Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival presents 'Visionaries: A New Generation of Composers Hosted by Eric Ewazen' Sun. Aug. 4, 7 PM, Mannes College of Music

Valerie Coleman

Valerie Coleman, Flutist & Founder, Imani Winds:

Dear composers and new music advocates,

On behalf of Imani Winds, it is my absolute pleasure to invite you to a very special event this Sunday featuring a new step that Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival is taking towards new music advocation and the role of wind writing within it.   We know this invite comes to you a bit soon to the date, but if you happen to be in town, we hope to see you! The information is below.

Valerie

Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival 

presents

VISIONARIES: A NEW GENERATION OF COMPOSERS

HOSTED BY ERIC EWAZEN

Sunday, August 4th at 7pm

Concert Hall, Mannes College of Music

suggested donation $10

Pre-Concert Discussion with the composers at 6pm

Light Reception to follow.

Introducing a new breed of composers, and their genre-blurring, culture-bending visions in a performance hosted by acclaimed composer Eric Ewazen. Visionaries is an intriguing exploration through the minds of a new generation, filled with unforgettable music from composers David Arend, Zhengyi Chen, Jess Hendricks, Ben Morris, Alon Nechustan, Leanna Primiani, Matthew Recio, Nick Virzi, and Alex Weiser. 

PROGRAM INCLUDES:

David Arend 

Corps Remembered for wind quintet (World Premiere)

Zhangi Chen 

Suite from Pursuant for wind quintet (World Premiere)

Matthew Recio 

Revelations for wind quintet (World Premiere)

Alex Weiser 

Wind (Performed by the Southern Wind Quintet, University of Southern Mississippi) 

(World Premiere)

Jess Hendricks 

Pahá Sápa for Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone and Piano (World Premiere)

Alon Nechustan

ChiaroScuro (World Premiere)

Performed by the Mint Julep Wind Quintet Representing the University of Louisville

Ben Morris

Orange Sky Sihouette for Wind Sextet (World Premiere)

Nick Virzi

Broken Images – Aux Imagistes For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone and Bassoon (World Premiere)

Leanna Primiani

Thursdays, Saturdays and Twice on the Sabbath For Wind Septet 

(World Premiere)

Very Best Wishes,

Valerie

Valerie Coleman

Flutist & Founder

Imani Winds 

www.imaniwinds.com

www.imaniwindsfestival.com

www.vcoleman.com

ASALH: 'I write now to announce our first effort to engage scholars to produce knowledge for empowerment: The Voter Empowerment Project'

Daryl Michael Scott, ASALH National President:

In January, when my term of office began, my first message was entitled, "A Call to Service." I write now to announce our first effort to engage scholars to produce knowledge for empowerment: The Voter Empowerment Project.

Before the Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder and the Zimmerman verdict, it was clear to many that a new era in race relations had been inaugurated as a result of the off-year elections of 2010. The Stand Your Ground laws in thirty states, the takeover of democratically elected governments in Michigan, the attempt to disfranchise us through new voter identification laws, the erosion of worker rights, the anti-abortion laws, and others result from low voter turnout.

State and local elections are the battleground, and ASALH must do its part by empowering people through knowledge. Social media must be harnessed to organize and deliver accurate and useable knowledge and information to our communities. State laws matter.

Through our own efforts and partnerships, we plan to create a Voter Mobilization App that will allow community groups who engage in voter registration and mobilization to know the following two things: 1) the state-by-state histories of African American efforts to secure and maintain the right to vote and 2) the current laws and policies governing voting in state and local districts throughout the country with on-going updates. The resulting micro-histories-less than 2,000 words each-and local policies will serve as a crash course for groups wanting to mobilize their neighbors to register and to vote, especially in off-year elections.

Please respond to this call for service. We need scholars who have specialized knowledge to take leadership roles on committees to write the histories and create the databases. Those of you who are interested, please email us at empowerment@asalh.net.

Click here for the details of the plan.

Best regards,

Daryl Michael Scott

President

John Malveaux: 'Imani Winds are also performing at Hollywood Bowl for 80th Birthday of Wayne Shorter'

John Malveaux of www.MusicUNTOLD.com writes:

Imani Winds are also performing at Hollywood Bowl for 80th Birthday of Wayne Shorter. See http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/wayne-shorter-80th-birthday-celebration/2013-08-28

 

John Malveaux

www.musicuntold.com

Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival Event Updates & Highlights

ImaniWinds.com

EVENT UPDATES & HIGHLIGHTS!

 

August 2, 6pm (CORRECTED TIME!), THE ZAFEER PROJECT: IMANI WINDS & SIMON SHAHEEN, Oud/Violin, Bryant Park, Free! 

This concert is co-presented with Chamber Music America and features music inspired by the sights and sounds of the Middle East.  

August 3, 9am - 8pm, SUMMER MUSIC SYMPOSIUM, Mannes College of Music, 150 W. 85th St., NYC, All Day Adult & Student Prices Available

Symposium Day is an annual special event at IWCMF, packed with esteemed artists, concerts, masterclasses, workshops, readings and exhibits. Culminating performance, 7pm, with members of Imani Winds and Friends. 

August 4, 7pm, VISIONARIES: COMPOSERS OF GENERATION NOW!, Mannes College of Music, 150 W. 85th St., NYC, $10 suggested donation

Featuring original compositions by the Emerging Composers Program Fellows, performed by Festival participants.  

August 5, 8pm, THE MUSIC OF JEFF SCOTT, Christ & St. Stephen's Church, 120 W. 69th St., NYC, $10 admission

Imani Winds very own French hornist, Jeff Scott, is featured as composer in this program of all original works for mixed ensembles and soloists.  

August 6 & 7, 7pm, CHAMBER MUSIC CELEBRATION I & II, Christ & St. Stephen's Church, 120 W. 69th St., NYC, $10 suggested donation

Culminating concerts of IWCMF participants

August 7, 10am, FAMILY CONCERT SHORTS, The Juilliard School, Free!

A fun concert for children and families, featuring Festival participants. 

 

August 7, 12pm, A TASTE OF ERIC EWAZEN, ECP composer in residence, The Juilliard School, $10 suggested donation

For more info on location and tickets click here. For a detailed schedule of all masterclasses, concerts and events, click here.

10th Annual Dali Quartet Camp and Festival - Open Day Camp Variety Workshops

Only $10 Per Session! Experience what Dali Camp has to offer by participating in fun and exciting music and dance workshops led by our expert faculty and guest artists. For only $10 a class, you can participate in any of these fantastic Workshop events:   Monday Aug. 5 @ 2:15-4pm  MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC WORKSHOP   with Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Udi Bar David & Hafez Kotain, Intercultural Journeys musicians  Tuesday Aug. 6 @ 2:15-4pm      INSTRUMENT CARE & MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP with David Michie, from David Michie Violins in Philadelphia, PA Wednesday Aug. 7 @ 2:15-4pm    PUERTO RICAN PLENA & DANCE WORKSHOP with Alberto Pagan, Director of the Puerto Rican Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA Thursday Aug. 8 @ 2:15-4pm  COMPOSER WORKSHOP with acclaimed american composer Jeremy Gill from Philadelphia, PA With no prior experience necessary, Dali Quartet Camp and Festival workshops are ideal for parents, students not enrolled in camp interested in learning more about music with active professionals in the field!    Space is limited, reserve your spot today!

August 5-8 at North Penn Church of Christ 300 North Wales Rd North Wales, PA Contact Camp Coordinator Gina Rico at grico@aronetwork.org to enroll in classes! www.arconetwork.org www.daliquartet.com

Patrick D. McCoy, Examiner.com: 'Stanley J. Thurston named Artist in Residence at Washington National Cathedral'

Stanley J. Thurston

Examiner.com

Performing Arts

July 29, 2013

By: Patrick McCoy

In a press release this morning, the Washington National Cathedral announced the appointment of conductor Stanley J. Thurston as Artist in Residence. His appointment will be effective September 1. Thurston is highly regarded in the D. C. area and nationally as an outstanding conductor, pianist and arranger.

The cathedral's announcement was a part of its announcing of the 2013-14 concert series highlighting both the Cathedral Choirs under the direction of Canon Michael McCarthy and The Heritage Signature Chorale, which was founded and is conduced by Thurston.

Thurston has appeared as conductor on NBC’s Today Show and at such venues as Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has performed with notable artists including Denyce Graves, Kathleen Battle, the Canadian Brass, and Wynton Marsalis. He was commissioned to compose a musical tribute for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service at the Cathedral, which he conducted during the service with President Barack Obama.

Cosmas W. K. Mereku: 'What a great resource to teachers of musical composition like us who are trying our best to sustain classicism in our countries'

Akin Euba (b. 1935), Nigerian Composer, Professor & Author, is featured at AfriClassical.com

Cosmas W. K. Mereku of The University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, writes in the Guest Book at AfriClassical.com on Sunday, July 28, 2013:

You have a fantastic website. What a great resource to teachers of musical composition like us who are trying our best to sustain classicism in our countries as well as on the continent where majority of our elite musicians (ethnomusicologists, music educators, traditional music performers, etc., alike) think classical music is foreign (a culture that was forced on the continent -Eurocentricism). Now my students will know how both Africans as well as those in the diaspora of African descend had contributed to this wonderful genre we aspire to nurture in Africa. After all, the melodic, harmonic and percussive qualities of our instruments make them a perfect vehicle for the expression of the multi-musicality African composers are striving to achieve in today¿s multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-interdisciplinary world of globalization.

John Malveaux, MusicUNTOLD.com: Martin Luther King Jr. 50th Anniversary Concert ‘SYMPHONY of BROTHERHOOD’

 Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004): A Celebration

Chicago Sinfonietta et al. 

Paul Freeman, Conductor

Cedille 90000 087 (2005)

John Malveaux of www.MusicUNTOLD.com sends the program for SYMPHONY of BROTHERHOOD:

Martin Luther King Jr. 50^th Anniversary Concert

‘SYMPHONY of BROTHERHOOD’

Music UNTOLD String Quartet

(Clavis Ballard-cello, Jennifer Lindsay-violin, Darrel Sims-violin, Joseph Taylor-viola)

Roy Harris (1898-1979) arrangement - The Star-Spangled Banner

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, Violinist Annelle Gregory

William Grant Still (1895-1978) arrangement - Here’s One (Talk about a child that do love Jesus)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) arrangement - Deep River, op. 59 no. 10

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, Soprano Jumi Kim

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) Paride ed Elena (Paris and Helen) / Paride(Paris): O del mio dolce ardor (Oh my sweet love)

Pianist David Rubinstein, Flutist Laurel Zucker

Julio Racine (b. 1945) Tangente au Yanvalou for flute and piano

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004) arrangement - Lil' Lite O' Mine / Sparklin for flute and piano

Pianist Richard Thompson, Bass-Baritone Mark Steven Doss

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) Lucia di Lammermoor / Enrico: Cruda funesta smania (A cruel terrible restlessness)

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, Soprano Jumi Kim

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) Lucia di Lammermoor / Lucia: Regnava Nel Silenzio (Reigning In Silent Darkness)

Pianist Polli Chambers-Salazar, Bass-Baritone Cedric Trenton Berry

Hall Johnson (1888-1970) arrangement - Ride on King Jesus

William Grant Still (1895-1978) Troubled Island / Martel: I Dream A World

Margaret Bond (1913-1972) arrangement - He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

Intermission

Pianist Richard Thompson, Soprano Anita Johnson

Richard Thompson (b. 1954) I, Too, Sing America

Duke Ellington (1899-1974) Second Sacred Concert:

Heaven

T.G.T.T (Too Good To Title)

Almighty God

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, Cellist Kristen Yeon-Ji Yun

David Baker (b. 1931) Sonata for Cello and Piano, II. Blues (slow)

Cellist Kristen Yeon-Ji Yun

Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson (1932-2004) Lamentations: Black Folk Song Suite for cello solo, IV. Perpetual Motion

Pianist James Lent, Soprano Juliana Gondek

Charles Osborne (b. 1927) arrangement - Ki Eleicha

John Carter (1932-1981?) arrangement - Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, Soprano Jumi Kim

Dong-Jin Kim (1913-2009) Cho-Hon (Invocation)

Pianist Polli Chambers-Salazar

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) Valse Suite: Three-Fours, Op 71

II. Andante

IV. Vivace

VI. Allegro assai

Pianist Richard Thompson, Bass-Baritone Mark Steven Doss

Louis Gruenberg (1884-1964) The Emperor Jones / Brutus Jones: Oh, Lawd Jesus, heah my prayer (Standin’ in de Need of Prayer)

J. Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) arrangement - Go Down, Moses

Jacques Brel (1929-1978) Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris - If We Only Have Love - English Lyrics: Mort Shuman & Eric Blau

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, Soprano Jumi Kim

Joopoong Kim (b. 1958) Candlelight for Soprano (World Premiere)

Program Note:

This piece was composed to commemorate and honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose vision and leadership helped our society to advance towards greater civil equality for all. This piece attempts to capture the fragility of a candle’s flame, vulnerable to being extinguished by the slightest of winds. Yet with consistent care and protection, even this fragile flame can light the way in the darkest of times. Dr. King was that care and protection, kindling the fragile flame of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. That flame grew stronger and brighter, and ultimately lit the way towards greater equality for the entire nation. This piece is, therefore, titled “Candlelight” to express Dr. King’s legacy.

The melody attempts to express the equality of all men and women through its harmonious sounds, while the vertical harmony of the accompaniment is structured as a dissonant chord, composed using the homophonic texture. We may have heard the phrase “The night is darkest before the dawn.” The interaction between the harmonious melody and inharmonic accompaniment represents the struggle and darkness that faced Dr. King and his followers during the Civil Rights Movement. Yet the piece concludes by reaching an overall harmony. This ultimate harmony represents not only the achievements of Dr. King’s vision, but also this composer’s hope that the advances in civil rights we enjoy today continue to strive so that Dr. King’s vision of equality for African-Americans extends to equality for all minority groups.

'Tangente au Yanvalou' of Haitian composer Julio Racine added to 50th Anniversary MLK Jr. 'SYMPHONY of BROTHERHOOD' Concert

Julio Racine is a Haitian composer, arranger and flutist who is featured at AfriClassical.com. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on February 4, 1945.  He now lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

John Malveaux of www.MusicUNTOLD.com writes:

Although both are beautiful compositions, Flutist Laurel Zucker will substitute Tangente au Yanvalou for flute and piano by Haitian composer and flutist Julio Racine  for Sonatina for flute and piano  by Adolphus Hailstork during 50th Anniversary MLK Jr. 'SYMPHONY of BROTHERHOOD' Concert, Sunday, August 18, 2013, Zipper Hall-Colburn School, downtown Los Angeles.

 

Thanks

John Malveaux 

African American history is still largely neglected in American history. BlackPast.org is a major attempt to address that need.

Dr. Quintard Taylor writes:

Friends and Colleagues:

I am sharing with you a letter of inquiry that Allison Shirk, our grant writer, just sent to the Delmas Foundation over my signature.  Allison in short, crisp language captured the essence of what BlackPast.org is about.  This is what we do and why we do it.  That’s why I want you to see her letter.

Quintard

July 25, 2013

Ms. Rachel Kimber, Foundation Administrator

Delmas Foundation

275 Madison Ave., 33rd Fl.

New York, NY 10016-1101

Dear Ms. Kimber:

Every year in February, teachers spotlight the contributions to our country made by African Americans. Yet at the same time, many legitimately question whether Black History Month is yet another form of segregation. Why set aside a month to teach a subject that should be incorporated into the curriculum all year long? Although textbooks are improving in their inclusion of under-represented groups, African American history is still largely neglected in American history.

BlackPast.org is a major attempt to address that need. At more than 10,000 pages, it is currently the largest Internet site dedicated exclusively to African American history. BlackPast.org, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007, operates with a staff of twelve volunteers and over 500 volunteer contributors from six continents. The mission of BlackPast.org is to provide the inquisitive public with comprehensive, reliable, accurate information concerning the history of African Americans in the United States and people of African ancestry throughout the rest of the world. Our goal is to make this information available to an international audience to foster understanding through this knowledge which in turn will generate constructive change in society.

BlackPast.org’s vast array of information includes 3,000 encyclopedia entries, 120 full text primary documents, and over 5,000 books in African American history including rare texts such as the 1927 publication, Who’s Who in Religious, Fraternal, Social, Civic, and Commercial Life on the Pacific Coast. BlackPast.org also has full text primary documents and major speeches of black activists and leaders from the 18th Century to the present. There are links to hundreds of websites that address the global history of people of African ancestry including major black museums, newspapers, magazines, and archival research centers in the United States and Canada. Our most recent addition is a list of more than 100 state or nationally recognized landmarks or monuments reflecting African American history. In every category listed above and many more that are not included, BlackPast.org is the most comprehensive repository of information available on the Internet today.

BlackPast.org has received awards and distinctions for which we are very proud, including: the Charles Payton Award for Heritage Advocacy from the Association of King County Historical Organizations, 2011; Best Free Reference Websites for 2011 by the American Library Association; Best Hybrid Print and Electronic Resources by the New York Public Library, 2009; and was featured on American Historical Association's website, 2007. On April 2, 2010, BlackPast.org became one of a select group of websites archived by the Library of Congress. Our most important distinction is the growth of our global audience. In 2012, just under three million people from more than 120 nations visited the pages of BlackPast.org.

We are writing to respectfully request your consideration of a grant of $10,000 to provide operating support for BlackPast.org. This funding would be used during fiscal year 2013. We are currently operating on a conservative budget made possible by the time and talents of hundreds of volunteers, and we are actively and strategically building organizational capacity to preserve and sustain this resource beyond its present status. Our organizational budget for 2013 is $79,345. We have received funding from the following foundations this year to date: 4Culture $9,060; Seattle Foundation\ GiveBIG Campaign $8,085; Starbucks Company $1,000; Wyman Youth Trust $8,000; Walt & Rita Braithwaite Family Foundation $1,000.

The goal of this project is to build organizational capacity for BlackPast.org to preserve, disseminate, and integrate African American history. The following objectives are practical steps to further the mission of BlackPast.org: 1) To seek out and digitally archive new and existing information on African American history; and 2) To continually update and incorporate interactive components into the website to facilitate learning; and 3) To build organizational capacity including board recruitment and development, diversifying revenue to provide greater financial stability, and completing a five-year strategic plan.

Our long term goal (2-3 years) is to upgrade from the current software - Drupal 5 to the latest version, Drupal 7. Drupal is an open source content management platform used to host the data on our website. In order to upgrade the software, a four step process is needed: Planning, Preparing the current site for upgrade, Upgrading, and Testing, with each step including a lengthy process of checks and balances to ensure success.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 206-985-8553 or quintardjr@comcast.net. I realize that you receive hundreds, if not thousands of grant applications, so with all sincerity, thank you very much for your time and consideration. We are aware of your particular interest in Venice and have chosen the excerpt in the box to the right as an example from our website. We hope you can help us.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Quintard Taylor, Ph.D.

President, BlackPast.org