The Amistad Center for Art & Culture -Harmonies & Healing Concert

Rehoboth Church of God Bloomfield • Connecticut

The Harmonies & Healing concert is funded in part by Mrs. Millard H. Pryor Jr. and The Pryor Foundation.

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his concert honors the 95th anniversary of the first public showing of art by Black Artists in the history of the City of Hartford and State of Connecticut. On January 30, 1929, the Race-Relations Committee of the Hartford Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) partnered with The William E. Harmon Foundation of New York and the Federal Council of Churches’ Commission on Race Relations to sponsor an exhibition featuring 60 works of art from 27 notable Black artists in the Wadsworth Atheneum Annex building.

Notable among the featured works included Malvin Gray Johnson’s (1986-1934) Swing Low Sweet Chariot (1928-1929), a work in which the outlines of human figures under a dark sky. In the work, the artist depicts the resilience and resistance of the human spirit, both in the known use of music and dance on plantations as a means of asserting their humanity, and the depiction of the hope of the enslaved in their faith traditions. Nearly one-hundred years from the date of the Negro Arts exhibition, Black Artists in our community and across the world continue to translate their history and life experiences into works of literature, musical compositions, industry sciences, inventions and theorems, religious service, and the fine arts. In these works, many others continue to find hope, inspiration and with power to persist and overcome their own obstacles.

As a trusted partner, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture aims to honor, preserve, and celebrate in community the art and cultural contributions of all people of African descent, as a haven for discovery, reflection, and inspiration. We are pleased to present this Wintertime concert, on the eve of the 2024 Black History Month -African Americans and the Arts, in collaboration with The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, The Rehoboth Church of God and The Voices of Hartford, as a continuance of our tradition of making great art and education accessible to our community.

Welcome

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he mission of the Amistad Center for Art and Culture is to honor, preserve and celebrate in community the art and cultural contributions of all people of African descent. We accomplish this through our vision to complete the story of America through creative expression and inspiring cross-cultural conversations and experiences.

The Amistad Center for Art and Culture is pleased to work with two phenomenal organizations, The Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Rehoboth Church of God. As we embark on another opportunity to honor Martin Luther King and celebrate Black History Month, what better way to accomplish this through music and the arts.

We hope you enjoy your evening with us.

Aaron Crosson, Sr.

President, Amistad Center for Art & Culture Board of Trustees

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n behalf of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO), we want to extend a warm welcome to the Harmonies & Healing Concert. The HSO is proud and honored to be presenting this concert tonight in collaboration with the Amistad Center for Art & Culture, along with our esteemed guest artists and performers. We thank the Rehoboth Church of God for hosting us and welcoming us into their space.

The Harmonies & Healing Concert is not just a concert, but a celebration of the power of music to unite and heal in so many ways.

Music has the ability to bring people together, transcend boundaries and provide solace to the soul and we have curated a lineup of exceptional artists with a program that will do just that.

May this concert ignite joy and rejuvenation in each and every one of you and thank you for attending.

Steve Collins President & CEO, Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Bob Bausmith

Chair, Hartford Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors

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ehoboth Church of God in Bloomfield, Connecticut, is honored to partner with the Amistad Center for Art & Culture’s Harmonies and Healing Concert with Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

The theme is so timely, as we watch, hear, and experience the turbulent events reeling around us, we need of a time of healing.

We are grateful for the Amistad Center for Art & Culture and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, serving our community in this capacity for so many years. Your efforts are to be applauded.

The YWCA Hartford Region is proud to have made possible the first Exhibition of Black Art in the City of Hartford and State of Connecticut at the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1929.

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stablished in 1867, YWCA Hartford Region has been at the forefront of social justice and gender equity in our community for over 155 years. The agency is an affiliate of YWCA USA, and was born out of the needs of women who were drawn to Hartford in the hope of securing financial independence and improving their lives.

Throughout the 19th century, we offered housing for female travelers and employment services, including typewriting courses for women, to fill an occupation typically held by men.

As early as 1920, the Hartford County YWCA was engaged in advocacy work, including fighting for labor laws and speaking out against segregation and for civil rights. It comes as no surprise that the race relations committee of YWCA would be instrumental in bringing the first collection of Black art to Hartford. We have always sought to improve the lives of those in our community.

Today, YWCA pursues its mission through public policy advocacy, programs and services that promote both change at a systemic level and improved lives for individuals and families in our community.

YWCA’s focus is to build family economic success by empowering women and their families to reach their fullest potential by addressing racial, social and gender disparities that have historically prevented many from succeeding in life personally, professionally and economically. We continue this work with a vision to become a community withunlimited opportunities to un-limit opportunities.

FEATURED ARTIST:

HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

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he mission of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is to enrich lives and community through great music. The HSO is Connecticut’s premier musical organization and widely recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra named Carolyn Kuan as its tenth music director in January 2011; she is the first woman and youngest person to hold this title. The HSO captivates and inspires audiences of all ages by presenting more than 100 concerts annually, including the Masterworks Series, POPS! Series, Sunday Serenades, Discovery Concerts, Symphony in Schools, the Talcott Mountain Music Festival, and more. The HSO aims to deliver uniquely powerful and emotional experiences that lift and transform the spirit, and to give back and help create vibrant communities in the Greater Hartford area.

John Charles Thomas, Acting Principal Trumpet, Hartford Symphony Orchestra - A professor at The Hartt School and recording artist, Thomas has performed frequently with the New York Philharmonic, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Vienna Symphony and was a member of the Grammy Award® winning Chestnut Brass Company. He has appeared in Europe, Asia, Canada and the U.S. as soloist and chamber musician, and represented the U.S. State Department on tours in Central America.

Wayne J. du Maine, Guest Conductor - A native of St. Louis, MO, Wayne J. du Maine has been performing successfully in the New York City area for over thirty years. As a trumpeter, Wayne has performed and recorded with such ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He currently holds the principal chair with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra. Mr. du Maine has also led the Hartford Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and Westchester Philharmonic as conductor of educational concerts. As a trumpet soloist, he has performed numerous concerti with the Concord Orchestra as well as orchestras from Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Springfield (MA), and Mid Coast (ME).

The Voices of Hartford - Founded in June of 2021 by Artistic Director Miles Wilson-Toliver and the Hartford-based professional choral ensemble Voce, Voices of Hartford works closely with leadership in the communities it serves to ensure that its programming addresses the needs of young people living and working in Hartford’s neighborhoods. Bass-Baritone Miles Wilson-Toliver is an award-winning Opera singer, Arts advocate, and voice instructor. His Operatic debut (A Gathering of Sons 2017) won a New York Film Festival Award for “Best Opera Dealing with Social Justice.” (www.voicesofhartford.org) Rehoboth Church of God & Friends Community Choir - This choir is a collaboration of the Rehoboth Church Choir and singers from the area church community. This special event ensemble will perform in a joint concert to honor the works of African American composers and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This community choir will be conducted by Dr. Felicia Barber, who is an Associate Professor of Choral Conducting at Institute of Sacred Music and the Yale School of Music.

MUSICAL PROGRAM John R. Johnson (1873-1954) (arr. du Maine)

Lift Every Voice and Sing (combined choirs and Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

Traditional (arr. Wayne Dixon)

Steal Away (The Voices of Hartford)

Brian Stokes Mitchell (b. 1957) (arr. C.S Dunn)

Make Them Hear You (The Voices of Hartford)

The Voices of Hartford & Melanie B Guerin (b.1976-)

Roots Beneath the Ground (The Voices of Hartford)

Traditional (arr. Dr. Rollo A. Dilworth )

Shine on Me (The Voices of Hartford)

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Symphony No. 9 “NewWorld”excerpt for Movement No. 2 (Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)

Starburst (Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

Danse Negre from African Suite, Op. 35 (Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

Richard Smallwood (b. 1948)

Total Praise (combined choirs and Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

INTERMISSION Jeff Scott (b. 1965)

Fanfare (Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

Malcom Williams (arr. Malcom Williams & Great Faith) (b. 1966)

The Blood Still Works (Rehoboth Church of God Choir)

Thomas Whitfield (arr. Dr. Brandon Waddles) (1954-1992)

I Shall Wear a Crown (Rehoboth Church of God Choir)

Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941)

Four Hymns Without Words for Trumpet and Orchestra Moderato Marziale Moderato Exuberant (Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)

Symphony No. 2 in D major Allegro Andante Presto

Traditional

We Shall Overcome (combined choirs and Hartford Symphony Orchestra)

HSO SPONSORS

Founded in 1987, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture (TAC) is housed in the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the oldest continuously operating public art museum in America. The Amistad Center uniquely inspires, entertains, and educates diverse audiences through a robust array of art, cultural and educational experiences for all members of the Greater Hartford community and New England region.

Our multidisciplinary collection of more than 7,000 works of fine art, photography, historical artifacts, memorabilia, and rare books documents the African American experience from the earliest era of enslavement to contemporary creative achievements. We curate unique cultural experiences that encourage rich one-of-a-kind cross-cultural conversations.

Through our efforts to honor and celebrate the history and contributions of all people of African descent in America, we seek to inspire the next generation of artists, art enthusiasts and cultural visionaries.