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Condi on keys

Dearest Readers,

Oftentimes, we need to receive information more than once before it is fully processed.  Experience also aids in that learning process. Harpist Ann Hobson Pilot used to tell me that "practice makes permanent." The admonition on the "perfect" adage referred to patience and determination as mistakes can also be learned--permanently. That advice, that I now repeat to my own students, pervaded this month's featured interviews.

Tenor Cornelius Johnson III, Sopranos Harolyn Blackwell and Jonita Lattimore, and Bass-baritone Darren K. Stokes all have inspiring words for the aspiring artist. While none of the interviews were conducted collectively, each musician echoed the same theme of practice. They also added words about "prayer, perseverance and patience," all of which should also be made permanent. :)

This month also features someone new to the MHS eNewsletter: concert recitalist and United States Secretary of State, pianist Condoleezza Rice (above right). Not only is she the first black woman Secretary of State, she is also a competitive ice-skater. Yep, Condi loves her sports--her lifelong ambition being to become the commissioner of the National Football League! Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to speak directly with her as I did with the other artists. Soon though. Soon.

Anyway, please enjoy this month's publication.

Faithfully,
Rashida N. Black

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Tenor Cornelius Johnson quickly gained attention as an artist in opera, concert, and as a recitalist. His performances have been described as "refreshing, sparkling, and exciting." Mr. Johnson made his professional solo operatic debut, as Peter the Honeyman, in Houston Grand Opera's production of Porgy and Bess, touring major houses in the United States, as well as the Opera Bastille, in Paris, France, the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, Italy, and the Bunkamura Theater with the Tokyo Philharmonic.

Most recently Mr. Johnson has performed at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland, and at the National Association of Negro Musicians in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the Chicago area Mr. Johnson performed on a Menotti Tribute with Chamber Opera Chicago, and recorded for a Joplin musical to be aired on WTTW radio.

A native of Chicago, Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Morehouse College and his Master of Music Degree from Northwestern University.

Although his schedule was quite busy, Cornlieus Johnson was kind enough to share a few words on his upcoming role as Prince Haroun in Bizet's Djamileh. Based on the oriental tale, Namouna, by Alfred de Musset, Djamileh received its first performance on May 22, 1872 at the Opéra-Comique, Paris.

The opera makes light of human-trafficking, classism and love. Haroun (Johnson), a spoiled young womanizing nobleman, sends his servant Splendiano to the Cairo slave market to buy women. The beautiful Djamileh has the misfortune to fall in love with Haroun and begs Splendiano to help her. He smuggles her in with the new girls so that she can try once more to win Haroun's heart. If she fails, she agrees to give herself to Splendiano. Djamileh, as the mysterious dancer, entrances Haroun who buys her, thereby gaining one more chance to prove her love. When her identity is revealed, will her loyalty and love win Haroun's heart?

MHS: So how is this opera different?
CJ: Well, this opera is similar to most opera's in its overall idea: Love, Lust, Loyalty, Friendship, Lust, etc. However, the big difference with this opera is that it is much shorter and so the action and changes in the characters have to take place in a much shorter period.

MHS: So not as much character development as usual then?
CJ: Intentions must be clear from the outset. Another difference is that this production is free an open to the public.

MHS: This free production will take place at the Chicago Cultural Center. How is it singing under that amazing Tiffany dome in Preston Bradley Hall?
CJ:  The venue is beautiful and provides an unusual atmosphere for a production such as this. It is very live and the voices fill the room. This can be good and bad. Good because it is easy to sing there, bad because often some of the diction can be lost.

MHS: How were you contacted for this performance?
CJ: I have worked with the conductor before and he called me to audition for this production.

MHS: Sounds like that will help your career.
CJ: Every opportunity to sing can be good in some way. If nothing else it allows you to get more experience, continue to develop the voice, and become more and more comfortable in front of an audience. The cultural center is a great place to sing, because generally the audiences are large and very appreciative of what you are offering. Of course working with a conductor and producer and other colleagues can be good because word of mouth can be great publicity. Also, the opportunity to sing a leading role is always a good thing if one wants to be seen as a leading character in opera. 

MHS: So what's next for you?
CJ: I kind of want to do whatever God has for me to do. Whatever doors He opens, I'll go through them.

Sunday, August 3 at 3:30PM; Tuesday, August 5 at 7:30 PM; and Thursday, August 7 at 7:30 PM. Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center. Free admission, but tickets are required.

Lattimore, Stokes and Blackwell

MHS recently had the opportunity to converse with three soloists of the prestigious 2008 Grant Park Music Festival. The Festival showcases a highly-selective roster of international stars, few of whom are African American. Fewer still who are African American men. For example, Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves opened the 1997 season. Jubilant Sykes performed at the 1999 Festival.

The lack of a visual presence of African Americans in classical music continues to thwart many of our careers in a variety of ways. This visual presence seems compounded in Chicago, a city that slides up & down the Top 5 scale for Most Segregated Cities in the U.S. Therefore, I was astounded and excited that the Festival chose bass-baritone Darren K. Stokes and sopranos Harolyn Blackwell and Jonita Lattimore to educate audiences with their presence. Three African American soloists in the same month! I wondered about the various pathways that lead theses individuals to the Festival's stage and decided to interview each to find out.

During our conversations on a number of subjects from being African American in classical music to advice for aspiring musicians, the trio revealed similar philosophies on career-building strategies, work-ethic and keeping it real. In fact, many of their sentiments were so similar, I combined their interviews to further emphasize their message.

Amidst laughter and sincerity gleamed tidbits of wisdom from these awe-inspiring vocalists.  Read the article.

Here is an excerpt: 
Ms. Lattimore reflected on patience when working towards a career in music. "There's no one formula. It takes a lot of patience. Be as ready as you can be. It's a subjective business. Basically people are judging you based on talent, look, voice, etc. This is the business, it IS a business. We as artists wear our heart on our sleeve... On stage is one thing. What happens before you get on stage is another. Emotions emoted on stage are not the same as in business practices. Your presence is part of your package, your presentation, the minute you are seen on stage."

Ms. Blackwell's mantra? "Prayers, perseverance and patience. There are Black baritones on the cover of Classical Singer! It's changing. It's slow but it's happening. Once you open the door, make sure the door stays open. Perseverance. It's hard work. Not everything is going to be immediate. Everyone goes through different stages. You might skip a stage, but you'll have to come back so have patience. There's always more than one way."

Mr. Stokes testified on the importance of humility. "Some [fellow auditioning colleagues] with advanced degrees wouldn't sing for everyone as if they were too good, but [I wanted to tell them] you're not too good to start at that level. And I made the same amount [of money] or more than these other people [with degrees in music]."

Continue reading!

Thanks to Farrah Malik, Account Executive of The Silverman Group, Inc., Chicago IL for coordinating the interviews.

Words and Music with Condoleezza Rice

What can I say about Condoleezza Rice that isn't trite? She is the 66th U.S. Secretary of State. She has performed with Yo-Yo Ma. Her favorite composer is Brahms. We've read all about her musical prowess in the New York Times. We've seen her rehearse with her chamber group (4:30). You can even see her perform at the Aspen Festival this month. But you know what's missing? A complete album. That's what we need and that's my next campaign. See you at the CD release party.

The Apsen Festival Orchestra featuring Ms. Rice treats us to the first movement of Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A major, B. 155, op. 81, as well as the second movement of Brahms's Piano Quintet in B minor, op. 34. Saturday, August 2 at 3:00 PM. Benedict Music Tent.

His 2007 season opened in a "Wednesday at One" performance in Alice Tully Hall with the premiere of H. Leslie Adams's opera Blake at the Schomburg Center for African American Culture in Harlem New York as the opening concert for the 2007 National Opera Association Convention. Also in January 2007 Sidney was a featured soloist with the New York Festival of Song "Songs of War and Peace" with pianists Steve Blier and Michael Barrett in The Peter J. Sharpe Theatre in New York City. Mr. Outlaw was recently chosen for the Young Artist Studio with Florida Grand Opera in the 2008-2009 season.

Sidney Outlaw is a native of Brevard, North Carolina and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he earned a bachelor of music degree.

This month he performs the role of Papageno in Mozart's comic opera, The Magic Flute, with Opera North in Lebanon, NH. August 14, 16, 20, 23 at 7:30 PM; August 21, 23 at 2:00 PM. Lebanon Opera House.

http://www.myspace.com/sidneyoutlawonline

Children of promise
Stand, firm
Your voices raised
To the gods
And ancestors
These are your songs
Rhythms and dances
Culture. Self
Alluring songs
In these strange lands
Loud the refrain
You have sung
With friends, neighbors -
These new songs,
Nuanced by embellished
Forms and cadences
Children of promise
Stand. Firm
Your voices raised
In songs of Earth
And Universe: your songs
These are your songs
Rhythms and dances
Culture. Identity
Your voices raised
In echo of the songs
Mirrored dances, rhythms
Of the gods and ancestors

-- Derf Erkab, 2008

Published by the Voice of African Music

To reproduce poems from this column call
314-652-6800 or send email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chicago Sinfonietta makes its Millennium Park Debut

The Chicago Sinfonietta partners with the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum for its Millennium Park debut. This concert features Ulysses Kay's Theater Set for Orchestra, Argentinean-born Alberto Ginastera's 1941 four-movement ballet suite Estancia: Four Dances and Gustav Holst's The Planets, accentuated by a stunning video suite produced by astronomer and science visualizer at the Adler Planetarium Dr. José Francisco Salgado and accompanied by the voices of the Anima-Young Singers of Greater Chicago (formerly known as the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus). "The visual component is comprised of seven high-definition clips that include awe-inspiring images of the featured planet, NASA animations, and historical illustrations from the Adler Collection of Works on Paper."

This FREE, one-night-only concert will take place at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion on Friday, August 22 at 7:30 PM.

Grant Park Orchestra; Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor; Michelle Areyzaga, Soprano; Edward Harrison, Maracas. Program: REVUELTAS Ochos por Radio; GOLIJOV Last Round; LEONE Mundo; BARILARI Alturas de Machu Picchu; and LORENZ Concerto for Maracas.

Friday, August 1 at 6:30PM and Saturday, August 2 at 7:30 PM. Grant Park Music Festival Member Seating will be on the Main Floor. Free seats are available in the balconies. For free seats please go to the upper level Harris Theater lobby. Doors will open one hour prior to concert start-time.

In addition, recordings of Ms. Boyd's May 31, 2008 performance are on sale for $15 (plus $1 for postage, if mailed). Please send an email to Sibongile Boyd [ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ] if you would like to purchase a CD. Include your mailing address, if you would like it to be mailed to you.

Juilliard Concert IV: Music for Piano and Strings presents Summergarden 2008: New Music for New York: Concerts, Readings & Performances featuring the New York premiere of composer Carman Moore's work for violin, viola, and cello BLUE...RED...GREEN (2007) at the Museum of Modern Art Sculpture Garden on Sunday, August 17 at 8:00 PM. (Gates on 54th between 5th and 6th Avenues will open at 7 p.m.) Program includes: Seppo Pohjola's New York New York (2001) and Philippe Hersant's Trio: Variations sur la "Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont" de Marin Marais (1998). Admission FREE. Listen to Red on the MHS myspace page.

H. Leslie Adams' Night Song for Flute and Harp (1983) will be performed by harpist Brandee Younger and flutist Nicole Camacho. The work has a slow, steady, "funky" beat, especially at the beginning, which the composer says "establishes the piece as having a jazz flavor." The piece was originally composed to gain experience in writing for harp prior to scoring the opera, Blake, which uses harp throughout. It was premièred in 1989 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York by Paula Bing, flute and Stacey G. Shames, harp.

Ms. Younger performs on Wednesday, August 13 at 7:00 PM, Uniondale Public Library, 400 Uniondale Avenue, Uniondale, NY 11553; 516-489-2220. The concert is FREE.

Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins announced: "Larry Brownlee represents all that our Young Artists Program hope to accomplish," due to Brownlee's performance as Arturo in I Puritani in 2008. Jenkins continued, "He is one of the great singers of the world, and his performances in I Puritani will echo forever in the memory of those who attended them. Opera is more than fortunate to have as talented a theater designer as Tom Lynch coming into our world. Starting in 1988, through nine productions, he has created brilliant sets for Seattle Opera. Seattle has been further favored by his appointment as Professor in Scenic Design at the University of Washington."

In 1991, the Seattle Opera's Artist of the Year award was created to honor the individual singer, conductor, director, or designer who had made the most significant contribution to the success of the season. At the conclusion of the 2003/04 season, Seattle Opera began honoring two Artists of the Year for the season: one a conductor, director, or designer; the other a singer. This is the company's seventeenth annual selection of Artist of the Year.

Call Dr. Wendy Hymes or Ms. Ablawa Reine at 314-652-6800 for registration and general logistics questions. (Scholarly papers, lecture-recital proposals no longer accepted.)

Registration: $100 ($75 if pre-registered online before September 30, 2008).
Students, $55 ($40 if pre-registered online on or before September 30, 2008).

Oxford University Press publishes ‘Songs of Africa', a new Collection of African Choral Music compiled and edited by Fred Onovwerosuoke

New York, NY, 1 August, 2008 - Oxford University Press is pleased to announce the release of a new choral collection, Songs of Africa, compiled and edited by Fred Onovwerosuoke.

Songs of Africa offers an exciting SATB collection of 22 diverse African choral music that every singer, choral director, music educator, and enthusiast will find invaluable.  Fred Onovwerosuoke and the St. Louis African Chorus have transcribed and created these arrangements which represent a wide spectrum of Africa's regions and cultural practices.  The songs cover subjects such as spirituality, religion, community, work, and play, and are selected from many African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Benin Republic, South Africa, Namibia, and Gambia.  They offer not only a welcome addition to choral repertoire but also a refreshing alternative for concert settings and church services.  This collection includes English translations, notes on performance practice and cultural context, a pronunciation guide, and, where accompaniment is needed or suggested, some accessible percussion charts.  A promotional CD compilation of recordings from concerts by diverse choirs from around the world of the music contained in this collection is available from the publisher.

Fred Onovwerosuoke was born in 1960 in Ghana to Nigerian parents and grew up in both countries.  For over two decades Onovwerosuoke has travelled extensively in over thirty African countries researching and documenting Africa's vocal music traditions.  In 1994 he founded the St. Louis African Chorus to help nurture African choral music as a mainstream repertoire for performance and education.  Today, the organisation's mission has broadened to include other art music by composers of African descent.  Onovwerosuoke maintains an active schedule as conductor, composer, and lecturer, and his music has been featured in films, documentaries, and radio.  He currently serves as Artistic Director of the St. Louis African Chorus and has been Editor of the Voice of African Music newsletter since 1993.  A more detailed biography is available online at http://africanchorus.org/fredo/index.html.

For more information, please contact the Oxford Music Department at (212) 726-6109 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  AVAILABLE NOW.

Songs of Africa                                   
9780193804654                                     
$19.95

"... synoptic and deliberately Pan-African perspective which brings a selection of choral music cultivated by different ethnic and linguistic groups together in one volume ... promoting understanding and appreciation of the integrity of the artic dimension of African music ..."

- J. H. Kwabena Nketia
Emeritus Professor of Music, University of Ghana, Legon-Accra