AfriClassical

Review: Chicago Philharmonic Season Opener Swings into Diversity

2022-10-16T19:27:00.000-04:00

William Grant Still (1895-1978)

(Courtesy Photo)

Third Coast Review

Bob Benenson
October 15, 2022
Classical, Reviews

The decision by Chicago Philharmonic to open its 2022-23 concert season Thursday with a program focused on diversity was well within character for the orchestra.

Diversity had long been a concern for the musician-run orchestra and its conductor, Scott Speck. Its effort to provide better representation for black composers and performers ramped up considerably since national incidents of racial injustice in 2020 prompted a self-examination within the classical music community.

Chicago Philharmonic also underscored its sincerity on this issue last year by hiring Terrell Johnson, a young Black innovator, as its executive director.

Chicago Philharmonic: For our 22/23 Symphonic Series opening concert, we’re paying homage to William Grant Still and Florence Price

2022-10-08T19:34:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 13, 7:30pm

Harris Theater

205 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

Heitor Villa-Lobos Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, Preludio

Florence Price Ethiopia's Shadow in America

Jonathan Bingham Monograph (CHICAGO PREMIERE)

Arturo Márquez Danzón No. 2

William Grant Still Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American)

William Grant Still is the composer most associated with the Harlem Renaissance. His First Symphony, dubbed the Afro-American, is a thrilling, blues-infused wonder of American composition.

Florence Price had strong ties to Chicago and the Chicago Black Renaissance. She lived on the city’s south side for years and vacationed in St. Anne, Illinois. Ethiopia’s Shadow in America was recently discovered in her vacation home in 2009, and is thought to be the first piece she wrote for full orchestra.

The Harlem Chamber Players: This Friday and Saturday: Our New Season Begins! Sept. 23 at 7 PM and Sept. 24 at 8 PM

2022-09-19T20:43:00.001-04:00

We hope you will join us this

coming weekend for our Season

Opening Concert!

Season Opening

Left to right (1st row) are Terrance McKnight, Ashley Horne, Claire Chan, William Frampton, and Wayne Smith. Left to right (2nd row) are José Pietri-Coimbre, Lilit Gampel, Amadi Azikiwe, and Kirsten Jermé

Please note that you must wear a face mask during the concert(s).

Season Opening Concerts

Friday, September 23, 2022 at 7 PM

Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 8 PM

Broadway Presbyterian Church

601 West 114th Street

New York, NY 10025

Click here for directions.

This venue is wheelchair accessible.

PROGRAM

Franz Schubert Quartettsatz

Frederick Tillis Spiritual Fantasy No. 12

Felix Mendelssohn Octet in E-flat major

ARTISTS

Ashley Horne, Violin

Claire Chan, Violin

William Frampton, Viola

Wayne Smith, Cello

Lilit Gampel, Violin

José Pietri-Coimbre, Violin

Amadi Azikiwe, Viola

Kirsten Jermé, Cello

HOSTED by Terrance McKnight of WQXR

TICKETS

$20 General Admission

$15 Students/SeniorS

Kids under 12 are admitted for FREE!

Click here to purchase tickets.

Chicago Sinfonietta: Mei-Ann Chen invites you to our Opening Weekend: Nkeiru OKOYE and Roberto SIERRA 7:30 PM Sept. 19, Symphony Center, Chicago

2022-09-17T18:59:00.000-04:00

Mei-Ann Chen

For 35 years Chicago Sinfonietta has been leading the way with exciting and diverse programming. NBC Chicago recently visited rehearsal as the orchestra prepared for opening weekend and chatted with Music Director Mei-Ann Chen and President & CEO Blake-Anthony Johnson.

...

Come see what's NEXT at Subscription Concert 1!

PROGRAM

Nkeiru OKOYE: Voices Shouting Out

Roberto Sierra: Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra with guest artist Julian Velasco

George GERSHWIN: Cuban Overture

Edward ELGAR: Enigma Variations, Op. 36 - Variation IX (Adagio) "Nimrod"

Ottorino RESPIGHI: Pines of Rome

And don't forget: You can still take advantage of our Pay-What-You-Can program and get tickets for just $5 using code PWYC5NEXT at checkout.

ArtsKnoxville.com: University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra in Adolphus Hailstork's Fanfare on "Amazing Grace" 4 PM Sept. 18 - FREE

2022-09-16T20:19:00.000-04:00

Adolphus Hailstork

ArtsKnoxville.com

Alan Sherrod

September 14, 2022

On Sunday afternoon, the UT Symphony Orchestra returns to its home in Cox Auditorium for a concert entitled “New Frontiers.” James Fellenbaum will conduct the UTSO.

Elmer Bernstein: Theme from The Magnificent Seven

Copland: Billy the Kid, Suite

Adolphus Hailstork: Fanfare on Amazing Grace

Todd Goodman: Tuba Concerto No. 2, Alex Lapins, tuba — this performance will be the orchestral version world premiere

University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, September 18, 2022, at 4:00 PM — FREE
Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building on the UT Campus

Decca Classics: SHEKU KANNEH-MASON: New album SONG out today

2022-09-12T20:09:00.000-04:00

“A world sensation” –The Guardian

“Fabulously gifted” –The Times

“Cello Rockstar” –Esquire

Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His performance was greeted with universal excitement and was seen by nearly two billion people globally.

Sheku initially garnered renown as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competition, the first black musician to take the title. He has released two chart-topping albums on the Decca Classics label, Inspiration (2018) and Elgar (2020). The latter reached #8 in the overall UK official album chart, making Sheku the first cellist in history to reach the UK top 10.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason 2022 US Live Tour Schedule

October 10, 2022 – Granada Theatre (Community Arts Music Foundation of Santa Barbara) | Santa Barbara, CA

October 11, 2022 – Segerstrom Center for the Arts (Philharmonic Society of Orange County) | Costa Mesa, CA

October 12, 2022 – Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA Phil) | Los Angeles, CA

October 15, 2022 – Mondavi Center for the Arts (UC Davis) | Davis, CA

October 16, 2022 – Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco Symphony) | San Francisco, CA

October 19, 2022 – Hill Auditorium (University Musical Society) | Ann Arbor, MI
October 21, 2022 – Strathmore (Washington Performing Arts) | North Bethesda,

October 22, 2022 – Carnegie Hall | New York, NY

December 8, 9 and 10, 2022 – Kimmel Center (Philadelphia Orchestra) | Philadelphia, PA

For tickets and full international dates, please go to: shekukannehmason.com/live/

Sister Songwriters Receive International Publication of Poetry

2022-09-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

(PHILADELPHIA, PA-SEPTEMBER 8, 2022): Congratulations are in order to poet, author and librettist, DR. HAZEL ANN LEE and her younger sister, composer, librettist and poet, CYNTHIA COZETTE LEE. This gifted award-winning songwriting duo of four operas, recently had two of their inspiring poems published in the noted literary Canadian online daily magazine 50-Word Stories. Hazel’s poem titled “Sunrise on Loran”, a science fiction poem describing vibrant sunrises on an alien planet, was published July 11, 2022. Cynthia’s poem called “Survival in Time”, speaks about the plight of the Native Americans and First Nations people, was published September 7, 2022. Both poems touch on stories about future nature events and survival.

As distinguished poets and authors the Lee sisters have multiple publications. Some of their most distinctive writings are in their books. The Astronaut’s Window: Collection of Poems and Short Stories Celebrating Nature, a new book by Dr. Hazel Ann Lee includes original fascinating science-fiction poems and short stories. The Forgotten Schoolhouse: Original Poems and Short Stories on Faith, Love, Nature and Wonder, a book by Dr. Cynthia Cozette Lee, includes original inspiring poem tributes honoring famous international figures, including “The Town Crier’s News” dedicated to President Barack Obama, “When Will Love Reign in the World?” for President Nelson Mandela, “The Courageous Astronaut” for Guion S. Bluford, Jr., “Mathematical Genius” for Katherine Johnson, “The Royal Wedding of Hope” to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan) and a poem “Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.”

The two uplifting poems, “Survival in Time” by Cynthia and “Sunrise on Loran” by Hazel can be viewed at the following URLs:

“Survival in Time” poetry link:

http://fiftywordstories.com/2022/09/07/cynthia-cozette-survival-in-time/

“Sunrise on Loran” poetry link:

http://fiftywordstories.com/2022/07/11/hazel-ann-lee-sunrise-on-loran/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hazel-ann-lee-sunrise-on-loran

For more information contact the composer, Cynthia Cozette Lee, at Email: CynLee215@yahoo.com or visit her website at: https://www.cynthiacozettelee.com/

Aaron Dworkin Interviews Mansi Shah, Curator of Colors of Classical Music!

2022-09-10T19:43:00.000-04:00

Welcome to this week's episode of Arts Engines which now reaches over 100,000 weekly viewers in partnership with Detroit Public Television, Ovation TV, The Violin Channel and American Public Media including Performance Today and YourClassical. Arts Engines seeks to share the most valuable advice and input from arts administrators who tell their stories of creative problem-solving, policy, economic impact, crisis management and empowering the future of our field.

This week's show is co-curated by our Creative Partner, Newark Symphony Hall and our guest is Mansi Shah, curator of Colors of Classical Music, as she talks about the connection between data and music and its impact for community. Enjoy... and have a creative week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHbI6WBx5W0

Intercultural Music Initiative Presents Liberian-Norwegian pianist Kamilla Arku and St. Louis based flutist Wendy Hymes Sunday October 9 @ 3 PM, St. Louis, MO

2022-09-05T20:17:00.000-04:00

Intercultural Music Initiative Presents

Liberian - Norwegian pianist Kamilla Arku and St. Louis based flutist Wendy Hymes

Performing music by diverse composers of color for piano and flute, along with familiar standard repertoire, including works by Elizabeth Brown, Valerie Coleman, Federico Mompou, Nkeiru Okoye, Fred Onovwerosuoke, and Germaine Tailleferre

Sunday October 9 @ 3:00 PM
Webster Groves Presbyterian Church
45 W. Lockwood Avenue
Saint Louis, MO, 63119

Featured guest artist Liberian-Norwegian pianist, Kamilla Arku draws on her diverse background as inspiration for her work as a performer, educator and scholar. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, the US, and Africa. Recent highlights include performances at the Royal Opera House, Hastings Piano Festival, and the International Florence Price Festival. In addition to performing, Arku is also committed to volunteer efforts, and is the Founder and Director of Music for Liberia, a charity supporting young people in Liberia through music-based fundraising. Kamilla is a graduate of Yale University, and the Royal Northern College of Music.

Joining Arku on this program is flutist Wendy Hymes, director of the IMI Chamber Players, also a passionate performer of music by diverse composers. Her doctoral dissertation is on music written for flute by selected African composers. She has performed widely in the US and abroad.

General admission tickets are $20, students and senior tickets are $10, and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/imi-202223-season-concert-2-tickets-412323650137

Media Contact: Tina Sayers, Executive Director tsayers@imusici.net
Phone: (314) 652-6800 www.imusici.org

AfroClassical Composers Inaugural In-Person Event featuring piano compositions by Dorothy Rudd-Moore, George Walker, R. Nathaniel Dett, Maria Thompson Corley

2022-09-04T19:30:00.000-04:00

Presenting AfroClassical Composers Hosts African Diaspora Classical 10/16 in LA

Maria Thompson Corley & Michael Ligon, piano

First Unitarian Church
Los Angeles

Aaron Dworkin Interviews Jenny Bilfield, CEO of Washington Performing Arts!

2022-09-03T20:17:00.000-04:00

This week's show is co-curated by our Creative Partner, Washington Performing Arts and our guest is Jenny Bilfield, President and CEO of Washington Performing Arts, as she shares the process and impact of commissioning and transforming audiences. Enjoy... and have a creative week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZXfWf01AQk

Broadway World.com: "Decca And Chineke! Orchestra Announce First Album In New Partnership, 'Coleridge-Taylor', Out September 30"

2022-08-03T20:27:00.000-04:00

The album features music by the celebrated African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with an appearance by award-winning U.S. violinist Elena Urioste.

Broadway World

by A.A. Cristi Aug. 2, 2022

On September 30, 2022, the Chineke! Orchestra will release a new album, Coleridge-Taylor. The album features music by the celebrated African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with an appearance by award-winning U.S. violinist Elena Urioste, plus a world premiere recording of a work by Coleridge-Taylor's daughter Avril Coleridge-Taylor.

Coleridge-Taylor will be the first release on Chineke! Records, the newly created partnership between Decca and the Chineke! Orchestra, Europe's first professional majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra.

The release commemorates the 110th anniversary of the composer's death (September 1st, 1912). The album includes the famous Violin Concerto in G minor which was originally written for Minnie "Maud" Powell, a champion of music by African-American and female composers, first performed days after the composer's death. Another highlight is the 1898 African Suite, based on the ground-breaking poetry of the African-American poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar, a major influence on Coleridge-Taylor taking inspiration from the ideas of Pan-Africanism.

Executive Producer of Chineke! Records is Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE, Founder, Artistic, and Executive Director of the Chineke! Foundation, which supports, inspires, and encourages Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians working in the U.K. and Europe, by providing a platform on which to excel.

Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE says, "Chineke!'s debut concert began with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and it could not be more fitting that we launch our first Chineke! Records album in partnership with Decca with music by the same composer whose music clearly comes straight from the heart. Included is a masterpiece by his daughter Avril. Their glorious music has been silent for too long; some of it never heard, and we promise an album that you will return to over and over again."

Tom Lewis and Laura Monks, Co-Presidents of Decca Label Group, say, "Chi-chi's vision, energy and ambition are extraordinary. She is a trailblazer with an important mission and, together with Chineke!, she has recorded compositions by some of the world's most important yet under-represented classical composers. We are committed to spreading the incredible music, talent and message of Chineke! around the world."

Coleridge-Taylor Tracklist

CD1

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Othello Orchestral Suite, Op. 79

Avril Coleridge-Taylor - Sussex Landscape, Op. 27

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - African Suite, Op. 35

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Ballade in A minor, Op. 33

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Petite Suite de Concert, Op. 7

Violinist.com: "William Grant Still, Music for Violin and Orchestra" on Naxos includes "world premiere orchestral versions" of Still compositions

2022-07-31T20:28:00.000-04:00

William Grant Still (1895-1978)

Violinist.com

July 29, 2022

Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!

William Grant Still: Music for Violin and Orchestra
Zina Schiff, violin
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Avlana Eisenberg conducting

***

Violinist Zina Schiff, a Heifetz protégé who recalls meeting William Grant Still as a young student, joins her daughter, conductor Avlana Eisenberg, in this recording that includes world premiere orchestral versions of Summerland, Violin Suite, Pastorela, American Suite, Threnody, Serenade, Fanfare for the 99th Fighter Squadron, Can’t You Line ‘Em and Quit Dat Fool’nish.

Aaron Dworkin Interviews Rebecca Geoffrey Schwinden, Coordinator of BA Critical Studies at University of North Texas!

2022-07-31T19:26:00.001-04:00

Welcome to this week's episode of Arts Engines which now reaches over

100,000 weekly viewers in partnership with Detroit Public Television,
Ovation TV, The Violin Channel and American Public Media including
Performance Today and YourClassical. Arts Engines seeks to share the
most valuable advice and input from arts administrators who tell their
stories of creative problem-solving, policy, economic impact, crisis
management and empowering the future of our field.

This week's show is co-curated by our Creative Partner, the University
of North Texas College of Music ,and our guest is Rebecca Geoffrey-

Schwinden, Associate Professor of Music History and Program
Coordinator of BA Critical Studies in Music and Society at UNT, as
she talks about the importance of evolving our curriculum to
prepare students for today’s arts world. Enjoy... and have a creative
week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDcy5hF0CB8

John Malveaux: Dr Samantha Ege releases third album celebrating historical women composers

2022-07-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

“Florence Price, Black Renaissance Women"

John Malveaux of MusicUNTOLD.com forwards:

Faculty of Music

University of Oxford

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). As an album that brings more women composers of African descent to light and contextualises them in the historical era of the Black Chicago Renaissance, this project has been recognised as a significant contribution to scholarship and performance. It received the prestigious 2021 Noah Greenberg Award of the American Musicological Society in recognition of its outstanding contribution to historical performing practices. The sleeve notes additionally feature the scholarly and creative insights of Dr Artina McCain (University of Memphis), Dr Lucy Caplan (Harvard University), and A. Kori Hill (UNC Chapel Hill).

Black Renaissance Woman launched on 28 February 2022, with the support of Lincoln College’s Michael Zilkha Fund. Then, on 8 March 2022 - International Women’s Day - Dr Ege presented and performed aspects of the recording in an event called “Florence Price, Black Renaissance Women,” supported by Lincoln College, TORCH, and the Music Faculty.

Since its release, Black Renaissance Woman has been widely praised. In a 5-star review in BBC Music Magazine, critic Michael Church wrote, “Lorelt (Lontano Records) is a musical salon des refusés set up in 1992 with the aim of promoting important repertoire neglected by major labels. And this is its second recording from pianist and musicologist Samantha Ege, who wears her mission on her sleeve: her discovery of Florence Price set her on the path she is now successfully pursuing, as a champion of forgotten women composers from the early and mid-20th century.” Colin Clarke of International Piano Magazine wrote, “Samantha’s work on the music of Florence Price has already been revelatory.” Clarke also praised her “faultless” playing on this new recording.

Black Renaissance Woman is available now on CD and all digital and streaming platforms.

John Malveaux: George Walker and Latonia Moore

2022-07-26T19:39:00.000-04:00

John Malveaux and Latonia Moore

John Malveaux of MusicUNTOLD.com writes:

Sunday July 24, 2022 WCRB classical 99.5 Tanglewood Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcast included composer William Grant Still's "In Memoriam, The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy" and soprano Latonia Moore singing composer George Walker's Pulitzer Prize "Lilac" (text by Walt Whitman). I was a close friend of George Walker and current friend of Latonia Moore. RIP George Walker. See pic of Latonia Moore and John Malveaux

Sergio A. Mims - The Baltimore Sun: Jonathon Heyward named BSO music director, replacing Marin Alsop...

2022-07-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

Jonathon Heyward

(Laura Thiesbrummel/Laura Thiesbrummel)

Sergio A. Mims forwards:

The Baltimore Sun

By Mary Carole McCauley

July 21, 2022

Jonathon Heyward named BSO music director, replacing Marin Alsop and becoming only Black conductor to helm major U.S. symphony orchestra

Jonathon Heyward, the 29-year-old classical music phenom whose skill on the conductor’s podium has generated international headlines, was named Thursday as the next music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

When Heyward begins his five-year contract in the fall of 2023, he will be the only Black American conductor leading a major U.S. symphony orchestra and just the second in history. He will be the BSO’s 13th music director.

“I think we are poised for great things at this moment,” said Brian Prechtl, chairman of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Players Committee and a member of the search committee seeking a successor for former music director Marin Alsop. “The hiring of Jonathon Heyward is going to be a marquee moment for The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.”

Heyward’s appointment occurred at warp speed in classical music terms, where the search for a new music director frequently can take two or three years. Initially, symphony officials said that a successor to Alsop, the first woman to helm a major American symphony, might not be appointed until the spring of 2024.

Jeri Lynne Johnson: Press Release: Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra Receives Major Support From The Mellon Foundation

2022-07-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

Jeri Lynne Johnson

Press Release:

Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra/The Mellon Foundation

Jeri Lynne Johnson
Founder and Artistic Director,
Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra

30 South 15th Street, 15th floor

Philadelphia, PA 19102

p 267.702.2809

Mellon Foundation makes $300,000 grant to Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra to support diversity and excellence in Classical music

***

Philadelphia, PA – July 21, 2022. Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, the nation’s most diverse professional orchestra, was awarded a major grant from The Mellon Foundation. Founded in 2008, Black Pearl Chamber
Orchestra has spent the last ten years proving that a visible commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion can have a lasting and positive impact on communities AND the orchestra. With the purpose of supporting its
community-centered programming for the next three years, the $300,000 grant represents a significant recognition of the organization’s work and impact over the last 13 years.

Based in Philadelphia, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra was established as a model for the 21st-century American orchestra with a mission to take the audience beyond spectatorship to participation in the musical experience by combining artistic excellence with cultural diversity and innovative community engagement. In recognition of its world-class performance quality, Black Pearl has received numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. And Maestro Johnson's innovative projects have made Black Pearl the only organization in the country to have been awarded three prestigious Knight Arts Challenge grants from the JohnS. and James L. Knight Foundation. But this grant from the Mellon Foundation is the largest investment in the organization’s mission to date.

As part of this grant, Black Pearl will undertake a new project, called the “Kaleidoscope Initiative” to support the next generation of rising young composers, especially composers of color. This project represents an
expansion of Black Pearl’s mandate to normalize diversity in classical music by focusing on creating access and opportunities in the creative process of music-making. Spread across its concert season, the works of three talented young composers will receive a premiere performance that will be recorded so the composers can promote their works through high quality live instrument versions of their works rather than digital MIDI realizations. Such recordings play an important role in building a creative career through competitions, prizes, fellowships, job positions, and promotion for performance with other orchestras.

Black Pearl’s Founder, Maestro Jeri Lynne Johnson, was delighted to receive the news that the important and impactful work of the organization would be supported for the next three years.

“Given the incredibly difficult circumstances ALL arts and culture organizations have had to weather during the COVID-19 pandemic, this grant from the Mellon Foundation will provide Black Pearl with the resources to continue to deliver concert and community programming to diverse communities across Philadelphia that enjoy our work. We are deeply grateful for this support and excited to begin this new
relationship with the Mellon Foundation to continue to create more inclusive, equitable Classical music experiences and to foster compositional talent that will continue to impact ll continue to impact the field far into the future."

Givonna Joseph: OperaCreole in BreakThru Media Magazine!

2022-07-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

*Special Recognition

for Creative Achievement in Opera

For our original opera

Les Lions de la Reconstruction

(The Lions of Reconstruction: From Black Codes to the Ballot Box)

2019 Gambit's Tribute to the

Classical Arts Awards

*National recognition:

The New Yorker!

NPR

Southern Living Magazine's

"Southerners Of The Year 2017"

Chicago Sinfonietta: Lights, Camera, MUSIC! A formal invitation to MORE LIFE, July 16th from Chicago President and CEO Blake-Anthony Johnson

2022-07-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

Lights, Camera, MUSIC!

A formal invitation to MORE LIFE, July 16th

from Chicago President and CEO Blake-Anthony Johnson

Chicago Sinfonietta is proud to be a part of Chicago. The City of Chicago is lauded as the number one, most-diversified economy among the largest U.S metropolitan districts* and there is a reason for this! Chicago’s creative industries (arts & culture) not only are a key part of the collective economic body, but we are the connective tissue that supports, protects, and gives structure to our world-class city.

A vibrant cultural landscape is more than just a fun evening of entertainment; the creative industry sector is instrumental in the economic development and job creation of every city and town in which it operates. The arts are the shiny jewels businesses spotlight when luring talent to Choose Chicago, as well as the anchor to the community needed to retain both the familiar and new. The arts are the digital and physical cultural corridors that support socio-economic development, small local businesses, community investments, tourism, consumer purchases, and a city-wide culture of innovative ideation across sectors.

The arts are also a bridge between the old and the new, and Chicago Sinfonietta in particular is an active vanguard in this area. In 2020, I had the pleasure of introducing two new Chicago Sinfonietta (CS) programs: an expansion to our internationally acclaimed Freeman Fellowship Program (formerly named Project Inclusion) by adding composition as a fourth discipline, and our inaugural 2020-2023 Artist in Residence partnership - with Kathryn Bostic, a member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences and the first female African American score composer in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Bostic was the perfect partner to highlight Chicago’s national film score connections and CS’ work both on and off stage (including working with our new composition fellow). Did you know that Illinois is the 3rd largest movie and recording workforce in the country - and growing! In 2021, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Film Office at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced a new initiative to strengthen Chicago’s TV and film industry titled “Chicago Made.”

Chicago Sinfonietta, fellow alumni, and affiliate artists have an extensive list of credits and partnerships within film & television. CS Music Director Mei-Ann Chen chose Michael Abels (score composer for Get Out which CS performed in 2019) as a partner for her first recording with Chicago Sinfonietta as Music Director in Delight & Dances. Too many credits to list; you can hear the global impact of Chicago Sinfonietta’s network in small independent films up to mega hits like Jordan Peele’s US, the Lion King directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, and so much more!

Beyond Chicago Sinfonietta, the city of Chicago has dominated the scores of recent films. Both Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings franchises utilized talent nurtured by the city of Chicago’s nationally acclaimed film score composition & recording collegiate programs, not to mention Chicago being home to some of the biggest living legends in the industry - Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock. Chicago Sinfonietta’s industry - the TV, Film, & Music industry, is just one of the many connective tissues that supports, protects, and gives structure to this word-class city.

The arts offer so much to the communities in which we live, and connect through collaborations across the genres. We invite you to see collaborative arts in action - join us, the Chicago Sinfonietta, this Saturday, July 16 at Millennium Park for the third installment of our new SINFONIETTA IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD series with MORE LIFE, an all-day event from 3 - 7 pm. Free and open to the public celebrating Chicago’s legacy and influence in art, design, and entertainment, this unique program allows you to experience the best of “Summer Chi” while highlighting homegrown talent with an all-star fashion design panel, and performances by DJs and musicians supporting Chicago’s cultural ecology of regional entrepreneurs in art, design, and music! We look forward to seeing you there!

Happy Summer,

Blake-Anthony Johnson

President & CEO, Chicago Sinfonietta
2022 Chicago Community Trust Daniel Burnham Fellow
Voting Member, Recording Academy
Cultural Advisory Council, City of Chicago (DCASE)

Sinfo-Nia's 2K22 Summer Orchestra Academy Update

2022-07-08T20:07:00.000-04:00

Summer Academy Schedule Change

Tremendous Tuition Discount

We appreciate your continued interest and support of Sinfo-Nia Youth Orchestra. In our efforts to restart, we are experiencing extremely low registration numbers and have therefore streamlined the Summer program to a One-week Day Camp taking place July 18 - 22, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM (drop-off as early as 6:45 AM, pick-up as late as 6:00 PM). The culminating performance will occur on Friday, July 29, 4:00 PM. The Camp and Performance location is Open Word Christian Ministries, 6230 Highway 92, Fairburn, Georgia 30213.

We are offering a tremendous discount of $80.00 for the entire week of camp. Breakfast and Sandwich Lunch are included.

Our summer program really provides musicians an opportunity to be ahead of their classmates when they return to their school orchestra for fall session. We accept students as young as seven years old and welcome string students on all levels for violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Advanced level band students in winds, brass and percussion can attend as well. The camp consists of fun-filled musical days emphasizing proper technical execution to include posture, bow hold, reading music, scales, expression and performance.

For more information: https://www.sinfo-nia.com/2022-summer-camp, https://eagleseconomiccdc.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/bullseye-summer-conservatory-registration-form, info@sinfo-nia.com, (404) 428-3804.

Sergio A. Mims - Interview with pianist Stewart Goodyear on WHPK-FM Chicago Tuesday July 12

2022-07-07T19:45:00.000-04:00

Stewart Goodyear

Sergio A. Mims writes:

I am very happy to announce that on my classical music radio show on WHPK-FM Chicago on Tuesday July 12 an exclusive interview with the acclaimed international pianist Stewart Goodyear who will be performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Marin Alsop conducting later that same week at the Ravinia Music Festival

Also on the show will by Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 which Goodyear will be performing with the CSO and Saint-Saens Symphony No 3 ("organ") As always my show can be heard on Tuesday from 12 Noon to 3 PM (Central Standard Time) on 88.5FM locally and worldwide livestream on the station's website on www.whpk.org

Classical-Scene.com: The Boston Musical Intelligencer: "The players recognized the 81-year-old American composer Adolphus Hailstork with his 1992 Sonata da Chiesa"

2022-07-04T19:40:00.000-04:00

Adolphus Hailstork

The Boston Musical Intelligencer

Virtuosic Vivaldi

by Stephen Martorella

July 3, 2022

Violinist Chad Hoopes with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra wowed Friday’s opening night audience of Newport Classical Music Festival.

In the opulent splendor and magnificent acoustics of the Breakers Great Hall, overlooking the sea, the Grammy Award winning conductorless ensemble delivered with virtuosity, precision, and joie de vivre on a sonic palette rich and vibrant. A glance at the program suggested a bow to the Baroque, but the realization provided interpretations, techniques, arrangements, and stylings that were at times lush and romantic, and elsewhere quite novel, modern, even jazzy.

...

The players recognized the 81-year-old American composer Adolphus Hailstork with his 1992 Sonata da Chiesa, a work of reverent lyric and tonal writing, much of it in counterpoint. The orchestra made use of textures in this work by using three levels of orchestras, recalling Ralph Vaughan Williams’s three orchestras for the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, pitting a solo group against a mid-layer of first desk players, with the full complement for the thickest and richest sections. Movement titles Exaltation, O Great Mystery, Adoration, Jubiliation, O Lamb of God, Grant Us Thy Peace, Exaltation—appeared in the printed essay, but not on the title page. Orpheus’s sensitivity and expressivity, left us with a serene sense of peace and wonder, ending on a note of quiet joy.

Patrick D. McCoy: Jason Max Ferdinand Singers Set to Make Début in Nation’s Capital August 13

2022-07-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

Jul 2, 2022 | Across the Arts, Article, Choral Music, Exclusive, Featured, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand

Patrick D. McCoy writes:

Please join me in sharing the excitement of the Washington, D.C. début of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers on Saturday, August 13th at 5 p.m. in the iconic sacred splendor of National City Christian Church under the direction of the incomparable Jason Max Ferdinand. I 'sat down' with Ferdinand about the genesis of his ensemble and the unforgettable evening of music set to take place in the Nation's Capital! Spread the word! This is the choral music ticket of the summer!

ON THE HORIZON: After several acclaimed performances, including a highly heralded Canada appearance, The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers will make their official Washington, D.C. début in the grandeur of National City Christian Church.

by Patrick D. McCoy

For those who adventure into the world of concert choral music it is not unusual to encounter a vocal ensemble named and fashioned after a specific namesake. The Dale Warland Singers, The Robert Shaw Festival Singers, The Robert DeCormier Singers, The Albert McNeill Jubilee Singers or The Lloyd Mallory Singers may initially come to mind. A game-changer has arrived on the scene-ready to add its name to the marquee of this grand tradition. Named for, created and led by celebrated conductor Jason Max Ferdinand, it is with great excitement that we share in announcing the second season of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.

Premiering in March 2021, the ensemble appeared with Decca Classics recording artists Voces8, to create a live virtual concert experience for music lovers around the world who were quarantined during in the midst of the COVID-10 pandemic entitled, Live from London. Since then,the group has toured both nationally and internationally. The twenty-eight member mixed vocal ensemble will make its Washington, D.C. début on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 5 p.m. in the iconic sacred splendor of National City Christian Church.

In regards to his newly formed brainchild, Jason says, “This is not a nascent concept, and I’ve been conceptualizing it for about twenty years. I am anxious and ready to create it. With some prodding and a team in place, I have been encouraged to set it free. The voices are exciting, their repertoire will reach hearts and minds, and bring hope for a better tomorrow.”

We caught up with Ferdinand to chat about the significance of his ensemble and the big DC début:

PDM: What specifically inspired the formation of The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers?

JMF: The seed for this endeavor was planted way back in 2001. It was after my Master’s recital at Morgan State University, where my professor was Dr. Nathan Carter, many members of that ensemble pleased for me to keep the group together. Angelo Johnson, my dear friend and member of this present ensemble, would constantly remind me for the next 20+ years. Honestly, I was scared to venture out. It was at the asking of Robin Tyson, manager of Voces8, that compelled me to strongly consider it and here we are.

PDM: Musically speaking, what would you say is (or will be) the hallmark of your ensemble?

JMF: The beauty of this aggregation, and the ongoing response to that question, is that, we are enjoying discovering the answer. We have a total blast enjoying the varying talents and everyone literal brings their own voice to the mix. Time will tell and perhaps, the answer should be left as an ongoing quest.

PDM: Your upcoming DC dèbut concert is in one of Washington’s most iconic sacred spaces. What led you to National City as the performance venue?

JMF: It is interesting how the stars align. It was a mutual friend that connected Gerald Lee Ricks and I together. Gerald serves as musical director at the historic church and he presented the idea and more. We are so humbled to now be connected.

PDM: Tell us about the composition of the group.

JMF: The composition is what makes this such a beautiful thing. We have as some examples:

10-time Grammy winner
Law students
Harpist
Police Officer
Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Music Teachers
Music Producers

Most importantly, we have a great group of citizens.

Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand is perhaps most well known for his most recent tenure as the conductor of the award-winning Aeolians of Oakwood University, in Huntsville Alabama. Recently, he been appointed as the new Director of Choral Activities at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park, succeeding his long time mentor and professor Dr. Edward Maclary. Additionally, Ferdinand’s choral series, his recently released book: Teaching With Heart, a Conductor’s Compendium for Addressing Societal Challenges through Music and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers’ album Solace, are all available through GIA Publishing and on all streaming platforms.

http://patrickdmccoy.com/jason-max-ferdinand-singers-set-to-make-debut-in-nations-capital-august-13/

In addition to the big event on the 13th, there will be an exciting free pop-up concert on Friday, August 12th at 2 p.m. that promises to pique your curiosity for the main event.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS

https://www.jasonmaxferdinandsingers.com/

A native of Petersburg, VA, Patrick holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Virginia State University and a MM in Church Music from Shenandoah Conservatory. Formerly the Performing Arts Columnist for Washington Life Magazine, he currently is a freelance writer, publishing articles for several noted publications, including The Washington Post, Early Music America Classical Music Voice North America, The Afro-American Newspaper, CBS Washington and Examiner.com. Most recently, he was named as a new contributor to Washington Classical Classical Review. He is a Board Member of the Music Critics Association of North America, a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., The American Choral Directors’ Association, The Association of Anglican Musicians a former member of the Shenandoah University Alumni Board of Directors, the Shenandoah University Black Alumni Network and a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Just recently he was named to the Dean’s Circle of the Shenandoah Conservatory Advisory Board. He serves as Organist/Choirmaster at Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Zion Parish in Beltsville, MD and is Interim Director of Choral Activities and Instructor of Music at Virginia State University. Visit http://www.patrickdmccoy.com and follow him on twitter @PatrickDMcCoy, IG: PDM06. and subscribe to “Across the Arts” on YouTube.

Sergio A. Mims - Chineke! Orchestra Announces Recording Partnership With Decca Classics

2022-07-02T21:19:00.000-04:00