Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra Honors Black Composers

BEING PRESENTED

Feb

2021

ChamberMusicColumbus.org

OUR STORY Afro American Chamber Music Society MISSION & HISTORY

The mission of the Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra (AACMSO) is to: a)preserve historic Black classical masterpieces and commission new works by living composers; b)establish an audience and performance venue for the Black artiste and symphonist through the Black Symphonist Concert Series; c) perpetuate its history through Pre-Concert Lectures and Meet the Composer Masterclasses to evoke a dialogue about the significant accomplishments of composers; d)to inspire young emerging artists and composers; and e)conduct systematic international archival research to discover historic works and produce orchestrations from manuscripts for The Black Symphonist Concert Series.

AFRO-AMERICAN CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY ORCHESTRA (AACMSO)

Founded in 1988 by Professor Janise White, AACMSO began as a piano quartet and expanded by 1990 to a chamber orchestra. AACMSO has pioneered in bringing attention to obscure composers of the African diaspora through live performances over KUSC Radio since 1988. International trips to archival collections expanded the repertoire with the revival of early historic works dating back to the 1500s. With the assistance of Ethnomusicologist, Dr. Jacqueline Djedje, AACMSO discovered additional lost works creating a plethora of repertoire for Black Symphonist Concerts. The Series has presented works by over thirty symphonists both historic and contemporary. Recordings have been broadcast over BBC Radio and nationwide classical radio stations. In 2015, AACMSO’s Sancho Minuets & Optional Dances recording was displayed at the West Africa Exhibit in the British Library from October 2015 to February 2016; archived in the British Library Repository (2015-16); broadcast over BBC Radio 4 for “Britain’s Black Past” in a ten-part documentary that aired in October 2016 and in May and September 2020, on BBC 3 in Episode 1 of “The Blacke Trumpeter” by composer, Eleanor Alberga. In 2018, AACMSO’s Lyric for Strings video performance appeared on NewMusicBox in an interview with Pulitzer Prize Winner composer, Dr. George Walker entitled “Concise and Precise.” Additionally, AACMSO’s two commissioned works and recordings of “Cape Coast Castle Symphony” and “Jazz Flute Concertino” by Dr. Joyce Solomon Moorman were archived in the Research Foundation Library of the City University of New York.

AACMSO is mentioned in the Bibliography of Black Composers by Dominique Rene de Lerma, the International Dictionary of Black Composers by Samuel Floyd, Jr.; Brass Music of Black Composers by Aaron Horne; Music by Black Women Composers: A Bibliography of Available Scores by Helen Walker- Hill; From Spirituals to Symphonies: African-American Women Composers by Helen-Walker-Hill; Black American Music: Past & Present by Hildred Roach; and the Encyclopedia of Women Composers by Aaron Cohen.

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PROGRAM NOTES

presents

THE AFRO-AMERICAN CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY ORCHESTRA BLACK COMPOSERS CONCERT Janise White, Conductor, Founder & Director Fernando Pullum, Conductor Vince Womack, Conductor Fosca Overture...........................................................................................Antonio Carlos Gomes (1836-1896) Father of Brazilian Opera African Suite...............................................................................................Fela Sowande (1905-1987) Father of Nigerian Classical Music V. Akinla Folk Songs....................................................................................................Dr.George Theophilus Walker (1922-2018) 1996 Pulitzer Prize Winner I.........................................................................................................................Going to Lay Down My Sword and Shield II........................................................................................................................And They Crucified My Lord III......................................................................................................................My Lord, What A Morning IV.0 Peter, Go Ring Dem Bells Yamekraw................................................................................James Price Johnson (1894-1955) Father of Stride Piano Janise White, Pianist & Reggie Young, Trombonist of Earth, Wind & Fire Maestro Fernando Pullum, Conductor Lyric for Strings.........................................................................................Dr.George Theophilus Walker (1922-2018) 1996 Pulitzer Prize Winner Symphonie Concertante, Op.6 No. l. ..........................Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) Father of the Symphonie Concertante I.........................................................................................................................Allegro Moderato II........................................................................................................................Rondeau Manoela Wunder, Violinist; Marisa McLeod, Violinist; Ernie Carbajal, Jr., Cellist; Maestro Vince Womack, Conductor

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THE ARTISTS JANISE WHITE

Founder, Noted scholar and pianist Professor White serves as Music Professor at West Los Angeles College in Culver City,. She holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Bachelor of Music), University of Southern California (Master of Music), and California State University, Hayward (Choral Credential and Bachelor of Music Education). White studied conducting with the late Denis de Coteau. She is mentioned in American Black Women in theArts and Social Sciences: A Bibliographic Survey by Dr. Ora Williams; “African American Music, A Chronology by Dr.Hansonia Caldwell, Black Music Research Journal by Samuel Floyd, The Magic of Music by Leroy Hurte, Bibliography ofBlack Music and the Greenwood Encyclopedia

by Dr. Dominique Rene de-Lerma.

Professor White served as tenured Music Professor with the Los Angeles Community College District for over two decades. A child prodigy, she began piano studies at Mills College at age 4 and recorded at age 9. White is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (B. Music, piano); Oberlin Conservatory (Artist Diploma Studies); University of Southern California (M. Music, piano); and Cal State University, Hayward (Choral Credential). She studied conducting with Dr. Denis DeCoteau. Her piano teachers were Adolph Baller (San Francisco Conservatory of Music); Francis Walker, (Oberlin Conservatory) sister of Pulitzer Prize Winner, Dr. George T. Walker and Daniel Pollack (University of Southern California).

She has appeared as soloist with orchestras on the west coast and concertized as recitalist in London, France, Canada, Virgin Islands and for radio and television. White researches works by Black composers, creates and publishes orchestrations for AACMSO’s Black Symphonist Concerts. White is listed in “American Black Women in the Arts and Social Sciences” by Dr. Ora Williams, “Brass Music of Black Composers” by Aaron Horne, “The Magic of Music” by Leroy Hurte, “The Bibliography of Black Music and the Greenwood Encyclopedia” by Dr. Dominique Rene de Lerma.

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THE ARTISTS VINCE WOMACK

Conductor

Mr. Womack teaches in the Music Teaching & Learning Department at the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music and was previously Assistant Director of the USC Trojan Marching Band. He also serves as Instrumental Music at Foshay Learning School. He holds a Bachelor degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan and a Master degree in Music Education from the University of Southern California.

PBS recently featured Mr. Womack in an inspiring minidocumentary called The Jazz Ticket, which follows the journey of a promising Foshay music student preparing to audition for the Berklee College of Music. Mr. Womack and his students have made multiple national television appearances and and were featured in the premiere episode of the Queen Latifah Show performing with Grammy Award-winner, Alicia Keys. Under Mr. Womack’s direction, the Foshay Jazz Ensemble recently performed in Paris, France as American Ambassadors.

FERNANDO PULLUM Conductor

Professor Fernando Pullum, Music Professor at LA Southwest College and Director of the Fernando Pullum Performing Arts Center is an educator and professional musician with Masters degrees in Music Education and Music Performance (Trumpet) from the University of Michigan.

He has conducted in Brazil, Spain and Cuba. Additionally, he performed for Prince Charles, President Ford, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackson Browne, Etta James, Alicia Keys, and Eddie Murphy. Mr. Pullum began conducting the AACMS Orchestra in 2010 during the King Monument Concerts in Washington, DC.

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THE ARTISTS ERNIE CARBAJAL, Jr Cellist

Mr. Carbajal, Symphonie Concertante Soloist is a protege of the late Professor Glen Grab and has recently been awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Colorado, Boulder pursuing undergraduate studies in music with Professor David Requiro. Mr. Carbajal made his debut with the Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra performing Symphonie Concertante in June 2019.

MANOELA WUNDER Violinist

Ms. Wunder, Symphonie Concertante Soloist holds a Bachelor of Music from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (NY) in Violin Performance and a Master of Music degree with distinction under scholarship from DePaul University in Chicago. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, violinist Manoela Wunder has performed with a wide range of orchestras and chamber groups in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles as well as Europe.

Her music has been heard in the most prominent halls across the country, including Alice Tully Hall (NY), Symphony Center Chicago and Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA). She is a multiple prizewinner of competitions in the United States and Europe and has been a guest at many prominent festivals throughout her career. In Brazil, she has been coaxed back to her hometown to perform as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, in the most prestigious halls of the city and on national television.

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THE ARTISTS MARISA MCLEOD Violinist

of

Ms. McLeod, Symphonie Concertante Soloist and native Newark, New Jersey, began her studies of the violin at the age of three. She received her Bachelor of Music degree at Montclair State University, and her Master of Music degree from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. She received her Suzuki certification from the School for Strings in New York City and the Eastman School under Anastasia Jempelis.

As

a former member of the Anderson String Quartet for ten years, she toured the country performing concerts.

They were artists in residence and members of the music faculty at California State University, Los Angeles.

Their travels took them all over the country where they performed numerous recitals and children’s concerts.

She has also performed and recorded for artists like Snoop Dog, Smokey Robinson, En Vogue, Moesha, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and many others. She performs with California Philharmonic, Santa Barbara, and various orchestras in Southern California.

REGINALD C. YOUNG Trombonist

Mr. Young, a native of Southern California, obtained his early musical education in the public schools of Los Angeles where he started playing trombone at age 12. He joined the Locke High School Band under Reggie Andrews and debuted with the Henry Grant Big Band featuring Les McCann at age 14. His formal trombone studies were under the tutelage of the world renowned trombonist, George Bohanan. Upon graduating early from Locke High School, Mr. Young attended Los Angeles City College for one year.

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PROGRAM NOTES FOSCA OVERTURE Antonio Carlos Gomes (1836-1896) Gomes, the Father of Brazilian Opera, was one of the most distinguished 19th century operatic composers in the world. He was born son of the Maestro Manuel Jose and Fabiana Maria Jaguari Cardoso. He became the protégé of Emperor Dom Pedro II who sponsored his studies at the Musical Conservatory of Rio de Janeiro and later in Italy at the Milan Conservatory (Maestro and Composer degree). His most famous opera, Ill Guarany, performed in 1870 at Milan Scala Theater catapulted him to fame. The Ill Guarany Overture became Brazil’s National Anthem. Gomes’ total compositional output included eight operas, three song books, choruses and piano pieces.

Fosca Overture (1871-3): This four act opera seria set to a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni was first performed at La Scala in Milan on February 16, 1873. Fifteen (15) performances followed that same year exceeding the popularity of those by established opera composers. The opera occurs on the “Annual Feast Day of Mary” in Venice where 12 brides arrive on a boat procession to meet husbands at the wedding ceremony. Fosca her brother, Gajolo, leader of the pirates accompanied with a band of pirates both plan secretly to kidnap the brides, steal dowries and jewelry. All goes as planned with the boat processional for the bride, Delia. According to Gajolo and Paolo, Fosca is the villain who orders Delia kidnapped at the church and her fiancé, Paolo murdered. Fortunately, Paolo kills the murderer. According to Gajolo and Paolo, Fosca is culpable for the crimes. Exposed, Fosca drinks poison while Delia and Paolo race to the church to be married and live happily ever after. The dominating thematic material in the overture is the pirates chorus as they sing about past raids. Other themes include the lyrical mercy and mocking themes.

AFRICAN SUITE Fela Sowande (1905-1987) Fela Sowande originally named, Chief Olufela Obafunmilayo Sowande, from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, was the son of an Anglican priest and organist, Emmanuel Sowande who immensely influenced the composer.

Sowande formally studied classical organ at age seven with Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips, organist at the Christ Church and earned the Fellowship Diploma (FRCO) from the Royal College of Organists.

Although he relocated to England in 1935, for civil engineering studies, his enormous love for organ compelled him to pursue music studies. Sowande graduated from London University (Bachelor of Music, 1956), the Royal College of Organists (Diploma) and Trinity College of Music (Fellow) where he studied with George Oldroyd, George Cunningham, and Edmund Rubbra. Sowande is a prolific composer of over 50 choral, organ and orchestral compositions. He is internationally known as the Father of Nigerian classical 8

PROGRAM NOTES music for his African works which combine African elements with the European “classical” idiom. In 1940, he began a Radio Series ”West African Music and the Possibilities of Its Development using his own music as an illustration. From that period, he produced the African Suite and other orchestral works commissioned by the BBC. Later he held tenures at Ibadan University in Nigeria, Howard University, the University of Pittsburg and Department of Pan-African Studies at Kent State University. His accolades include the MBE (Member of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II for “distinguished services in the cause of music” (1956) and the Bagbile of Lagos, in recognition of his research into Yoruban folklore (1968); a Rockefeller Foundation grant; and an honorary doctorate from the University of Nigeria at Ife (1972).

Akinla (1944) Sowande composed the African Suite based on Nigerian and African folk melodies for string orchestra and harp. This nostalgic work consists of five symphonized African folk songs and dances designed in the European classical suite form. The wide popularity of this masterpiece is attributed to its indigenous African melodies, motifs, sonorities and infectious rhythms. It represents Sowande’s skill in developing and transforming African melodies into stunning variations consisting of inverted and transposed melodies, rhythms in retrograde, triplet rhythms, pizzicato, and imitation. Movement V: Akinla. Akinla is the closing movement based on a popular highlife tune of West Africa. It consists of a series of variations exploring the multi-faceted African folk song genre.

YAMEKRAW James Price Johnson (1894-1955) Father of Stride Piano and the Charleston composed over 50 ragtime and dance pieces, a one-act opera, several musical revues, one symphony and works for orchestra many of which can be seen on youtube videos played by the impeccable master himself. Johnson first studied piano with his mother, a church pianist and local teachers. He later served as accompanist for Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters. During this period, he met George Gershwin who was also a young piano-roll artist at Aeolian. He toured Europe in 1923 with the Plantation Days Company. In 1927, Johnson composed the Negro Rhapsody, Yamekraw which was premiered in Carnegie Hall in 1944 by his protégé, Fats Waller. The work was orchestrated by Dr. William Grant Still.

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PROGRAM NOTES Yamekraw (1927) A rhapsodic symphonic work for piano solo and orchestra, James P. Johnson has fused the European classical concerto form with the African American Harlem Stride Piano genre. The multi-thematic work contains one movement alternating between piano soloist and orchestra in a wide variety of themes presented and developed representing a wide spectrum of Harlem piano playing including classical, blues, ragtime, jazz, fox trot, Harlem strut, stride piano and the Charleston. The work was orchestrated by Dr. William Grant Still, Dean of African American Composers. Yamekraw received its premiere by Fats Waller at Carnegie Hall on April 27, 1928 and was performed widely by many orchestras of the time. In 1930, a Warner Bros. vitaphone appeared as an overture to the film, Orson Welles’ Macbeth. The synopsis of Yamekraw is an African American man residing in the projects of Yamekraw near Savannah, Georgia who leaves his wife and family to experience city life; but, repentantly returns home to reconcile his marriage.

FOLK SONGS FOR ORCHESTRA LYRIC FOR STRINGS FOLK SONGS FOR ORCHESTRA (1990) Dr. Walker’s first composition, Lyric for Strings was composed in 1946. He completed Folk Songs for Orchestra in the Fall of 1990. This work was premiered in May of 1992 by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted

by David Zinman. The composer describes his intention as “to set these melodies in an interesting way, in a respectful orchestral manner. They are wonderful melodies. The four spirituals are quoted intact, which is an unusual procedure for me, because I am much more in the habit of using only snippets from various sources – pop tunes or folk songs. The focus is to frame these melodies in a miniaturistic fashion; they should be easy for the listener to identify.”

George Theophilus Walker, Composer/Pianist 1922-2018 The great American composer, George Walker, won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1996 with his composition, Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra. He began piano studies at age five. He graduated from Oberlin at 18 and went on to the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied piano with Rudolf Serkin and composition with Rosario Scalero. In 1945, he made his acclaimed New York debut in Town Hall and two weeks later, he appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra as soloist in the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 under Eugene Ormandy. In 1953, he became the first black artist to make a major concert tour of Europe, where he played to resounding acclaim in seven countries. He served on the faculty of Rutgers University as well as guest faculty at the Peabody Conservatory.

LYRIC FOR STRINGS (1946) This work composed in 1946, was originally titled “Lament” and is dedicated to Walker’s grandmother, Malvina King. Its premiere on a radio broadcast in 1946 was conducted by his Curtis Institute of Music colleague, Seymour Lipkin. “Seymour had always wanted to be a conductor,” Walker remembered. “I said to 10

PROGRAM NOTES him, ‘If I add a double bass to the second movement of my string quartet, would you play it?’ Just like that. …

It was just right on the spot. And he said yes. So I rushed home and put the parts together and gave it to him and they played it.” (George Walker) This lament begins with string sections entering in succession to establish the somber mood in F sharp major. A plaintive melody descends chromatically, and ascends in stepwise motion winding, intensifying, swelling but is paused at the surprise pianissimo E flat harmony. The melody recurs in E flat developing imitation based on the thematic motif where it reaches its climax suspended at its highest tones with jarring dissonance then plunges into the abyss of darkness and deep sorrow accompanied by rich harmonies. In the quietude, silence between the pizzicatos fade with dying breath hinting a cessation of music and life. Happy reflections resuscitate the work momentarily in F sharp major adding a glimmer of hope but soon the plaintive melody is recapitulated. Finally, pizzicatos and sighs fade in peaceful harmonic resolutions to the end. (Janise White)

SYMPHONIE CONCERTANTE Op.6 No. 1 Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) Afro-French composer and violinist, Saint-Georges hailed from the island of Guadeloupe, the son of a Senegalese slave mother, Nanon and French governor and slave master, Joseph Boulogne. He began early violin studies at age five in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) with Joseph Platon and formal training at the age of 13 with Leclair and Gossec when his father relocated the family to France. Saint- Georges served as the Maestro di Cappella for Queen Marie Antoinette conducting the Olympic Orchestra and the Paris Opera. He composed 130 songs, 2 Sinfonias, 12 Violin Concertos, 11 Symphonie Concertantes, 30 operas, harp concerto, clarinet concerto, bassoon concerto, cello sonata, 12 string quartets, works for solo violin and harpsichord many which are lost. Haydn composed the six “Paris Symphonies” for the Olympique Orchestra commissioned by St. George for a price of 24 gold Louis d’or.

Symphonie Concertante Op. 6 No. 1 (1775) This work represents Saint-George’s period as Concertmaster for the Concert des Amateur Orchestra under Conductor, François-Joseph Gossec and the premiere of the first of nearly a dozen Symphonie Concertantes produced by the composer. It’s also the year of his royal appointment as the Paris Opera Director by Queen Antoinette. Stylized in the French Classical tradition, the work embodies elegance, grace and grandeur of the French court. Saint-George wrote in the French standard two-movement form for the Symphonie Concertante which he and teacher, Gossec collaborated on in its creative development. It updates the Baroque Concerto Grosso form with the modification of the concertino section with a smaller group of 2 or 3 competitive soloists and orchestra. This work requires three competitive soloists: 2 violinists and 1 cellist who perform a virtuouso cadenza. The first movement opens with a delightfully light serenade while the second movement closes with a triumphant Rondeau. Website: www.aacmsorchestra.org

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Afro American Chamber Music Society We have very much enjoyed sharing our mission and music with our chamber music brothers and sisters in New York and Columbus. From classical Black composers to jazz to Afro-Latino, we all continue to explore the richness of chamber music, encourage diversity, and test the boundaries of the traditional.

By sharing our experiences in the days ahead, we are building better communities for current and future generations of all of us.

Thank you!

Janise White, Founder and Director

COLUMBUS ChamberMusicColumbus.org info@chambermusiccolumbus.org

Afro American Chamber Music Society

AACMSorchestra.org claviermuzic@gmail.com

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