Program: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 5 Forest Scenes for solo piano, I & III Esme Bolucek; piano Program Notes: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an English composer and conductor born to a British mother and Creole father from Sierra Leone in 1875, had ancestral ties to African-American slaves who went on to become Black Loyalists during the American Revolution. His grandfather bought him a violin in 1881, and the next year Samuel was noted by a music teacher, Joseph Beckwith, who gave him lessons for the next eight years. Later Samuel would return the favor by teaching Beckwith’s son. Samuel married Jessie Walmisley, a fellow student from the Royal College of Music, in 1899, despite objections by her parents on account of Samuel’s multi-racial lineage. At the wedding he was encountered with more than a few smug, racist remarks, including several by the clergyman.  In the first decade of the 20th century, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor became increasingly aware of his African roots and became more assertive about the casual racism he witnessed in his daily life. He was the youngest delegate at the First Pan-African Conference in 1900, through which he met Paul Laurence Dunbar and W.E.B. Du Bois. His relationship with Dunbar eventually led to him setting some of Dunbar’s poetry to music. The same year, Hiawatha Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel’s first child, was born. In 1903 a second child was born, known as Avril Coleridge-Taylor. Avril grew up to excel as a pianist, conductor, and composer. As a result of often passing as white due to her ancestry being predominantly so, she was frequently allowed to work in capacities that were off-limits to most Black artists. However, she moved to South Africa in the 1950’s, and when the government there found out about her father Samuel having been Black, she was no longer permitted to work in her craft. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor died in 1912 at the age of 37 from pneumonia, and allegedly overwork, and was survived by his wife and two children. These Forest Scenes, written in 1907, portray the narrative of a lone forest maiden who encounters a phantom lover. The movements you will hear include the first, which introduces the maiden, and the third, where the phantom speaks of his longing. Program note by Emily Singleton.

Program: Joseph Bologne (1745-1799) Sonata No. 4 for 2 Violins (arranged for flute and violin) I. Audrey Emata; flute Phoenix Avalon; violin Program Notes: Highly regarded during his time as a composer, violinist, conductor, and fencer, Joseph Bologne was born in 1745 as the illegitimate son of George Bologne de Saint-Georges and his wife’s 16 year old African slave, Nanon. Joseph’s father was a plantation owner who took Joseph to France in 1753 to receive a better education. Joseph is presumed to have studied violin with Antonio Lolli and composition with François-Joseph Gossec, and went on to write a rather expansive repertoire, giving concerts for the Queen of France at the time, Marie Antoinette. During his lifetime, Joseph led many critically-acclaimed ensembles as a conductor and soloist, maintaining a favorable reputation in European society. However, in 1776 he was rejected from the proposed position of music director of the Paris Opera on the basis of the color of his skin. While this was the stated reason for his dismissal from consideration for the position, there has been speculation that there was an additional influence of the fear that Joseph’s proposed plan to restructure the organization would threaten the job security of some of the members of the ensemble. In 1789, the French revolution declared a stance of fighting for equal rights for all citizens, which led Joseph Bologne to join the army. He became the Colonel of Legion St.-Georges in French Revolution, which was the first all-black regiment in Europe. In the early 1790’s he was criticized for participating in non-revolutionary activities, namely his engagement in concerts with the Queen, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Much of Joseph’s music did not survive through the revolution, as a great deal of artistic work and instruments were destroyed in the war, however, he has remained a figure of interest in history and has been romanticized in several literary accounts, and many myths about his life surround his record. What is known is that Joseph Bologne was an incredibly successful musician of color at a time when society seldom allowed for the acceptance of people of color, let alone their access to resources and education—circumstances which make Joseph Bologne’s life all the more extraordinary. Program note by Emily Singleton. Opus Illuminate is an online concert series that is dedicated to programming and performing chamber music works by composers of historically underrepresented communities in a unique platform of free, online, pre-recorded, socially-distanced “Asynchronous Concerts.”

Welcome to the first installment of our Asynchronous Concerts! We will be premiering these virtual performances on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, so be sure to join us again soon. Program: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Sonata in D minor, Op 28 for Violin and Piano I. Allegro ma non tanto Nathan Meltzer, violin Jessica Xylina Osborne, piano Program Notes: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an English composer and conductor born to a British mother and Creole father from Sierra Leone in 1875, had ancestral ties to African-American slaves who went on to become Black Loyalists during the American Revolution. His grandfather bought him a violin in 1881, and the next year Samuel was noted by a music teacher, Joseph Beckwith, who gave him lessons for the next eight years. Later Samuel would return the favor by teaching Beckwith’s son. Samuel married Jessie Walmisley, a fellow student from the Royal College of Music, in 1899, despite objections by her parents on account of Samuel’s multi-racial lineage. At the wedding he was encountered with more than a few smug, racist remarks, including several by the clergyman. In the first decade of the 20th century, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor became increasingly aware of his African roots and became more assertive about the casual racism he witnessed in his daily life. He was the youngest delegate at the First Pan-African Conference in 1900, through which he met Paul Laurence Dunbar and W.E.B. Du Bois. His relationship with Dunbar eventually led to him setting some of Dunbar’s poetry to music. The same year, Hiawatha Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel’s first child, was born. In 1903 a second child was born, known as Avril Coleridge-Taylor. Avril grew up to excel as a pianist, conductor, and composer. As a result of often passing as white due to her ancestry being predominantly so, she was frequently allowed to work in capacities that were off-limits to most Black artists. However, she moved to South Africa in the 1950’s, and when the government there found out about her father Samuel having been Black, she was no longer permitted to work in her craft. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor died in 1912 at the age of 37 from pneumonia, and allegedly overwork, and was survived by his wife and two children. In his Violin Sonata in D Minor, published in 1917, the first movement opens fairly melancholically, transitioning into a sweetly singing and reminiscent line, which turns more rambunctious and playful, but only briefly, then moving between characters with boldness. The piece is romantic in style, no doubt, though it also contains elements that call to fiddle traditions of the time, such as the sustaining of an open string alongside a melodic line, as well as the treatment of rhythm and double-stops on the violin. Program note by Emily Singleton. Opus Illuminate is an online concert series that is dedicated to programming and performing chamber music works by composers of historically underrepresented communities in a unique platform of free, online, pre-recorded, socially-distanced “Asynchronous Concerts.”

Welcome to the first installment of our Asynchronous Concerts! We will be premiering these virtual performances on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, so be sure to join us again tomorrow. Program: Clara Schumann (1819-1896) Three Romances for Violin and Piano (arranged for Viola) I. Andante molto Devin Moore; viola Benjamin Pawlak; piano Program Notes: Born in 1819, Clara Schumann was a composer from Leipzig who began her musical studies by taking piano lessons at the age of 4 with her mother. Her parents divorced when she was 5 years old, leading her father—a music supplies merchant and pianist pedagogue—to take over her education. Clara gave her concert debut at the age of 9 in 1828, going on to meet 18 year old Robert Schumann at another performance the same year, and upon hearing her playing sought to study piano with her father. In 1937, Robert proposed in marriage to Clara, and she accepted, but her father was strongly against the arrangement due to fears on how her responsibilities as a wife would damage her musical career. Clara gave her first concert tour apart from her father’s influence in 1839, but the tour had to be cut short due to the legal battles over Robert’s marriage proposal with her father. These tensions lasted for several years, ending with Clara and Robert’s marriage in 1840. As a wedding gift, Robert presented Clara with a diary with the intent of keeping joint entries on their life experiences and musical growth. During their marriage, Clara had less time for practicing and composing, and understandably so, especially considering she would go on to raise 8 children of her own, as well as the children of one of her sons later on. During this time she still managed to maintain a fairly active performance career, which led to her meeting violinist Joseph Joachim, whom the 3 Romances—of which you will hear one of in this program—were dedicated to, and who additionally introduced the Schumanns to young Johannes Brahms, later to become a close family friend. Robert Schumann, who struggled with mental illness throughout his life, attempted suicide in 1854 and requested entry to a mental ward. This caused further stress in the family, particularly for Clara, who was not admitted to see her husband, though Brahms was able to visit him during the two years Robert remained in the ward. Clara had been the main source of income for the family when Robert was living as a part of the household, though upon his admittance into the asylum the role of providing financial support for the family fell solely onto her. She gave many performances during this time, and was eventually allowed to be with Robert again just days before his death in 1856, when she became his widow at age 37. Clara Schumann continued in her work, outliving both her husband and half of their eight children. In 1878 she became the first piano teacher at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt, and was the only female faculty member at the school during her lifetime. She had received offers to teach at several other conservatories, but the director at Frankfurt was the only one who accepted all of her conditions to retain personal freedom in her lifestyle choices and needs, as well as to make provisions for two of her daughters to teach as well. She primarily taught young women and her daughters taught beginners, further building her reputation as a prestigious instructor and musical influence. She held this teaching position until 1892, and passed away four years later, leaving behind a legacy of work as a pianist, composer, and inspiring teacher, and despite her work receiving somewhat minimal recognition during her lifetime and immediately after, today her work is highly regarded by many and takes an important role in romantic era literature. Program Notes by Emily Singleton Opus Illuminate is an online concert series that is dedicated to programming and performing chamber music works by composers of historically underrepresented communities in a unique platform of free, online, pre-recorded, socially-distanced “Asynchronous Concerts.”

Welcome to the first installment of our Asynchronous Concerts! We will be premiering these virtual performances over the next three days, so be sure to join us again tomorrow and Saturday. Program: Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) Cello Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 46 III. Finale Derek Louie; cello Umi Garrett; piano Program Notes: French composer Louise Farrenc, living from 1804 to 1875, was born into a family of sculptors. Louise entered the Paris Conservatory in 1819 at the age of 15. However, she had limited access to compositional education due to the fact that, until 1870, composition classes were reserved to men at the Conservatory. In 1821 she married Aristide Farrenc, a flute student at the Conservatory, which interrupted her studies to give concert tours as a couple. Eventually her husband grew tired of performing, and together they opened a publishing company, Éditions Farrenc, which was one of France’s leading music publishers for 40 years. Louise Farrenc returned to her studies and performing career on her own, only to have her work disrupted again in 1826 by the birth of her daughter, Victorine Farrenc, who also became a concert pianist and composer. After Victorine’s death at age 33, Louise became an advocate for her daughter’s work and through this was inspired to research 17th-18th century piano repertoires, which would go on to further influence her later writing. She was appointed to the position of piano professor at the Paris Conservatory in 1842, which she held until 1873. She was the only female professor appointed to a professorship at the school in the entire 19th century. After a decade, she was able to use her music and reputation as a prestigious teacher in Europe to fight for and obtain equal pay to her male counterparts following the successful premiere of her Nonet for string quartet and wind quintet in 1849. Louise Farrenc’s Cello Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 46, is one of 49 compositions by Farrenc with opus numbers. Despite her many setbacks and obstacles in developing her artistic career, Louise continued with perseverance and wrote a great amount of successful work. This performance of the exuberant finale of her cello sonata serves as a celebration of her life and work, her legacy of championing the work of women in music in the 19th century serves as an example of resilience and determination in promoting the work of marginalized people. Program note by Emily Singleton. Opus Illuminate is an online concert series that is dedicated to programming and performing chamber music works by composers of historically underrepresented communities in a unique platform of free, online, pre-recorded, socially-distanced “Asynchronous Concerts.”