AMP: Second Edition of Fred Onovwerosuoke's 'Afro-Caribbean Mass' Released

[Fred Onovwerosuoke; AFRO-CARIBBEAN MASS for Mixed Choir, Soloist and Piano by Fred Onovwerosuoke; African Music Publishers 2011]

Melanie Knolls of African Music Publishers sends us this message:

“Please forward exciting news about AMP's newest release, AFRO-CARIBBEAN MASS for Mixed Choir, Soloist and Piano by Fred Onovwerosuoke. Just in time for the New Year! Order through a bookstore near you or online from:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934621234

“May your Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and entire holiday season be filled with joy. With many good wishes for the coming year. Thank you for continued support. From all of us at African Musical Arts and African Music Publishers in St Louis, Missouri.

African Musical Arts, Inc.

3547 Olive St., Suite 110

St Louis, MO 63103

http://africarts.org

“Book Description

Publication Date: 2011

Afro Caribbean Mass follows the usual liturgical setting of the Kyrie, Gloria-Laudamus Te, Acclamation (Hallelujah), Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. It is sung in the English language with some West African Pidgin English and Caribbean Patois, albeit with ocassional Latin text intoning the Kyrie and Gloria. The idea of panning to a cross-cultural genre was inspired by the need to present other ethnic and global perspectives in Christian religious worship. Stylistically, the work draws from diverse music genres such as traditional African harmonies and popular dance music, as well as Caribbean 'Reggae-Calypso' and American R&B. It is scored for mixed choir, soloist and piano, with optional band accompaniment of horns, electric guitars, synthesizer and percussion. Each of the six pieces can be performed independently as a concert item, while the full work of about 25 minutes of music can be spread throughout a normal worship. With gratitude to God for all the choirs and friends who have inspired this work and performed each piece when they were completed.”

Errollyn Wallen Says 'Happy Christmas' With 'peace on earth,' 'Winter Song'

[Errollyn Wallen]

AfriClassical first posted Errollyn Wallen's “peace on earth,” “Winter Song” in December of 2010.

The prolific composer and singer sends her holiday greetings again this year:

"Happy Christmas!

http://www.errollynwallen.com/playwintersong.htm

With love from Errollyn"

www.errollynwallen.com


Comment by email:
Thank you Bill for your continued support. Much appreciated!  I wish you all the very best for 2012.  Errollyn

NPR on Detroit's Rick Robinson: 'Taking Classical Off The Pedestal, Into Black Communities'

[Rick Robinson]

Guy Raz of NPR speaks with classical bassist Rick Robinson, whose website is www.cuttime.com, in an interview (7:55) which aired Dec. 24, 2011, and can be heard now:

NPR.org

“Detroit Symphony Orchestra bassist Rick Robinson is taking leave in order to reach new audiences.”


Comment by email:
Bill,  Merry Christmas! Thanks for sending this out.

I was thinking about all of the chamber ensembles everyone on your e-mail list either play in or know pretty well throughout the country.  Rick's Cuttime Players are really on a roll.  As you heard him on the interview, he is planning several performance tours in the New Year and beyond.  He is planning a tour for the group, but it is not actually his group.  He would do the touring and would use professional symphony musicians in each of those cities.  I think that those cities would be hot markets for this unique, exciting music.  I mean, the music is very pleasing to the ears - the rhythms, the strings being in the forefront (rather than background), etc.  He writes these pieces and arranges others.

He recently played his last concert with the Detroit Symphony as he will be taking a leave-of-absence for a year.  When I was in Detroit for Thanksgiving I attended his Classical Revolution Detroit Concert.  It was excellent.

What Rick is doing is working to bring orchestral music to common everyday people in everyday places where one would not normally see orchestral music being performed - restaurants, clubs, bars, coffee shops, speak-easies (whatever those are), churches, schools, shopping malls, grocery stores, boat docks, forests, beaches, boardwalks, airports, office complexes, stadium pavilions, and so on.  This could save the jobs of orchestra teachers (like me even though I am close to retiring - I am in my 29th year and plan on going to 35; metro Atlanta is in good shape because we have so many string programs in schools).  My whole teaching career and even before includes getting more young black children interested in playing stringed instruments.  In my schools I have to compete with the band, but a lot of those years my numbers are strong and my students play a wide variety of music (R & B, Negro spirituals, gospel, hip-hop, reggae, etc. in addition to traditional orchestral literature also known as "classical."  

Symphony musicians can also see another side of creating work and creating a market for it. And, most of all, people who may not come to symphony concerts can see orchestral music being performed right before their eyes (for little or nothing), especially in the African-American communities...and even in rural areas (anyone of any race).  Several years ago I took my youth orchestra to Thomasville, GA, a small town in South Georgia.  When they played, "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce, everyone in the audience sang along (black, white, Asian, etc.).

I have a few former students who are performing in symphonies professionally that would be a good fit for this program in Georgia and South Carolina.  Two played in my youth orchestra and may have played in Sphinx some years ago (you and some of your readers may know them; Ismail Akbar on cello and Alvoy Bryan, viola).  They play very well and know about rhythms.  They play in a quartet together.  

Rick's website is www.cuttime.com.  Everyone can see much more of what he does.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated in spreading the word of this exciting venture in the promotion of orchestral music to audiences everywhere.  As a board member of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM), Inc. and director of the D. Jerlene Harding Memorial/NANM Youth Orchestra, I intend on sharing this information with the membership.  NANM has a fantastic newsletter called "Reverberations."  Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,
David E. Robinson, III

National Symphony Orchestra in First Movement of William Grant Still's Symphony No. 1 on Jan. 7, THEARC Theater

[TOP: William Grant Still (Photo is the sole property of William Grant Still Music, and is used with permission. BOTTOM: Nolan Williams, Jr. (Photo: AlishaJones.com)]

WilliamGrant Still (1895-1978) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com. All 5 of his symphonies are now available on the Naxos label.

Marcia Farabee is Principal Librarian of the National Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center. She tells us the first movement of William Grant still's Afro-American Symphony will be performed on January 7, 2012:

“It is official: our January 7^th performance will be the first movement only of the Symphony #1 (“Afro-American”). Nolan Williams, Jr. will be conducting.”

Let justice roll down like waters
and righteousness like
A Mighty Stream

a celebration of

Martin Luther King, Jr.
and the American Freedom Movement

through Music, Video, and Spoken Word

National Symphony Orchestra
NEWorks Productions
Voices of InspirationRev. Nolan Williams, Jr., conductor

with special guests

Shirley Murdock
R&B/Gospel Recording Artist

Frédéric Yonnet
Urban Jazz Harmonicist

Byron Nichols
of Richard Smallwood & Vision

Sat., January 7, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.

THEARC Theater
1901 Mississippi Ave SE
Washington DC 20020

www.thearcdc.org

The Harlem Chamber Players Wish You A Safe and Happy Holiday Season

Jade Simmons Performs at White House, Contributes to Huffington Post's Arts and Culture Section

[Jade's back from a memorable performance at the White House with pictures to share on facebook. See them here now!]

On Nov. 12, 2011 AfriClassical posted: “Jade Simmons PerformsClassical Music and Contemporary Classical Holiday Arrangements atWhite House Dec. 16.”  Jade Media sends an update on the pianist's activities:

"Congratulations to Jade for being invited to serve as an ongoing contributor for the Huffington Post's Arts and Culture Section. Her articles will focus on the arts and their intersection with the worlds of politics, technology, pop culture, sports, etc. You can find her articles in the Arts section and cross-posted in relevant topic areas.

"You can read her first article now. Be sure to leave comments!:

The Surprising Thing About Playing at The White House

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Jade Media!"

WMUK 'Arts & More': Clarinetist Anthony McGill Participates in 'Kalamazoo Kids in Tune'

[AnthonyMcGill with students in Kalamazoo]

WMUK.org

Arts& More: Kalamazoo Kids in Tune (9:21) 

By: Cara Lieurance

Kalmazoo, MI 

December 19, 2011 

WMUK

“Kalamazoo Kids in Tune, a partnership between the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Communities in Schools of Kalamazoo, and Kalamazoo Public Schools, was launched this fall at Woods Lake elementary. It's based on the ideals of El Sistema, the Venezuelan after-school music program that has produced a generation of outstanding classical musicians, many from low-income families.

“The much-reported El Sistema phenomenon began in 1975 when Jose Antonio Abreu, an economist and music lover, came up with a simple idea: introduce excluded children to a musical education, and turn their families and their communities into allies. He started an after-school orchestra with eleven kids 36 years ago. Today, around a quarter million children take part in El Sistema in Venezuela. The new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic , 27 year old Gustavo Dudamel, is a product of El Sistema. The success of El Sistema has attracted music educators in the United States, including Michigan native Dan Trahey, who created a similar program in Baltimore, called OrchKids, after an inspiring visit to Venezuela.

“After much research and planning in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University, Dan Trahey created a pilot program in 2005 based on El Sistema, called OrchKid. Impressed by its results, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conductor Marin Alsop invested $100,000 of her MacArthur Genius Grant to expand OrchKids to west Baltimore's struggling schools. At first, Dan Trahey found the conditions of the neighborhoods intimidating.

“Participating in group music-making builds life skills on many levels. It's a key to the success of El Sistema. After six years, the children participating in the Baltimore OrchKids program have measurably higher grades, improved attendance, and better attitudes about their future. The educators involved with the children also have learned to teach music differently from how they were trained, with an emphasis on musical expression, a safe environment, and the joy of playing as a group.

“In Kalamazoo, 24 first and second grade students at Woods Lake Elementary joined Kalamazoo Kids in Tune. Monday through Thursday, they meet after school in the cafeteria for a full meal, and a chance to break from the school day to music time. Elizabeth Youker is the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's director of education, and its liaison to the program.”

'Deep River: Music for Violin and Piano by Composers of African Descent' by Phoenix Park-Kim & Merwin Siu

[Deep River: Music for Violin and Piano by Composers of African Descent; Phoenix Park-Kim, piano; Merwin Siu, violin; MSR MS1372 (2011)]

Visitors to AfriClassical.com have long heard a movement from Cinnamon Grove of R. Nathaniel Dett by pianist Phoenix Park-Kim, and have found a link to the duo performances of Phoenix Park-Kim and Merwin Siu on WGTE, Toledo Public Radio. Deep River includes works of three composers who are featured at AfriClassical.com: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, R. Nathaniel Dett and Hale Smith. The complete works of R. Nathaniel Dett and Hale Smith have been compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com, and are found at AfriClassical.com. 

Pianist Phoenix Park-Kim and violinist Merwin Siu have recorded Deep River: Music for Violin and Piano by Composers of African Descent on the MSR label. The catalog number is MS1372:
http://www.msrcd.com/catalog/cd/MS1372 


Composers represented on the recording are: David Baker Jr., Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, R. Nathaniel Dett, Ellis L. Marsalis Jr., Hale Smith, Howard Swanson.

PROGRAM NOTES

“Phoenix Park-Kim is an active and accomplished soloist and avid chamber musician, with performances that have taken her throughout the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Switzerland and Russia.” “Upcoming performances include an appearance at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in March 2012 with Soprani Compagni as part of the Distinguished Concerts Artist Series. Dr. Park-Kim is dedicated to bringing music to the underserved public as well as providing more exposure to music by African-American composers. In this endeavor, she was awarded the Lilly research grant and was a featured performer on Live From FM 91 on WGTE radio. She was also a finalist at the 2011 Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition. Dr. Park-Kim graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and subsequently completed graduate work at Miami University (MM) and at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, Conservatory of Music (DMA) under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Weirich. She is currently Associate Professor of Piano at Indiana Wesleyan University.”

“Merwin Siu particularly enjoys introducing audiences to works by 20th and 21st century composers.” “A frequent soloist with the Toledo Symphony, he has also appeared with the New Mexico Symphony, Racine Symphony and Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and has been featured on performing arts series throughout the American Midwest. Mr. Siu is a member of the Zin String Quartet, Bezonian Trio and Cathay Trio. An enthusiastic educator, Merwin Siu maintains a large private studio alongside a schedule of regional and statewide adjudication, lectures, workshops, master-classes and coaching. In 2004, he was recognized as one of the Toledo Business Journal’s 20 Under 40, celebrating young community leaders. Mr. Siu holds a MM degree from Indiana University and degrees in English and Music from Montreal’s McGill University. He currently holds the David W. Robinson Chair as the Toledo Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Second Violin, and serves as the orchestra’s Artistic Administrator.”

PROGRAM

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

DEEP RIVER for violin and piano, Op.59 No.10

R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943)

CINNAMON GROVE - Suite for piano (1928)

Moderato molto grazioso

Adagio cantabile

Ritmo moderato e con sentimento - Quasi Gavotte

Allegretto

Howard Swanson (1907-1978)

NOCTURNE for violin and piano (1951)

Hale Smith (1925-2009)

EPICEDIAL VARIATIONS for violin and piano (1979)

David Baker (b.1931)

ETHNIC VARIATIONS ON A THEME OF PAGANINI for violin and piano (1976)

Theme

Variation I (Bebop)

Variation II (Swing)

Variation III Funky groove

Variation IV Calypso

Variation V (Swing) Bluesy

Variation VI Left hand pizz

Variation VII Heavy rhythm and blues

Variation VIII (Spiritual)

Variation IX Finale

Ellis L. Marsalis, Jr. (b.1934)

THE FOURTH AUTUMN for piano (ca.1985)

Comment by email:
Interesting cd. Thanks for alerting us to it.  JMW [John McLaughlin Williams]

Hear 85-member Soulful Symphony Ensemble with Darin Atwater in YouTube video (6:15)

[Darin Atwater]

On Jan. 4, 2008 AfriClassical posted: “Darin Atwater, Soulful Symphony & Baltimore Symphony: 22nd Annual Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.” John Malveaux of MusicUNTOLD.com tells us of this performance by the ensemble which can be sampled in a YouTube video (6:15):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=592bF4mDQa8

KCET.org
“Soulful Symphony with Darin Atwater features an acclaimed African-American orchestra's genre-defying original compositions and arrangements of popular tunes. The 85-member Soulful Symphony ensemble, led by founder and artistic director Darin Atwater, performs 'Song in a Strange Land,' Atwater's powerful anthem to the African-American spirit. Recorded in high-definition, the program delivers an exciting concert experience - from soothing strings to the power of the gospel choir, and from blazing brass to the pulse and fire of a rhythm section. Atwater - a composer, conductor and pianist - is regarded as one of the leading artists of his generation. His skills in classical, jazz and sacred music have earned him a distinguished international reputation and his innovative compositions and arrangements of classical music serve to reach a broader, more diverse audience.”

Zanaida Robles Sings 'Star in the East' on Thornton Center Stage KUSC.org 8 PM Dec. 25, 2011

[Zanaida Robles]

“Zanaida Robles, MusicUNTOLD choral director and DMA Teaching Assistant, USC Thornton School of Music, Department of Choral and Sacred Music, will sing the solo on 'Star in the East' with the USC Thornton Choirs on Christmas day!  Listen to Thornton Center Stage http://www.kusc.org/ 8-9PM PST on 12/25.” 

John Malveaux

www.musicuntold.com