It’s a BIG week in Black History Month!
We knew Julia Perry wrote a lot of music, of which only a small but astounding handful of works are ever heard. But a dramatic turn-around is happening – perhaps the result of BLM, and the re-assessment of everything prompted by the downtime of the pandemic (and the result of some hard-working people and organizations, of course!). SO on Wednesday Feb. 23, you can hear a stream of the WORLD PREMIERE of Julia Perry’s VIOLIN CONCERTO, composed in 1963-65. The Youtube link includes more info, including the composer’s Program Note. The Pitt Symphony Orchestra (University of Pittsburgh) performs, with Roger Zahab as violin soloist!
For those interested in Julia Perry, a Working Group on the Humanities Commons explores and discusses her legacy as a composer, and is part of the growing movement to recognize Perry’s achievements.
The rich and multi-layered Timeline of African American Music, provided by Carnegie Hall, is SO exciting! We suggest starting HERE, Concert Artists and Composers by renowned scholar Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle.
The Arkansas Symphony is performing Florence Price’s “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America” on their concerts Feb. 26 and 27, part of their year-long tribute to the Little Rock native. We found more info about the work here on Facebook and Youtube. Access to a stream of the concert will be available to ticket holders on the following Saturday, according to the website here. Although it does feel odd to buy a ticket for a seat one will not sit in, the post-Covid era is one of flexibility and expanded means of access — we hope!!
Ms. Magazine features a conversation with Nkeiru Okoye about her Opera Harriet Tubman (BTW – it’s the 200th anniversary year of the birth of Harriet Tubman!) Okoye also discusses A Truth Before Their Eyes, her new opera that brings to light the unconscious bias that Black women face in the health care system.
OK, so that’s the news we’re excited about! Let us know what we missed!! [email protected]