Tag Archive for: jazz

Meet Arcoriris Sandoval – A Jazz Pianist

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Jazz pianist and composer ArcoIris Sandoval spent her summer all over the place.  We met her in July at the Zinc Bar in New York’s The Village where she was performing over a couple of nights before heading off to Massachusetts and other venues around the country.    Sandoval took the time to learn more about her craft with her master’s degree in jazz piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music.  In 2018, she released her debut Sonic Asylum Trio album entitled “First Voyage” which won a Global Music Award In 2018.  She has also earned respect from long time jazz performers.  So much so that George Cables performs her  original composition “Journey to Agartha on his latest album “I Hear Echoes”.  

The Opera about Fannie Lou Hamer

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Photo by www.ireneyoungfoto.com

After reading numerous articles about our shorter than short attention spans, I’ve decided to split this, the August 2024 Classical Music in Color into two parts. It may be a permanent fixture. Let me know what you think.

The first part is an interview with 85 year old composer Mary D. Watkins who’s about to premiere her latest opera “Is This America” about the Mississippi Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. 

Mary D. Watkins is a Colorado native who earned a degree in classical composition from Howard University in Washington, DC.  She started getting noticed later in life.  She won a Female Composer grant from Opera America in 2020, has previously won composer fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, along with various other grants.  AND She received a 2021 Artist Legacy Award from the California Arts Council.  She was also recognized with a 2022 Composers Now Visionary Award. She says her composition of this opera was a long time coming.

The Second part of this, the August 2024 edition of Classical Music In Color is what I’m calling for now, the Albums, Opportunities, Events and Milestone section of the show.

Here are the links:

Sphinx – SOPA

Black Violin Foundation Grants

Castle Of Our Skins Give Black

Kellen Gray

Lara Downes

Click Here

Stories of Interest

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This is a collection of stories about interesting people doing interesting things.

Jazz pianist and composer ArcoIris Sandoval spent her summer all over the place.  We met her in July at the Zinc Bar in New York’s The Village where she was performing over a couple of nights before heading off to Massachusetts and other venues around the country.    Sandoval took the time to learn more about her craft with her master’s degree in jazz piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music.  In 2018, she released her debut Sonic Asylum Trio album entitled “First Voyage” which won a Global Music Award In 2018.  She has also earned respect from long time jazz performers.  So much so that George Cables performs her  original composition “Journey to Agartha on his latest album “I Hear Echoes”.