Greetings from the Smithsonian! Readers, I have just enjoyed three incredible days at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. My favorite exhibit was entitled 'African Voices.' Amongst the photos of smiles and hardships, story-telling prints on fabric, history revealing music and ceremonial masks was a conjuring of something previously neglected in my subconscious.

The exhibit demonstrated the many journeys that Africans took beginning (according to the display) in or around "250 B.C.E." through Portugal, China, Spain and Europe. Displays revealed literature, art work, legal writings and instruments that I'd never before seen. Although most of the sights were new to me, their illumination solidified what I already "knew": the Black presence was paramount in many different countries before the extreme separation of black and white that we know in America today.

Sometimes, all it takes is a trip to a museum (or a newsletter) to awaken, in a Gestalt moment, the fact that we're interconnected. MHS is proud to be one of the many organizations that fosters this multi-cultural exchange of ideas and resources. 

Dulcetly,
Rashida N. Black
Exec. Director

Featured Artist 

New Jersey Symphony violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins is a world-class violinist and polyglot. She was recently invited by the Hallmark Channel's "New Morning" Show hosted Timberly Whitfield to give a featured performance of the Mozart Duo for Violin and Viola K.423 with violinist/violist Orlando Wells. Ms. Whitfield hand-picked Hall-Tompkins after reading an article in one of many magazines that she has graced from Chamber Music America to Spirituality and Health. Her latest project? A program called the Music Kitchen/Food for the Soul where Ms. Hall-Tompkins is founder and director. Music Kitchen gives in-house concerts for homeless shelter residents. It's definitely worth finding out more about this humanitarian endeavor.

Check out Music Kitchen for more information and ways that you can help. The featured New Morning show is entitled "Paying it Forward." The show will air on September 11 at 7am on the Hallmark Channel in your area. Check your local listings.

Congratulations are in order to composer Fred Okorefe Kwaku ("FredO") Onovwerosuoke, and the trio of violinist Rachel Barton Pine, flutist Wendy Hymes and pianist George Francois for their stunning success of Five Sketches for Flute, Violin and Piano (2006) composed by FredO as highlighted in last month's eNewsletter. 

Luckily, for all of us who weren't in attendance, accordionist Rodger French has captured every glowing moment in his journal writings and has agreed to share his story with MHS. Below is an excerpt of what you can expect to read beginning Monday, September 3: 

Ghana Journals of Accordionist Rodger French
Accra, Ghana

Hello there... Rodger French here. As promised, the inestimable Fred Onovwerosuoke -"FredO" - blew into town with an entourage, including some truly excellent musicians. I had the good fortune to hang out with them and perform on the same bill on several occasions, so it has been one hectic week. Lots to report, so let's get right to it, shall we?

Check out the full story on Monday! 

American Composers Forum Support for Performance of New Works by Living Composers!! Now that I've got your attention, the American Composers Forum seeks to encourage U.S. performers (both individuals and ensembles) to add newly created works by living composers to their repertoires through its Encore incentive grants. The program also aims to assist composers in securing premiere and post-premiere performances that are vital to building a career. 

Visit their web site by clicking on the hyperlink above. Deadline: October 1, 2007.

Maestro Chelsea Tipton II is entering his fifth season as Resident Conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He has won over audience and critics alike with his vibrant musicality, accessibility, versatility, and extraordinary commitment to education outreach.  As a sought-after guest conductor, Tipton has appeared with major orchestras in the United States, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, among others.   

Tipton earned a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the Eastman School of Music, with additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Hancock, Maine. A devotee of the Japanese martial art form Aikido, Chelsea Tipton II is dedicated to using positive and harmonious forces to encourage expansive and intuitive listening, in turn promoting connectedness in music making.  

See Maestro Tipton conduct the Sphinx Symphony as they sell-out Carnegie Hall in New York, New York. This year's concert will feature the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, Harlem Quartet and solo performances by Laureates of the Sphinx Competition for young Black & Latino string players. 

Tuesday, September 25th @ 6:00 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $20 and available through the Carnegie Hall Box office at 212-247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org. Groups of 10 or more can receive a discounted rate by calling 212-903-9705. VIP and Box Seat tickets are available through the Sphinx Organization by calling 646-429-1987 x701. Sphinx Symphony at Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage.

Landscapes of Africa: Music for Orchestra is the latest effort put forth from MHS friend composer FredO who writes: "Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 brought untold devastation and human suffering to many people in southern United States, including my family. With thousands of pages of sheet music destroyed and hundreds of  tapes from over 25 years of field research across Africa damaged by the flood,  the challenges seemed insurmountable for us. But help poured in from around the world. Friends, musical colleagues and total strangers traveled long distances to help us rebuild in New Orleans. Many enthusiastic volunteers offered to help salvage and transcribe music manuscripts and other media. Out of the rubbles of the hurricanes, we found some of the pieces on this CD, as well as other composition sketches in various stages of completion. The joy of this discovery opened vast creative wells from which the newer pieces were composed." The whole CD is top-notch, but I do have my favorite tracks. What are yours?

Visit African Chorus, Inc. to hear some tracks and view a list of other works by FredO. Read the review. Oh, just go on and buy the CD.

The Gateways Music Festival is back! In case you don't already know, Gateways is the triumph of Ms. Armenta Adams Hummings, Artistic Director. The mission of Gateways is "to increase the visibility and viability of African-American classical musicians and to heighten public awareness of their classical music contributions; to provide an opportunity for African-American musicians from all over the country to meet, exchange ideas, and revitalize their musical energy; and to establish role models for young musicians of all ethnic origins and specifically to encourage young African-Americans to study and become actively involved in creating opportunities for African-Americans in the field of classical music."

This year will feature orchestra concerts, choral concert with orchestra, and chamber music concerts in selected locations in the Rochester, NY area.

Concerts kick-off on Friday, September 7 with a privately presented concert by Gateways Music Festival Youth Concert with Buffalo's Muhammad School of Music Orchestra featuring the Valerie Capers Trio, Pianist. On Saturday, September 8, the Orchestra will perform George Walker's Lyric for Strings, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major and Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor. Concert conducted by Amadi Hummings and featuring pianist Paul Badura-Skoda.

Sunday, September 9 at 5pm and 7:30, listeners will experience the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra Concert's Tribute to 5 African American Heroines (Kilbourn Hall - Eastman School of Music, 26 Gibbs Street - Rochester, NY). On the program: Selected Works Performed by harpist Jordan W. Thomas and soprano Mari-Yan Pringle, conducted by Nkeiru Okoye and narrated by Naomi Anthony. Also performed: The Genesis: Voices Shouting Out - Nkeiru Okoye (text by Phyllis Wheatley) and Haydn's Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor.

This will be a "classical music festival featuring African-American musicians from throughout the United States in solo recitals, chamber music concerts, symphonic concerts, and lecture demonstrations. The length, size and duration is governed both by the artistic goals and the variety of audiences being served."

See Calendar of Events for 2007

The Sinfonietta will begin its first concert of the 2007-08 season with selections from Edvard Grieg’s dramatic Peer Gynt Suite. Grieg wrote the incidental music for Henrik Ibsen’s poetic drama Peer Gynt in 1876 and arranged the suite for full orchestra in 1888. Peer Gynt Suite has become one of Grieg’s best-known works and can be heard in popular movies, television shows and even advertisements.  The Chicago Jazz Ensemble will then perform selections from Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s delightful 1960 adaptation of Peer Gynt Suite. This collaborative effort will give patrons a comparative taste of Classical and Jazz as musicians, both symphonic and jazz, bounce between the two works.

Also on the bill, Sinfonietta timpanist Robert Everson will present Russell Peck's Harmonic Rhythm: Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra in a performance of brilliant sticking and a kaleidoscope of rhythmic and harmonic sounds. The writing of this concerto, which premiered in 2000, was inspired by the largest commissioning consortium (39 orchestras) in music history to date. Influenced by percussion techniques found in jazz and rock music, Harmonic Rhythm is an unforgettable work.  To conclude the concert, the Chicago Sinfonietta, together with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, will perform Duke Ellington’s symphonic work for jazz ensemble and orchestra, Harlem. This bluesy, upbeat masterpiece was originally scored for his annual jazz concert series at New York's Carnegie Hall, making Ellington the first African American to conduct a jazz concert at the world-renowned venue. 

Concerts on Sunday, September 16, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. at Lund Auditorium, Dominican University, 7900 W. Division in River Forest, and Monday, September 17, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Tickets range from $26-$96 for concerts at Orchestra Hall and $26-$40 for concerts at Lund Auditorium at Dominican University.  Special pricing for children, students and groups are available.  For tickets, call 312-236-3681 ext. 2 or visit www.chicagosinfonietta.org (Thanks Farrah.)

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra trombonist Weston Sprott is one of my present day heroes. A native of Spring, Texas, he commenced his formal training under the tuteledge of Michael Warny, trombonist with the Houston Grand Opera and Ballet Orche stras. He began his undergraduate study at Indiana University in Bloomington with Carl Lenthe (former Principal Trombonist of Bavarian State Opera and Bamberg Symphony) and continued his studies at The Curtis Institute of Music. At Curtis, Mr. Sprott studied with Nitzan Haroz (Principal Trombone- Philadelphia Orchestra) and graduated in the Spring of 2005. (But before he could shake a hand to accept his degree, he was snatched up by The MET. I know. Wow. Talk about determination and hard-work.)

While a student at Curtis, Mr. Sprott served as Principal Trombone of The Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra (Philadelphia) and Principal Trombone of The Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Weston was also an active freelancer in Philadelphia with The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Haddonfield Symphony. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, the Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Hot Springs Music Festival, The American Wind Symphony Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony (Detroit) and several others. Outside engagements have led to performances with gospel and jazz artists Take 6, Donnie McClurkin and Branford Marsalis. Weston is currently Second Trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, a position he has held since May of 2005.

See what made New York all-a-buzz when Mr. Sprott performs at Carnegie Hall's "Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York" Opening Night Gala.

Carnegie Hall presents pianists Anna Stoytcheva and Viktor Valkov, violinist Georgy Valtchev, cellists Hrant Parsamian, Lachezar Kostov and Diliana Momtchilova and of course trombonist Mr. Weston Sprott, Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 8pm. Program will feature works by Schoenfield, Schumann, Lars Erik-Larsson, and others. Weill Recital Hall. Tickets from $25 - $30.

Many of you are already familiar with Webmaster Bill Zick's informative AfriClassical.com, but Bill has gone above and beyond to bring to you another web site, a companion blog. It's a Must Read! And while you're there, subscribe to get updates sent directly to your inbox. You'll always be kept up-to-date on new discoveries and mind-tickling information.

Today's topic? Justin Elie, Haitian Composer. Check out the archives to catch up!

All, I'm presently working on an article to be published in the Teaching Artists Journal and I need your help. Please visit the homepage (www.myrtlehart.org) and leave your comments on this week's Hot Topic! article. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about:

And thus my proposal to you now: we must come to terms with why our progress as conscious Americans advocating for change has been so slow, and ensure that our organizations and orchestras receive acceptable returns on the investments in diversity that we all are making today.

George Cooper, pianist extraordinare and Chicago Music Association member (first branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians), began his studies at the Chicago Conservatory with Faygon Teverbaugh at age 10 and went on to receive the Bachelor of Music degree from world renowned Fisk University, in Nashville TN. While at Fisk (under the tutelage of the legendary Mr. Matthew Kennedy), he received several awards including the United Negro College Fund’s student star of the year (1978) and the top award at the DeBose piano competition (1982). He also sang with (and accompanied) the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers.

After graduation, Mr. Cooper pursued a recording career with the band “AUTUMN,” which he co-founded. “AUTUMN” recorded for both the PolyGram and Capitol record labels between the years 1984-1990. Tours with fellow recording artists such as Midnight Star, S.O.S, Little Richard, Isley Brothers, Peabo Bryson, Natalie Cole, and Chaka Kahn followed. Highlights of this period include performances in Tokyo, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Milan, Italy, Monaco, Monte Carlo, and Cannes, France. It was during a visit to the south of France that Mr. Cooper began an intense study of one of piano literature’s greatest volumes, the etudes of Frederic Chopin. Years of research in this area has led to the development of an instructional video entitled “Secrets of the Chopin Etudes”.

Since returning stateside in 1995, Mr. Cooper has turned his energies towards teaching. He taught class piano at Piano Play Music System in Sherman Oaks, CA, training under Sharon Shaheed (MS), Piano Play’s founder. Piano Play, with over 600 students, has received awards from every major child education periodical in the Southern California area. Now in his native Chicago, Mr. Cooper presently heads the music faculty at the John Marshall Metro H.S., where he both teaches the piano/electronic music course and directs the newly “renovated” Marshall Metro Mass Chorus. Often performing many genres, he recently gave the debut performance of noted composer Lena McLin’s latest piano piece “Flight” to rave reviews.

See him perform live on Sunday, September 16 at 3:30 pm at the Congregational Church of Park Manor, 7000 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL. Admission is $15.00. The program will include World Premieres of two works by Cooper entitled "A Song Without Words" and "Untitled," as well as the World Premiere of "Fantasy for a New Day" by Howard Savage. Also on the program, Betty Jackson King's "Aftermath," Chopin's "Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23" and twelve (12) of Chopin's "24 Etudes for Piano, Op. 10." Stay tuned for George Cooper's instructional DVD on Chopin's Etudes.

The Frankford Friends School (FFS) in Philadelphia, PA is a Quaker school serving in an urban neighborhood. Sounds amazing, right? It is! FFS is the "most wonderfully and comfortably diverse school imaginable -culturally, ethnically, and socio-economically." This past year, FFS celebrated their very first year of string music.Through the generous donations by those with sad, unplayed instruments in their attics, the school acquired 8 instruments with which to begin their string program. The results were overwhelming. Now other students want to join. Unfortunately, in order to continue the program this year and allow both 4th and 5th grade classes to play instruments, FFS need to find five (5) more instruments. Consider donating your sad, unplayed instrument. Make it happy by donating it (tax-deductible) to the school!

For more information, contact: Diane Blum, Frankford Friends School, 1500 Orthodox Street, Philadelphia, PA  19124; school phone: (215) 533-5368;  home phone: (610) 667-4836.

The New World Symphony promises that this free preview of the 20th Anniversary Season will start off with a bang! From the site: Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral evokes images ranging from dreamlike memories to ecstatic explosions - capturing the excitement of the coming season. The Metropolitan Opera's principal trumpeter, Billy R. Hunter, Jr., revisits his Miami Beach alma mater as soloist in Haydn’s jaw-dropping concerto. Principal Guest Conductor Alasdair Neale leads Rachmaninoff’s magnificent Second Symphony, which reflects the composer's triumph over inner demons.

The curtain will rise on the "Fanfare for the 20th: The Pre-Season Orchestra" Concert at Lincoln Center on Sunday, September 23 at 8:00pm. Go to support Mr. Hunter and stay to hear Higdon: blue cathedral, Haydn: Trumpet Concerto, and Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2. Gratis!

As previously reported in the very first MHS eNewsletter, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Talent Development Program (TDP) prepares students for conservatory, college or university-level study by providing instruction, mentoring, performance opportunities and complimentary admission to ASO concerts. If your child or a child that you know lives in the Atlanta area and is eligible, please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Visit the Talent Development Program for more detail. Applications for this program are now available. Audition requirements are listed on the application form. The application deadline for the 2007-2008 season will be September 10.

Imani Winds is en Paris (That's France. Not Tennessee or Illinois.) with the Wayne Shorter Quartet and what a wonderful time to be there. The weather is perfect and many of the tourists have gone back to their respective countries. That also signals the return of the native Parisiennes. (Tellement amusement ! Je suis jaloux…)

If you're there, visiting or if you live there, please attend this concert and send me an email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Or better yet, send me an Air France ticket. ;) Je vous aimerai pour toujours. Merci.

See Imani Winds and the Wayne Shorter Quartet on Wednesday, September 5 @ 8pm at Jazz a la Villette, Cite de la Musique. Hang out and have some red wine with the crew.

MHS Founder/Exec. Director Rashida N. Black answers many emails from inquisitive folks asking about the inner-workings of or impetus behind MHS. After responding to one particular email with her usual mix of information and humor, she thought to make the most-asked questions part of the MHS site.

Check out Fun Stuff's new section Hey Rashida! for the Q&A. Post a Q if you'd like an A.

International organization Classic In Black is "focused on intercultural programs, an intercultural exchange between African Diaspora Culture and Western Classical and Operatic Music conducted by a multicultural group of people from Germany, the US, and other countries." They will present the history of Ragtime Music in America on their local radio show in Berlin.

Tune in to the live stream online under the section Live Stream Radio, September 2 @ 6pm. 

INSTRUCTORS TAKE NOTE!! Historical Notes For Solos For Treble Instrument, Especially Soprano Recorder, Collection 1: African-American And Jamaican Melodies is now available! These pieces were arranged/composed by Clark Kimberling for FREE! He has made accessible over 330 solos available for treble instruments that can be downloaded as a PDF file. You have access to hundreds of songs and their related in-depth information for FREE. “Along with spirituals and other traditional music, the collection represents 55 African-American composers in 175 melodies” based on “religious, folk, minstrel, dance-related, and other sources.” These pieces are excellent for community music schools and public schools to add to or supplement their existing repertoire!

Browse the selections and download your favorites.

Stay tuned for October's eNewsletter when our Featured Artist will be Patricia Ann Neely, the only professional viola da gamba player of color.

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!