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…
The Sept 2, 2021 LA Phil performance at the Hollywood Bowl conducted by Thomas Wilkins was both a miss step and forward step. After the opening brief piece, Overture to Theater Set, by African American composer Ulysses Kay, pianist Aaron Diehl came on stage to perform Variations on I Got Rhythm by Gershwin. Shortly…
Explore the music of WILLIAM GRANT STILL. See picture of William Grant Still with his publisher and daughter Judith Still https://www.laphil.com/about/watch-and-listen/get-to-know-william-grant-still-jr
On June 7, 1979 President Jimmy Carter decreed that June would be BLACK MUSIC MONTH. However, the official presidential order announcing Black Music Month during the month of June wasn’t signed off on until 2000 when the House of Representatives approved House Resolution 509. President Barack Obama officially changed the name to African-American Music…
As a Christian celebrating April 12, 2020 Easter Sunday, I recalled violinist Annelle Kazumi Gregory (with piano collaboration) performing the instrumental version of William Grant Still HERE IS ONE (Talk about a child that do love Jesus) during video recorded END of SUMMER festival, Sept 2, 2018 at Exposition Park in front of the Los…
Judith Still, daughter of composer William Grant Still, shared: “I might mention that the Metropolitan Opera gave him (William Grant Still) an appointment to show them a score of TROUBLED ISLAND, but when he arrived and they saw he was the “wrong color” they left him in the outer office for four hours but would…
Pianist Polli Chambers-Salazar is scheduled to perform ‘Summerland’ by William Grant Still during POLITICS of MUSIC concert June 29, 2020, Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. ‘Summerland’ is a popular vision of beauty in the afterlife. Polli Chamber-Salazar recorded solo piano music by Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Boulanger and Afro-European Samuel Coleridge-Taylor in her CD,…
SUMMERLAND: Music for Cello and Piano by Composers of African Descent DUO DOLCE: Kristen Ji-Yun, cello and Phoenix Park Kim, piano After months of researching, practicing, rehearsing, and recording, Phoenix Park Kim (piano) and Kristen Ji-Yun (cello) new CD “Summerland” has finally hit the market. This CD features cello and piano music by composers you might…
Generally aware of concert and other events highlighting the accomplishments of composer William Grant Still in Los Angeles, I was greatly surprised when I attended the International City Theatre (Long Beach) production of BESTSELLER on June 20, 2019. The cast included Eric Myrick (Alex) whose credits included “William Grant Still and the Harlem Renaissance” at…