Tag Archive for: Judlyne Lilly Gibson

The Re-Discovery of Vicente Lusitano, A 16th Century Afro-Portuguese Composer

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Have you ever heard of Vicente Lusitano?  

During his lifetime in the 1500s he lit up the Early Music/Renaissance  world with his music, intelligence, and moxie. Unfortunately this Afro-Portuguese composer’s mixed parentage and the prejudices of the period meant his legacy would not survive. But his music remains.  

In this January 21st edition of Classical Music In Color, two Lusitano experts, Garrett Schumann and Joseph McHardy,  talk about his life and works and revival today, nearly four centuries later. 

Here are links to the events and competitions mentioned in the podcast:

Hampton University in Virginia is honoring Composer Roland M. Carter.

Composer Anthony Davis is inducted into the Opera Hall Of Fame. 

The New Jersey Symphony is accepting applications for the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute.

The World’s First Mariachi Opera

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The Austin Opera is about to do something they’ve never done before. 

They are presenting the world’s first Mariachi Opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. It will also be the first time they are staging an opera sung in Spanish with help from the new Butler Fund for Spanish Programming.  Some of the cast is from Ópera de Bellas Artes, the national opera company of Mexico.

Austin Opera General Director and CEO,  Annie Burridge says this production is the first of many. 

Back To Work.  Did You Bring Your Ear Gear With You?  

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Going back to work this week might seem like somewhat of a letdown after all the fun and frivolity of the holiday season. 

There is a way to make it all better. 

Listen to music at the office. 

A recent study found that workers are happier and more productive when listening to instrumental music while on the job.

However, other researchers have somewhat opposing ideas about listening to music at the office. 

Find out what kind of music puts you in the mood to tackle that big project. And find out if any of this applies to you if you work from home.   

At The intersection of Early Music and Video Games

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However you celebrate the holidays, there’s probably nothing like playing with your new toy this time of year.  It might be a video game with a soundtrack of some of the oldest tunes in the world.  Early Music. 

 

Dr. Karen Cook, an Early Music Scholar and a Video Game Scholar says while she’s playing some of the latest video games, she’s also listening to the soundtrack for the telltale signs of early music

New Album:  African American Voices II With Conductor Kellen Gray.

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Prepare to hear the sounds of three very different African-American composers from different eras of classical music in the 20th century.  On the album African-American Voices II, curated and conducted by Kellen Gray, there’s Margaret Bonds and the music of Ulysses Kay and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. 

Kellen Gray is coming stateside next month (January) to work in Minnesota and in Washington, DC. 

Here are the links to the opportunities I mentioned.

Winston-Salem Symphony and UNCSA to Launch Fellowship for String Players

The National Academy Orchestra of Canada is looking for members.

For our African listeners, Spotify has a SSA Early Career Program.

The National Association of Negro Musicians is calling for proposals for its 2024 convention.

The Last Album Of The Emerson String Quartet & Tina Davidson’s Hymn

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There are two new very different albums that came out recently that could be on your holiday list.

Composer and author Tina Davidson has released her latest album Hymn of the Universe.  It’s a choral work performed by VocalEssence and based on the writings of Jesuit Priest and Scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. 

And The Emerson String Quartet has released its final album after 47 years of performing all over the world.  On Infinite Voyage, they perform the music of  Schoenberg, Chausson, Berg and Hindemith sung in part by Soprano Barbara Hannigan. 

The Emerson String Quartet (1976 to 2023) with Barbara Hannigan.

Inset: Paul Watkins and Tina Davidson

Is it Time to Start Your Chamber Music Career? 

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The Austin Chamber Music Center has opened its application season for the 2024 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. They’re inviting exceptional ensembles from across the country to compete for cash prizes and performance opportunities. Artistic Director Michelle Schumann says some past winners of this competition have gone on to solid careers in the chamber music space, like the 2023 Grand Prize Winner the Kodak  Quartet. 

Here’s a link to the performances of the 2023 winners of the Coltman Chamber Music Competition. 

Christopher Nupen.  One of the classical music artists we lost in 2023. 

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With TikTok, Facebook and other social media platforms, it’s hard to imagine a time when the only way to see a documentary was on television.  That is the world the late Christoper Nupen lived and worked in.  Starting in the 1960’s Nupen’s company, Allegro Films, started with Double Concerto.  Nupen continued to produce ground breaking documentaries about classical musicians that revealed their off-stage lives and showed how much fun they had making the music they performed.

Matthew Percival, creative director, and partner at Allegro Films is now in charge of Nupen’s legacy with plans to make more films.

Are You Composing While Black?  On Classical Music In Color

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Two composers and musicians, George Lewis and Harald Kisiedu have gathered some of today’s composers and musicologists in a book of essays called Composing While Black.  There are nine essays in the book that talk about their experiences composing, performing and being in a world that isn’t always welcoming to Black musicians, classical or otherwise. 

George Lewis and Harald Kisiedu

Regarding the items mentioned in the podcast:

 

The 2025 Cliburn Competition Applications are open.

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Terence Blanchard’s opera Champion, is now streaming on MetOpera On Demand

Is It Time Already To Apply To Summer Music Schools? 

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We’re a little more than a month away from 2024 which means it’s time to make plans for the summer. Specifically summer music programs for young musicians.  Equity Arc has partnered with at least 17 summer music programs to provide applications fees and scholarships for BIPOC musicians via their Common Application for Summer Study. 

Magee Capsouto, the Associate Director at Equity Arc says they’re trying to provide more diversity in the nation’s orchestral summer programs.