The little OPERA theatre of ny is joining forces with the National Black Theatre and Harlem Opera Theater to present “American One Acts, a preview concert” on June 3, 2022. The showcase, which will take place at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, will be directed by Philip Shneidman and conducted by Gregory Hopkins. Audiences will highlight from the company’s {…}
(Credit: Carl Van Vechten) Next to “Troubled Island,” “A Bayou Legend” is William Grant Still’s most famed opera. The opera had its world premiere on March 31, 1974, at Opera South in Mississippi. It would then have a historic performance in 1981 when the Mississippi Educational Television Authority presented the opera on TV, marking the first time an opera by {…}
William Grant Still’s “Troubled Island” is a historic opera. The work, which includes a libretto by Langston Hughes and Verna Arvey, had its world premiere on March 31, 1949, at the New York City Opera making it the first opera composed by a Black composer to be produced by a major opera company in the United States. While the opera {…}
William Grant Still was widely know as the “Dean of African American composers.” His work throughout the 1900s led to make major breakthroughs for the black community in the world of classical music. For this quiz, we ask you to take stock of Still’s career and his major accomplishments. As always, have fun!
(Credit: Carl Van Vechten) Born on May 11, 1895, William Grant Still would go on to become one of the most iconic African-American composers of all time. Still was born in Woodville Mississippi. His father William Grant Still Sr. was a teacher, partner in a grocery store, and performed as a local bandleader; unfortunately, he would pass away when his {…}
June 8th marks the start of African-American Music Appreciation Month. While the talent and musical accomplishments of the black community cannot possibly be summarized in one article, we have compiled a list of notable recordings of not only great singers, but also composers whose works have been overlooked for decades, even centuries. In recent years more attention has finally been {…}
The Harry T. Burleigh Society and Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra will collaborate to present “From Song Came Symphony.” The concert will explore the symphonic influence of composer Harry T. Burleigh, “who’s legacy is often tied to the concertization of the American spiritual,” according to the press release. The Burleigh Society aims to “advance the studies of black art music through {…}