2010
Richmond Symphony Orchestra February 6-7, 2010
Detroit Symphony Orchestra February 26-28, 2010

NashvilleSymphony.org
"Sinfonia No. 4 was commissioned in 2008 by the Inaugural Sphinx Commissioning Consortium’s founding members: Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta (our nation’s most diverse orchestra), Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Nashville Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, New World Symphony (America’s Orchestral Academy), Philadelphia Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, The Sphinx Organization, Virginia Symphony."

Program Notes by Thomas May:
“Puerto Rican-born composer Roberto Sierra has developed a unique style characterized by infusing classical forms and genres with Latin American idioms. The composer refers to the process of creating these vibrantly colorful hybrids as 'tropicalization.' The journeys that Sierra undertakes are not limited to the geographical. His compositions also travel freely across time. His Concierto barroco for guitar, for example, was inspired by the historical novel of the same name by Alejo Carpentier. The music treks back to the 18th century to conjure the novelist’s imagined meeting of Handel and Vivaldi with a slave from the New World.”

Roberto Sierra
Puerto Rican Composer
Sinfonia No. 4
Sphinx Commissioning Consortium
Nashville Symphony
Tropicalization Style

Dr. William Chapman Nyaho, U.S. Pianist of Ghanaian Heritage, Born Dec. 28, 1958

[ASA: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; William Chapman Nyaho, piano; MSR Classics MS1242 (2008)]

Dr. William Chapman Nyaho was born in Washington, D.C. But while still an infant he was taken by his parents to their native Ghana, where they raised him. Following his music education, he settled in the country of his birth. His biographical profile can be found at AfriClassical.com and at http://www.nyaho.com/.

CultureMob.com presents some of Dr. Nyaho's background, in anticipation of his return to Vashon Island, Washington State, for a performance at the Blue Heron Arts Center at 7:30 PM, Jan. 9, 2010:

“According to cd liner notes by friend/mentor, Maya Angelou, Chapman Nyaho, a famed concert pianist, chose compositions, which allowed him to display his virtuosity.”

“Youngest of six, Nyaho's musical aspirations were encouraged by his family in a home always filled with music. He earned his BA from Oxford University's Honour School of Music. He continued his piano studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music where he graduated with his Master of Music degree, and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.”

“Following four years as a North Carolina Visiting Artist, Nyaho taught at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and was recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award and held the Heymann Endowed Professorship. Nyaho recently served as Visiting Professor of Music at Maine's Colby College and Visiting Artist at Oregon's Willamette University. During summers he has taught for Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and Vermont's Adamant Music School. Based in Renton, Nyaho teaches privately when home from touring and teaching posts. Nyaho's book, [a 5-volume set of sheet music] Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, and cds (both Piano Music by Composers of African descent) will be available at the concert.
Where: Blue Heron Art Center
Source: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/93781

Dr. Nyaho's latest CD, ASA: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; MSR Classics MS1242 (2008), has recently received a resoundingly favorable review from a respected journal of music criticism:

MusicWeb-International.com:
“This is a very attractive, and most rewarding, recital of music, much, if not all, of which will be totally unfamiliar to the majority of those reading this. There’s a vast variety of styles and sounds here, many taking the European model as a starting point but each work quickly takes its own path in a most fascinating way.”

Henry Fogel: 'Musicians need to hear from people like Aaron Dworkin of the Sphinx Foundation'

[Photo of Aaron P. Dworkin by Bruce Giffin, Detroit Public Television]

Henry Fogel is Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. Last month, he addressed the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Schools of Music. We present a brief excerpt from the speech, which can be read at: NASM.Arts-Accredit.org

“It is truly an honor to have been asked to speak with you today at this conference of the National Association of Schools of Music, especially when I consider all the work done by NASM member institutions, their administrators, faculty, and students, to advance music and its study throughout our nation over the last 85 years.”

“Musicians need to be sensitive to, and supportive of, efforts to diversify our world—strong, proactive efforts that will help to overcome a century of actual, real discrimination. While that situation has improved dramatically in our lifetimes, it is a very important and real part of our field’s history. Musicians need to hear from people like Aaron Dworkin of the Sphinx Foundation whose organization does a terrific job promoting string playing among young musicians of color, on the need for greater change in this area.” [Aaron P. Dworkin (b. 1970) is an African American violinist who is Founder/President of the Sphinx Organization. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com. His creative interests are expressed at his website http://www.Ethnovibe.com, where the items offered include Aaron's autobiography, “They Said I Wasn't Really Black.”]
They Said I Wasn't Really Black
Aaron Dworkin
Sphinx Organization
Henry Fogel
Musicians Need to Hear Aaron Dworkin
NASM Address

Comments by email
I know Henry. He is a superb human being in every regard. Dominique-René de Lerma
***************************
Wow:)... I didn't know... He is fantastic! Aaron Dworkin
***************************

Thank you for promoting the wonderful work of Aaron Dworkin, and for the kind words. I appreciate them very much. I am proud that the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University will now have a formal relationship with Sphinx. Henry Fogel

Conductor & Composer Paul Konye Credits Akin Euba & Samuel Ekpe Akpabot in Interview

[ABOVE: “Made in the Americas, Volume One, Set One: Symphonies & Soundscapes, The Music Of Living Composers From The Americas”; Millennium Symphony; Robert Ian Winstin, conductor; ERM Media 5572 (2009) BELOW: Dr. Paul Konye]

On June 7, 2008, AfriClassical posted: “Millennium Symphony Will Record 'A Tone Poem for Africa' of Nigerian Composer Paul Konye.” The 2-CD set has since been released as “Made in the Americas, Volume One, Set One: Symphonies & Soundscapes, The Music Of Living Composers From The Americas”; Millennium Symphony; Robert Ian Winstin, conductor; ERM Media 5572 (2009). Paul Konye's composition, “A Tone Poem for Africa” (5:36) is included.

DebateAndReview.com
“Feyi Raimi-Abraham interviews Dr Paul Konye, Nigerian Violinist, Conductor, Composer and Associate Professor of Music – Siena College, New York.
FRA Are there any other academically trained Nigerian conductors:
PK None that I know of at this point.
FRA What was your upbringing in Nigeria like?
PK I had a very fortunate upbringing in Nigeria in that I was raised by exceptionally loving parents who instilled proper values in me.
FRA How did you start playing the violin?
PK Though my love of music started in the Catholic Church, I had always wanted to play the violin but I did not get to study the violin formally until I declared to study Music (instead of the Sciences) as a teenager, during my A-level years at the Ibadan Polytechnic.
FRA You studied with prominent Nigerian musicians like Prof. Laz Ekwueme, Ada Fiberesima, Akin Euba, and Sam Akpabot – what was that like?
PK My interaction with the named icons of Nigerian art music was and remains invaluable. Each one of them provided me with uniquely different perspectives on music, and that has significantly shaped as well as added to the totality of who I am today, professionally." [Samuel Ekpe Akpabot and Akin Euba are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Paul Konye
Nigerian Conductor & Composer
Symphonies & Soundscapes
ERM 5572 (2009)
A Tone Poem for Africa
Debate & Review

'The Quarter Note': '13th Annual Sphinx Competition Semi-Finalists Announced'

[13th Annual Sphinx Competition Semi-Finalists, Photo from "The Quarter Note"]

Sphinx Organization
“The Quarter Note”
Vol. 11, No. 1, Winter 2010
“In November, entries poured in from all over the country for the 13th annual Sphinx Competition for young Black and Latino string players presented by DTE Energy Foundation. From the preliminary round, 18 young musicians have been invited to travel to Ann Arbor and Detroit to participate as semi-finalists in the Sphinx Competition. The Competition begins on February 3 and culminates in the Finals Concert on February 7, which will be recorded for broadcast on PBS stations.

“'We had an incredibly talented pool of applicants this year – many new faces as well as some past participants,' said Sphinx Artistic Director and Vice President of Programming Afa Sadykhly. 'We're looking forward to a great week with all these talented musicians.' This year's semi-finalists range in age from 13 to 25, and hail from 14 states. Four of them play cello, eight are violinists, four are violists, and two are bassists.

“The junior division semi-finalists are: Andrew Gonzalez of Chesapeake, VA; Annelle Gregory of San Diego, CA; Randall Goosby of Bartlett, TN; Brendon Elliott of Newport News, VA: Mariana Cottier-Bucco of Norristown, PA; Anna Maria Litvinenko of Miami, FL; Kenneth Alexander Jones-Madrid of Evanston, IL; Juan-Salvador Carrasco of Santa Monica, CA; and Xavier Foley of Marietta, GA.

“The semi-finalists of the senior division are: Victor Sotelo of Chicago, IL; Gareth Johnson of Wellington, FL; Javier Orman of Charleston, SC; Paul Laraia, III of Boston, MA; Britton Riley of Ann Arbor, MI; Nicholas Villalobos of Provo, UT; John Martin Sanderson of Bloomington, IN; Yunior Fernandez of Las Vegas, NV; and Lianna Dugan of Oberlin, OH.

“Every year, Sphinx assembles a distinguished panel of jurors who judge the Competition, provide feedback to all participants, and conduct masterclasses. This year, for the first time, a past Sphinx Competition Laureate will be on the jury panel. Joseph Conyers, a bassist in the Atlanta Symphony and second-place Laureate of the 2004 Sphinx Competition, will join the panel of distinguished jurors. The panel also includes Sanford Allen, the first Black permanent member of the New York Philharmonic and director of the Leef Peeper Concert series; Atar Arad, a violist and professor at Indiana University; cellist Paul Katz who is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music; Jose Serebrier, the Grammy-winning conductor and composer; Joel Smirnoff, violinist and conductor, President of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and first violinist of the Juilliard Quartet; and Nokuthula Ngwenyama, a concert violinist and violist.

“At stake are cash prizes totaling more than $25,000, performance opportunities with orchestras around the country, scholarships to top summer programs and universities, and a recording on the Naxos label.” “For information on tickets to the Finals Concert on February 7 in Detroit, visit us online at http://www.sphinxmusic.org/.”
13th Sphinx Competition
Sphinx Semi-Finalists Announced
Joseph Conyers
Sanford Allen
Jose Serebrier
Nokuthula Ngwenyama

Dr. William Chapman Nyaho Performs at Blue Heron Art Center, Vashon Island, 7:30 PM, Jan. 9

[ASA: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent; William Chapman Nyaho, piano; MSR Classics MS1242 (2008)]

Dr. William Chapman Nyaho was born in Washington, D.C. in 1958. But while still an infant he was taken by his parents to their native Ghana, where they raised him. Following his music education, he settled in the country of his birth. His biographical profile can be found at AfriClassical.com and at http://www.nyaho.com/.

CultureMob.com
“...concert pianist Dr. William Chapman Nyaho returns to the Vashon Island for a long-awaited encore performance. Briefly a Vashon resident, Nyaho last performed at Blue Heron Art Center in 2002.” “Known for his sparkling, virtuosic delivery and extraordinary musical sensibilities Nyaho will perform a combined program of classical repertoire (Liszt, Shubert, Bach), music by composers of African descent (Florence Price, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Oswald Russell) and more. He will also share insights and history about the music between pieces. According to cd liner notes by friend/mentor, Maya Angelou, Chapman Nyaho, a famed concert pianist, chose compositions, which allowed him to display his virtuosity.”

“Youngest of six, Nyaho's musical aspirations were encouraged by his family in a home always filled with music. He earned his BA from Oxford University's Honour School of Music. He continued his piano studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve, Switzerland, the Eastman School of Music where he graduated with his Master of Music degree, and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.”

“Following four years as a North Carolina Visiting Artist, Nyaho taught at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and was recipient of the Distinguished Professor Award and held the Heymann Endowed Professorship. Nyaho recently served as Visiting Professor of Music at Maine's Colby College and Visiting Artist at Oregon's Willamette University. During summers he has taught for Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and Vermont's Adamant Music School. Based in Renton, Nyaho teaches privately when home from touring and teaching posts. Nyaho's book, Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, and cds (both Piano music by composers of African descent) will be available at the concert.
Where: Blue Heron Art Center
Source: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/93781
When: 7:30pm Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010
William Chapman Nyaho
Born 1958
Vashon Island, Washington State
Blue Heron Art Center
Fred Onovwerosuoke
Florence Beatrice Price

Ulysses Kay's 'Everett Suite' in University of North Texas Libraries Digital Collections

[Ulysses Kay: Works for Chamber Orchestra; Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra; Kevin Scott, Conductor; Troy 961 (2007)]

A 2002 doctoral thesis written by Christopher J. Gassler for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts includes discussion of the “Everett Suite” for bass trombone of Ulysses S. Kay (1917-1995) and is now available in the University of North Texas Libraries Digital Collections, http://digital.library.unt.edu/

“The contributions of Thomas G. Everett to bass trombone repertoire, literature, and research
Date: 2002-08
Creator: Gassler, Christopher J.
Description: Thomas G. Everett's activities as a catalyst for bass trombone repertoire and scholarship are significant in the development of further research in the field, and in the development of new performance repertoire. An examination of Everett's life and musical influences precedes the detailing of his pursuits of new solo/chamber music for the bass trombone. A discussion of Everett's efforts in obtaining new performance repertoire by means of commission or request is followed by an examination of four pieces composed for Everett. The four pieces profiled are Sonata Breve by Walter Hartley, Prelude, Fugue, and Big Apple by Walter Ross, Everett Suite by Ulysses Kay, and 100 Bars for Tom Everett by András Szöllösy. Three of these four pieces, the Hartley, Ross, and Kay selections, are the repertoire for the performance recital portion of this research.”

Ulysses Simpson Kay, Jr. was an African American composer, conductor and professor who was born on January 7, 1917 in Tucson, Arizona. He died in Englewood, New Jersey on May 20, 1995. Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin has generously made his research entry on Kay available to AfriClassical.com, where his complete Works List for the composer can be found. [Full Biography]

Ulysses Kay
(1917-1995)
Everett Suite
University of North Texas Libraries
Digital Collections
African American Composer
Christopher J. Gassler