Dr Samantha Ege

Celebrating historical women composers

Dr. Samantha Ege has released an album of piano music by five trailblazing early twentieth-century African American female composers. The album is called Black Renaissance Woman: Piano Music by Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Nora Holt, Betty Jackson King, and Helen Hagan (LORELT). Please see https://music.web.ox.ac.uk/article/dr-samantha-ege-releases-third-album-celebrating-historical-women-composers? and https://www.samanthaege.com/

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concert reports

January 8, 2022 I attended a wonderful Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concert at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena that included  a short piece, “STRUM”, composed by composer of African descent Jessie Montgomery. The LACO orchestra did not include any recognizable players of  African descent. March 19, 2022 I attended a wonderful Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concert at…

Meet the Composer: Derrick Skye

Sunday March 6, 2022 at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles the Afro-American Chamber Orchestra Music Society, under baton of dynamic Vince Womack, performed an abbreviated version of “Lift Every Voice & Sing”, “Rumpelstiltskin”-Fairy Tale Symphony, Movement III by pianist/composers Philippa Duke Schuyler and William Grant Still “Sunday Symphony No. 3” during first half. The…

Lara Downes Women’s History Month

Wednesday March 2, 2022 while listening to KUSC classical radio station 91.5 FM, temporary host Lara Downes (weeknights 8:00 PM to midnight) programmed “Three Spirituals” by Adolphus Hailstork (Naxos Records). I am a friend of both composer Adolphus Hailstork and pianist/radio host Laura Downes. Lara’s many and assorted projects to perform, record, and heighten awareness…

Violinist Annelle Kazumi Gregory with the Kiev Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra

  Violinist Annelle Kazumi Gregory is the Long Beach Central Area Association/MusicUNTOLD most promoted artist over the past 10 years. See Annelle’s performance with the  Kiev Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra, Great Hall, National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kyiv Conservatory) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETtEQp3r28c and pic of John Malveaux, president of Long Beach Central Area Association/MusicUNTOLD and violinist Annelle Kazumi Gregory

Library of Congress

American composer Roy Harris’ last completed symphony, “Bicentennial Symphony” (13th), premiered February 10, 11, 12 at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Murry Sidlin to celebrate the 200th birthday of our nation. Original text in the choral symphony, “stand firm against the White Man’s shame, they buy slave’s…

Dr. Dawn Norfleet and Ben Cadwallader

January 29, 2022, prior to performance of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concert “Montgomery, Mozart, R Strauss” at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, I briefly chatted with musician, educator, composer Dr. Dawn Norfleet and Ben Cadwallader, executive director of LACO, about diversity in classical music. See pic from right Ben Cadwallader, Dr. Norfleet, and John Malveaux.…