Memorial Day has a little known African American root. Please see https://time.com/5836444/black-memorial-day/ . Many are unaware that over 200,000 African American Union soldiers helped save our NATION. Please see photo of 3,000 school children who carried bouquets of flowers and sang “John Brown’s Body” to honor captured Union soldiers in Charleston, South Carolina. Members of the famed Union 54th…
OBJECTIVE: Heighten awareness of historically significant, but little known, symphonic, chamber, and vocal music -including operas. No. 3 Whatever the gatekeepers standard of evaluation or determination to program classical music and operas by American composers on radio, symphony and opera stages, the voluminous contributions of Ulysses Simpson Kay offer only two reasons for his…
Baritone Morris Robinson and Cincinnati Opera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGYhaO89ydc&t=13s&utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=OperaatHome5.15.20&utm_content=version_A
OBJECTIVE: Heighten awareness of historically significant, but little known, symphonic, chamber, and vocal music -including operas. No. 2 Composer Hale Smith (1925-2009) RITUAL and INCANTATIONS suffer benign neglect. Hale Smith desired that his works be evaluated for their merit and not featured exclusively for African American programs. However, he was proud of his…
Conductor Jonathan Heyward is recipient of the The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. See https://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?storyid=45085&categoryid=5&archived=0
OBJECTIVE: Heighten awareness of historically significant, but little known, symphonic, chamber, and vocal music -including operas. No. 1 William Levi Dawson was an African American composer, professor and choir director born on September 26, 1899 in Anniston, Alabama. His 1934 NEGRO FOLK SYMPHONY had a successful world premiere with conductor Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.…
In addition to Pulitzer Prizes for Anthony Davis (Music); Nikole Hannah-Jones (Commentary); Ida B. Wells (Special Citation) already reported; Colson Whitehead won Fiction https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/colson-whitehead-0 and Michael R. Jackson won Drama https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/michael-r-jackson.
“In a split week, the radio series At Home With… features celebrated pianist Yuja Wang and Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Thomas Wilkins, coming to you from their respective homes. Interviewed by KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen, they will offer their reflections on the music they have chosen to share.” “At Home With Yuja Wang can be heard Tuesday…
LA Phil 100: The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala recorded at Walt Disney Concert Hall on October 24, 2019, aired May 8, 2020 as part of PBS’ Great Performances series. Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Gustavo Dudamel conducted performances of the LA Phil. I had recollections beyond the PBS’ Great Performances program…
POLITICS of MUSIC MARGARET GARNER Opera was co-commissioned by the Michigan Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera and Opera Philadelphia, it premièred on 7 May 2005 at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Michigan with Denyce Graves in the title role. As the Cincinnati Opera approach 100th birthday, please see comment by Katie Syroney, Director of Communication:: MARGARET GARNER, 2005 “There are so many extraordinary…