Some GOOD News for your Wednesday!
We are so excited that Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers is receiving an important production at the Houston Grand Opera, and that critics and audiences are THRILLED! The Houston Press calls the 1906 work “an absolute marvel” and demands “Where has she been and what has taken so long?” Dr. Amy Zigler’s review (on our blog) gushes “The Wreckers Storms Houston!”
A major Festival to look forward to February 3-15 2023: the New World Symphony (NWS) announces “I Dream A World: The Harlem Renaissance In Europe.” Held in Miami FL, the Festival celebrates a range of Black artists who found success in Europe between 1917 and 1935. Festival collaborators include Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle (musicologist and Festival curator), Dr. Samantha Ege (pianist and musicologist), Conductor William Eddins and Branford Marsalis (composer and saxophonist). A range of concerts feature the NWS orchestra as well as chamber and solo music. The official website is here.
Julia Perry, composer
And coming up soon — on Nov. 12, the Akron Symphony continues their ongoing exploration of Julia Perry (who lived in Akron much of her life), performing her little-known (or completely unknown?) Fragments from the Letters of Saint Catherine. A few of Perry’s works have gained real traction among audiences (notably the Short Piece for Orchestra, and the Stabat Mater) so it is important to have some of her many other compositions be excavated and brought to life. Akron native, soprano Louise Toppin, who has for years lead the movement to bring works by Black composers to light, will be the soloist. Also featured are Margaret Bonds’ The Ballad of the Brown King (A Christmas Cantata) and Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker (adapting five dances from the work by Tchaikovsky).
What news did we miss? (we know, a lot is going on!) Let us know! [email protected]