Music for the Crisis presented by Challenge the Stats and Concerts@First

Concerts @ First and Challenge the Stats present

Music for the Crisis

Music for the Crisis Virtual Concert co-presented by Challenge the Stats and Concerts at First

June 27th, 2020, 8:00 P.M. Be Still and Know for Piano Trio

Carlos Simon (1986-) Chelsea Sharpe, violin Lindsey Sharpe, cello Brittney Boykin, piano

Essence of Ruby for Solo Harp Southeastern Premiere

Brandee Younger (1983-) Angelica Hairston, harp

Fanmi Imen [Human Family] Poem for Flute and Piano

Valerie Coleman (1970-) Tara Byrdsong, flute Brittney Boykin, piano

Today Was a Crying Day World Premiere

Jayme Alilaw (1981-)

Guide My Feet

Trad. Spiritual arr. Jacqueline Hairston (1938-)

Stand Up from the movie Harriet

Joshuah Campbell & Cynthia Erivo (1987-) Jayme Alilaw, soprano

Trouble Don‘t Last for Bassoon and Piano Southeastern Premiere

Mark Lomax II (1979-)

Andrew Brady, bassoon Brittney Boykin, piano In Response to the Maddness for String Quartet Southeastern Premiere Jessica Stinson, violin Tramaine Jones, violin Wilfred Farquharson, viola Khari Joyner, cello

Joel Thompson (1988-)

Concert Sponsor First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta Concert Partners The Atlanta Opera The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Fulton County Remembrance Coalition

To support the work of Challenge the Stats or Concerts at First, please visit:

Challengethestats.org/donate firstpresatl.org/GIVE About the Artists Jayme Alilaw is a resident artist with The Atlanta Opera and a featured Artistic Family member at Dad’s Garage Theater Company. A staunch advocate of the performance of works by African American composers, Jayme has co-created Tapestry, a residency program geared toward exposing students to the power and creative value of Spirituals. She is a founding member of ImprOper, an operatic improvisation team that improvises 30-minute operas. A veteran of the U.S. Army, she frequently sang for military ceremonies throughout the United States and the Middle East.

Concert pianist and composer Brittney Boykin (B.E. Boykin) received a BA in Music from Spelman College. She was awarded the R & R Young Composition Prize at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in New Jersey, where she received a M.M. in Sacred Music with a concentration in choral studies. Ms. Boykin’s instrumental and choral works are published and distributed through her own publishing company, Klavia Press. She is currently pursuing a PhD with an emphasis in Music Education from Georgia State University.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principal Bassoon, Andrew Brady, is an internationally acclaimed artist. Brady was formerly Principal Bassoonist with the Louisiana Philharmonic, a position he held since 2013. In January 2011, Brady performed Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto with the Seattle Symphony under invitation from then Music Director Gerard Schwarz. While in Seattle, he gave free public concerts as well as demonstrations in area schools. Brady received his Bachelor of Music degree from The Colburn School Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Richard Beene.

Acclaimed flutist and educator Tara Byrdsong holds a Master of Music in flute performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Bachelor of Music from Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. Tara is an alum of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony. Tara has performed as a solo flutist and ensemble artist throughout the United States, Prague, Vienna and England.

She is currently the Director of Bands at Campbell Middle School.

About the Artists Violist Wilfred Farquharson recently received his Bachelor’s Degree in Viola Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Wilfred is a graduate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Talent Development Program and was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Currently Wilfred is an incoming fellow in the LA Orchestra Fellowship and will pursue a Graduate Certificate in Music Performance at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He will serve as a mentor to the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA). He aspires to be a model of excellence for other aspiring musicians of color.

Harpist Angelica Hairston is known for her fiery performances and her passion for social change.

She launched Challenge the Stats in 2016 to empower artists of color and use music as a tool for social justice. She currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble. She has performed as a soloist and ensemble member with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Montgomery Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and the Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra. Angelica holds a Master of Music Industry Leadership from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Music from The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, Ontario. She was recently celebrated as one of the youngest recipients of the 2019 Governor’s Awards for the Arts & Humanities, an award recognizing her significant contributions to the state of Georgia’s civic and cultural vitality.

Tramaine Jones began learning the violin at the age of nine and has not put down her instrument since. After graduating from the Tri-cities High School Performing Arts Program, she received a scholarship to attend Northwestern University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance and Master’s Degree in Music Education. Mrs. Jones performs with the Symphony Orchestra of Augusta, Tuscaloosa Symphony, and the Harlem Festival Orchestra.

Dubbed by the New York Classical Review as one of the most exciting young musicians on the classical scene, Khari Joyner has a following nationally and abroad, and has had a number of accomplishments including teaching residencies and concert series for over one thousand students in Beijing, Shanghai, The Netherlands, and at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts andHumanities. He also gave a private performance for President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. In addition, Khari was recently awarded a 2017-2018 career grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship for the Performing and Visual Arts.

A native of Duluth, Georgia, Chelsea Sharpe, is a third-year Violin Fellow at the New World Symphony. She is a graduate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program and also served as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Following high school, Chelsea attended the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, studying with Kathleen Winkler for her bachelor’s degree, and recently completed her master’s degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where she studied with Glenn Dicterow.

About the Artists Cellist and Duluth native, Lindsey Sharpe, is currently a master’s student studying Cello Performance at Rice University. She recently completed her undergraduate studies also in Cello Performance at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is a graduate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program and also served as a cellist with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. She has performed throughout the US and been a member of prestigious summer music programs such as Interlochen Arts Camp, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Sitka International Cello Seminar in Sitka, Alaska.

Violinist Jessica Robinson Stinson has been hailed as a “thrilling and spectacular” performer with “remarkably mature musicianship”. Jessica's performing career has extended throughout the United States and Europe. She received a Master’s in Violin Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Jessica performs regularly with the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, serves as a Teaching Artist with the Atlanta Music Project and Principal Second Violin of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra.

Save the date!

Sunday, August 9, 2:00 P.M.

This concert was made possible thanks to the generous donations to the Concerts @ First season.

Concerts @ First Donors 2019/20 Season Orchestrator

Patron

Anonymous

Susan B. Anthony in honor of the FPC Chancel Choir

Underwriter Baxter Jones in memory of Margaret and Bates Block Sara and Paul Cadenhead in honor of Jim and Jane Coomer

Elizabeth Fogartie

Anonymous in memory of Ellis Callaway Hooper Helen and Ted Hatch

Angel

Margaret Talmadge Howell

Jim and Carol Dew

Margaret H. Murphy

Annika and Tim Eichenlaub

Seaborn Jones

Jim and Jane Griffin

Christina Porter

Jean and Mike Russ

Louise Reaves

Eberhard and Ann Voit

Linda and Mason Stephenson

Gail and David Watson in memory of Jane Weyant Cary and Brooks Lide; Bill Minnich Benefactor Trudi and Tom Branch III Cindy and Bobby Candler Sally Cobb Cannon in memory of Marian Weltner Cannon and Joseph Granbery Cannon Jack and Caroline Hardin Lynne and Ralph Jenkins Arthur and Mamie Mendez

Friend Bland and Monique Byrne Elizabeth Etoll John and Carol W. Hardenburg in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Richard N. Whittier Wally and Tommy Hills Carlton and Cheryl Hughes Anne C. Pritchett

Jack and Martha Stringer in honor of Jean Lemonds

To make a contribution to Concerts @ First please click the link to visit firstpresatl.org/GIVE

Concerts @ First presents 2020-2021 Dedication Concerts of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta’s PEYTON CATER ROBINSON MEMORIAL STEINWAY CONCERT GRAND PIANO Friday, September 18, 2020 12:00 P.M. Bach’s Lunch Co-presented with the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Beethoven 2020 - Violin and Cello Sonatas #1 Charae Krueger, cello Helen Kim & Margeaux Maloney, violin Julie Coucheron & William Ransom, piano

Friday, October 30, 2020 12:00 P.M. Bach’s Lunch Co-presented with the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Beethoven 2020 - Violin and Cello Sonatas #2 Christopher Rex, cello Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin William Ransom, piano

Friday, November 13, 2020 8:00 P.M. Gala Concert with Charles Richard-Hamelin Second Prize & Krystian Zimerman Prize, XVII International Chopin Piano Competition, Warsaw, 2015 Works by Beethoven & Chopin

Friday, January 22, 2021 12:00 P.M. Bach’s Lunch Co-presented with the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta Vega String Quartet

Friday, February 19, 2021 8:00 P.M. Piano & Organ Concert Beethoven – Emperor Concerto; David Briggs - Poème Rhapsodique (World Premiere) Julie Coucheron, piano Jens Korndörfer, organ

Friday, March 26, 2021 12:00 P.M. Bach’s Lunch Co-presented with the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta David Coucheron, violin; William Ransom, piano

Sunday, May 16, 2021 3:00 P.M. Atlanta Chamber Players Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue