Tag Archive for: Judlyne Lilly Gibson

The Art Songs Now “In Plain Sight”.  AND the musical life of the colonists during the revolutionary war.

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There are so many musical works that have been lost to history.  Joshua Conyers and the faculty and students at the Eastman School Of Music in Rochester, NY has recorded over 40 of them in an album called In Plain Sight, The Black Anthology.

In recognition of the nation’s 250th, there’s the first part of a three-part series about the musical lives of the colonists during the Revolutionary War.  Music professors at the University of Texas in Austin, Andrew F. Dell’Antonio and Hannah Lewis offer some fascinating information about it. 

Here’s the link to the Spoleto USA request for souvenirs

Classical Music At The Beerfest

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When you go to a beerfest, like the one coming up in Munich are you expecting to hear any form of classical music?  If the answer is no, then patrons attending the Munich Oktoberfest are going to be quite surprised when Cellist Anna Rehker and her string quartet start playing music from Bridgerton along with some classical music hits.

Here are links to other items mentioned in the podcast:

Imani Winds and Cantus
LaScala

Opera Creole Continues Performing The Sounds Of History After  Morgiane

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Morgiane, the opera by Louisiana native Edmond Dédé got national and international attention when it was performed and recorded earlier this year.  This 1887 opera was finally included in the opera canon after 138 years and a 12-year effort by Givonna Joseph, Artistic Director of Opera Creole in New Orleans.  This opera company continues singing about historical events in the Black community of New Orleans and beyond as they prepare for their 2026-2027 season.

Givonna Joseph of Opera Creole

Here are links to other items mentioned in the podcast.

Yuja Wang + Documentary

Songs Of The Spirit
The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra

Manon, Like You’ve Never Heard It Before

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Heartbeat Opera in New York has a reputation for modern reimagining’s of classic operas. They did it earlier this year with their production of Manon by Jules Massenet.  Now they’ve done something they’ve never done before.  They called back the cast to record a cast album of the show. It was a revelation for the cast, especially for the two leads, Emma Grimsley and Matt Dengler.

Here are links to some of the items mentioned in the show.

The New York Philharmonic Youth Choir
The Fall Chant Retreat of the Community of Jesus

The Last “Uncovered” Album

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Since 2021, the Catalyst Quartet has released albums of the music of Black composers. 

The series called Uncovered featured the works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Florence B. Price, Coleridge-Taylor, Perkinson, William Grant Still, and George Walker.

The latest and last album features the works of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

The National Symphony Orchestra won’t be performing at the Kennedy Center this coming season.  They’re performing all over the Washington DC area and in other cities.

The BBC Proms continues with an All American program and a performance from the American Soprano Angel Blue.

Here are links to other items mentioned in the podcast.

Squeezing The New Out Of Opera

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Since the 21st century started in earnest, there’s been some discussion about opera.  New operas versus the standard repertoire and how it’s measured against the prevailing views about race and attitudes.  Now comes One Ounce Opera out of Austin, Texas.  They are seeking to throw the old views out about everything that opera represents with their annual show Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera.

Julie Fiore – Founder of One Ounce Opera

Then there’s the horror of a singer being flogged and more for not wearing a hijab. 

Parastoo Ahmadi

And here’s a question:  What’s NOT going on at the Kennedy Center, especially when it comes to the National Symphony Orchestra. 

A Composer of Conscience and Thank Goodness for Music Librarians

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A soothing album as a balm for the ICE infested people of Minneapolis. 

Mozart’s newly discovered jam AND A newly discovered Ralph Vaughn Williams piece

This guy likes to play his piano outdoors

These are the links to other items mentioned in the podcast.

Houston’s FIRST Pride Orchestra

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Some ideas nag at you over time.  That is until something happens and you have to act. 

This is what happened to Ruby Ortiz who finally decided to start Houston’s first LGBTQ+ symphony orchestra. It’s called the Houston Pride Orchestra.

Here are the links for other stories mentioned in the podcast.

Happy 250th And Then Some

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We have been inundated with new music and performances of old patriotic music because of the 250th birthday of the United States. On this June 8th podcast, I’m starting a series on music composed and performed specifically for the big bash next month.

This time it’s Karen LeFrak’s American Promise. 

You’ll also meet Dawn Carroll who was inspired to compose Songs for Mary. 

It’s aboutMary Cardwell Dawson, a woman who created the National Negro Opera Company in the Pittsburgh home that housed some famous Black sports figures and music makers. BTW:  The song “If the Walls Could Talk” was enhanced by Danny Borgers

June is also the month of Juneteenth and Pride month celebrations with some big firsts among them. 

Here are the links to some of the other items mentioned in the podcast.

70 Birthday Songs to America From Pianist Min Kwon

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There aren’t many musicians, classical or otherwise who aren’t presenting their own versions of a birthday song for America’s 250th. 

On this episode, we hear from Min Kwon, a pianist with a little activist nature on the side.

Back in 2021 she started a project called America/Beautiful.  Since then she’s commissioned over 70 composers to come up with their musical versions of what’s beautiful about America at this time using the song America the Beautiful as source material.  Plus it was important to her because she has two daughters, with birthdays on Presidents’ Day and on the Fourth of July.

Here are links to items mentioned in the podcast.