Kicking off the first day of Black History Month on Feb. 1, an audience at the Washington National Cathedral spent the afternoon learning about and listening to Black composers, at the concert: “Onward & Upward: The Unsung Heroes of Classical Music.”
This was the second year Michele Fowlin, vocalist and associate director of Music for Contemporary Worship at the cathedral, curated the concert, which featured music by Hall Johnson, Joseph Bologne, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Andrae Crouch and D.C.’s native son Duke Ellington.
“I am excited to have collaborators to tell the story of African-Americans showing up in classical music,” said Fowlin, also artistic director of Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir.
Musicians and vocalists for “Onward & Upward” were from The Denyce Graves Foundation (DGF), the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA), and The Sam Bonds Chorale.
Terry Eberhardt, DGF executive director, shared the vision for the afternoon event: collaborators bringing out the history of Black classical music.
“Our foundation has grappled with the question of how do we put these stories back into history,” said Eberhardt. “We aim to identify hidden voices and restore them to their rightful place through the works we create.”
Presenting Composers and Their Music
While the event was entertaining, it was also educational— incorporating a reading about each featured composer, followed by a performance of their music.
Hall Johnson (March 12, 1888 – April 30, 1970) was born in Athens, Georgia. He was educated at The Juilliard School in New York, New York and praised for arrangements of African American spirituals such as “Ain’t Got Time to Die.”
Soprano Fowlin performed the Johnson composition accompanied by pianist James Glover.
Joseph Bologne (December 25, 1745 – June 9, 1799) was a French violinist, conductor, composer, and soldier. He was the first significant classical composer of color.
From his opera “Ernestine,” soprano Jasmine Ward sang “Scene from Ernestine” accompanied by Damien Sneed on piano.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (August 15, 1875 – September 1, 1912) was considered a pioneer in classical music and an iconic figure in Black British history. He died of pneumonia at 37.
“He wrote a popular song cycle titled “ Songs of Son and Sheep,” said reader David Powell about Coleridge-Taylor.”
Laree Simons sang one of Coleridge-Taylor’s compositions from the cycle titled “Thou Hast Bewitched Me, Beloved,” accompanied by Sneed.
Dorothy Rudd Moore (June 4, 1940 – March 30, 2022) was an American composer and music educator. She was one of the co-founders of the Society of Black Composers and is considered one of the leading women composers of color during her generation.
“Weary Blues,” a Moore composition, was performed by vocalist Anthony Anderson and accompanied by pianist Dr. Lester Green and cellist Johnny Walker, Jr.
To conclude “Onward & Upward,” the artists wrapped with two well-known composers: Crouch and Ellington.
With Glover accompanying both songs, The Sam Bonds Chorale sang “God is On Our Side,” directed by Andrew Smith and Fowlin sang Ellington’s “Come Sunday.”
“Having The Sam Bonds Chorale participate in the ‘Onward & Upward’ concert this year was an amazing experience,” Smith told The Informer. “Partnering with other organizations who have similar interests in Black American Music and its survival speaks to the impact and importance of what we do.”
For more information on service and programs at the Washington National Cathedral, go to cathedral.org.
