Black conductors
Black conductors are musicians of
History
1900s
In the early 1930s, African-American conductor
In 1945, Everett Lee was the "first African American to conduct a major
In the early 1950s, impresario Arthur Judson, head of Columbia Artists Management told Everett Lee that despite Lee's excellent reviews for conducting, a black conductor could not conduct a white orchestra in the US. Judson stated that black instrumentalists could play solo concertos with white orchestras, dance in white productions and sing in white productions, but leading a white orchestra was not feasible. In 1969, James Frazier won the Cantelli Prize in Italy, and in the 1970s went on to conduct several important orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, London's New Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, the Belarusian State Philharmonic and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.[3] Frazier, however, died young in 1981, just after being named conductor of the Bogota Symphony.[4]
Isaiah Jackson (born 1945) was the first black principal conductor of The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, in 1986, and became its music director 1987–90.
2000s
According to a 2004 article in
Notable individuals
Classical music
Historically, the vast majority of classical music conductors have been Caucasian. However, there are a small number of notable conductors who are of African, Caribbean or African-American ancestry. Contemporary Black conductors still comprise a small percentage of the conductors working today and are often overlooked for positions as chief conductors of major orchestras.[citation needed]
- Charles-Richard Lambert (died 1862) was a black American musician, conductor and music educator. He and his family were noted for talent in music and gained international acclaim.[7] He worked as a music teacher and was a conductor for the Philharmonic Society, the first non-theatrical orchestra in New Orleans.[8] One of his notable students was Edmond Dédé.[9]
- William Grant Still (1895–1978) was one of the first African Americans to conduct a major American symphony orchestra in the Deep South, the first to have a symphony (his first symphony) performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company, and the first to have an opera performed on national television. As a classical composer, he wrote more than 150 compositions. After finishing college, he won a scholarship to study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Between 1919 and 1921, he worked as an arranger for W. C. Handy's band. In the 1930s, he arranged music for many films. In 1955 he conducted the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra and became the first African American to conduct a major orchestra in the Deep South.
- Leonard De Paur (1914–1998) attended the Juilliard School and Columbia University. He was a student of the composer Henry Cowell and the conductor Pierre Monteux.[10] From 1932 to 1936 he was the assistant conductor of the Hall Johnson Choir. He served as music director with the Federal Negro Theatre from 1936 until 1939 while collaborating with a young Orson Welles.[10][11] From 1947 to 1968, he conducted more than 2,000 performances with such groups as: the De Paur Infantry Chorus, the De Paur Opera Gala, the De Paur Gala and the De Paur Chorus[11] which toured in 18 African nations for the United States Information Agency. He was also a regular conductor of Symphony of the New World and Opera South. In the realm of network television he was an arranger and conductor for such noted programs as The Bell Telephone Hour and the Hallmark Hall of Fame.[10] He is credited with establishing the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival and was the director of Community Relations at Lincoln Center for 17 years.[12] He received honorary doctorates from Lewis And Clark and Morehouse College.[10]
- racial bias (he was African-American), he formed his own orchestra and choral society in 1931. In 1941, he guest-conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic during its summer season. He later guest-conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1948 he won the Ditson Conductor's Award. Dixon was honoured by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers(ASCAP) with the Award of Merit for encouraging the participation of American youth in music. In 1948, Dixon was awarded the Alice M. Ditson award for distinguished service to American music.
- Fulbright scholarship that allowed him to travel to Europe.[1] In 1953, Lee was the "first black musician to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the south of the States...in Louisville, Kentucky".[1] In 1955, he was the "first musician of colour to conduct a major opera company in the US with a performance of La traviata at the New York City Opera". He was appointed chief conductor of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden in 1962. In 1976, he conducted the New York Philharmonic for the first time, and he performed a piece by African-American composer David Baker for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. In 1979, he became music director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia.[1]
- Paris Conservatory in 1951. On recommendation from Hans Knappertsbusch he got a guest spot with the Munich Philharmonic and throughout Europe. His career was further enhanced after attending a master class of Herbert von Karajan. But due to discrimination in Europe, he sought and gained a position in Addis Abeba, Ethiopa, where he founded the Ethiopian Symphony Orchestra and a conservatory. In addition to the many European languages that he already spoke, he acquired some Amharic there. Byrd conducted the American Ballet Theatre in 1967 and the Symphony of the New World in 1970. Through the Fulbright Program, he was invited to the Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil, where he taught conducting, gave master classes, led a madrigal choir and an opera ensemble. Byrd stayed in Brazil until 1976. He returned to Europe and worked with many German and other European orchestras and German and Swedish radio and television. Byrd also appeared as actor in film and TV; he played an America soldier in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1978 film The Marriage of Maria Braun opposite Hanna Schygulla, and a lead role in the 1984 TV film Warten auf Beethoven.
- Henry Lewis (1932–1996) attended the University of Southern California and at the age of 16, joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic, becoming the first black instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra. From 1955 to 1956 he conducted the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra and concertized throughout Europe in support of cultural diplomacy after World War II.[13][14][15] Lewis founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He also became the conductor and musical director of the New Jersey Symphony, transforming the group from a small community ensemble into a nationally recognized orchestra. He gained national recognition in 1961 when he was appointed assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. He was the first African American to lead a major symphony orchestra. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1972.
- Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.[16] He won first prize in the Dimitri Mitropoulos International Conducting Competition.[16] He was then chosen by Leonard Bernstein to become assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonicduring the 1965–66 season.
- Fulbright Scholarship enabled him to study for two years at the Hochshule für Musik (University for Music) in Berlin, Germany with Ewald Lindemann. He later studied conducting with Pierre Monteux at the American Symphony Orchestra. He was the music director of the Opera Theatre of Rochester for six years. He then held posts as associate conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1968 to 1970, Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1970 to 1979, music director of the Victoria Symphony in Canada from 1979 to 1989 and he served as principal guest conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic in Finland. Paul Freeman's papers are held at the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago.
- D.M.A. in 1973.[citation needed] Jackson founded the Juilliard String Ensemble and was its first conductor 1970–71. He was associate or assistant conductor with the American Symphony Orchestra (1970–71) where he worked with Leopold Stokowski; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (1971–73); and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (1973–87). He was appointed music director of the Flint Symphony Orchestra (Flint, Michigan) in 1982, the first black music director of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in 1987 and principal conductor of The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, in 1986, and became its music director 1987–90. He was the first Black and the first American to occupy a chief position with the company.
- Calvin E. Simmons (1950–1982) was an American symphony orchestra conductor. He was one of the early African-American conductors of a major orchestra. By the age of 11, he was conducting the San Francisco Boys Chorus. After working as assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, Simmons became musical director of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra at the age of 28; he led the orchestra for four years. He was the first African American to be named conductor of a major U.S. symphony orchestra and a frequent guest conductor with some of the nation's major opera companies and orchestras (such as the Philadelphia Orchestra and others). In addition, he was the music director at the Ojai Music Festival in 1978. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera conducting Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.
- Dr Anne "Georgianne" Lundy (born 1954) was the first African-American woman to conduct the Houston Symphony Orchestra during the summer concerts of 1989 and '90 at the Miller Outdoor Theatre.[19] Dr. Lundy received her Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977, Master of Music in Orchestra Conducting from the University of Houston in 1979, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Houston's Moores School of Music in 2015. She founded the William Grant Still String Quartet in 1981 and the Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra, an African-American community orchestra in 1983. The Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra and the William Grant Still String Quartet specialize in researching and performing the music of black composers. She is the musical director of the Community Music Center of Houston.
- Queens College in New York, where he was awarded a master's degree in 1979, and the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, where he was awarded a PhD in 1982. His reputation as a conductor rests on his ability to communicate with the audience through a wide variety of musical styles, and through his willingness to experiment with tempo and presentation. He was conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In 1998, Dunner took up the post of music director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.[20]
- Shenandoah Conservatory and a master's degree in orchestral conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music. His past appointments have included assistant director of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, resident director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Florida Orchestra, and music director of the Omaha Symphony, where he was appointed Music Director Laureate in June 2021.
- Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, under Leonard Slatkin. His operatic debut was in 1982 at the Vienna State Opera. In 1986, Sir Georg Solti chose him to become the assistant conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.[21]
- Grammy Awardfor orchestral conducting. He came to conducting after a career as a violinist that saw him as a member of the Houston Symphony, Concertmaster of the Virginia Symphony, and a freelance concertmaster, soloist, and violinist who performed regularly with the Boston Symphony and as Assistant Concertmaster of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. He has conducted many orchestras in America, Ukraine, and Bulgaria, and is particularly known for his recording activity. Williams made many premiere recordings of American symphonic repertoire for the Naxos label's American Classics Series. He has had felicitous collaborations with such notable artists as Eliesha Nelson, Elmar Oliveira, Brian McKnight and The Winans. For Nelson's recording of The Complete Viola Works of Quincy Porter, Williams achieved the unique distinction of performing as conductor, violinist, pianist, and harpsichordist, and that recording subsequently received two Grammy nominations.
- Kwamé Ryan (born 1970, Toronto) is a Canadian conductor of Trinidadian descent. He attended Oakham School, in Rutland, England, and then studied at Cambridge. Ryan made his professional UK conducting debut at the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival.[5] In 2007, Ryan became music director of the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine (ONBA), a post he held until 2013.[22]
- Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (1991–1994) working with Leonard Slatkin, assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra (1994–2000) working with Wolfgang Sawallisch, and assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic (2000–2002) working with Kurt Masur. He is currently Conductor Laureate of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (2018).
- Weimar Staatskapelle (Germany). Alongside prominent woman conductors Marin Alsop and JoAnn Falletta, Johnson was heralded on the NBC Today Showas one of the nation's leading female conductors. In 2005, Johnson made history as the first African-American woman to win an international conducting prize when she was awarded the Taki Alsop Concordia Conducting Fellowship.
- Marcus Alleyne (born 1983) British-born conductor with Caribbean heritage is one of very few professional conductors in the UK of black descent, working with theatre companies, choirs and orchestras across the UK. With performances in the Royal Albert Hall, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Carnegie Hall. His career has already seen him appear with Evelyn Glennie, Craig Ogden, Patrick Hawes, Nigel Shaw, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He is currently artistic director of the South West Philharmonia & Chorus.
- Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and a champion of works by composers of African descent. He conducted the Russian premiere of William Grant Still's iconic Afro-American Symphony[24] and has become well known for his performances of works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker, who was one of his mentors.[25] A protégée of Jorma Panula in Finland and Jiří Bělohlávek in the Czech Republic, Daniel also received advice from Simon Rattle at the Berlin Philharmonic. Daniel is laureate of the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition[26] and has performed in halls that include Bulgaria Concert Hall (Sofia), Carnegie Hall (New York), Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Rudolfinum (Prague), and Severance Hall (Cleveland).[27] He is artistic and music director of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges, music director and founder of Ensemble du Monde (chamber orchestra), principal guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, guest conductor of the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, and associate conductor of the Florida Grand Opera.
- Hampstead Garden Opera, assistant conductor of The Hallé beginning in 2016, and chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmoniebeginning in 2021.
Jazz and popular music
In jazz and popular music, the leader of an ensemble may also be called a bandleader.
- symphonic jazz composer and bandleader at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.[28] He has more than 65 recordings, 70 books, and 400 articles to his credit. His students include Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskine, Jim Beard, Chris Botti, Jeff Hamilton, and the jazz educator Jamey Aebersold.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pliable (July 25, 2011). "'I don't believe in Negro symphony conductors'". overgrownpath.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Paxton, Helen S., "Black Conductors; A Symphony of Stature" (letter to the editor), The New York Times, October 25, 1992. "The writer is the director of marketing and communications for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra."
- ^ Funke, Phyllis (November 30, 1975). "A Black Conductor Pushes the Cause of Music". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^ a b c Higgins, Charlotte, "Black conductor fears he will remain exception", The Guardian, August 10, 2004.
- ^ "ABRSM must include more black and BAME composers in exam syllabus, music leaders urge". Classic FM. July 16, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Macdonald, Robert R.; Kemp, John R.; Haas, Edward F. (1979). Louisiana's Black Heritage.
- ISBN 9780313342004.
- ^ Sybil Kein, Creole: The History and Legacy of Louisiana's Free People of Color, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2000, pp. 80–82, accessed December 28, 2010
- ^ a b c d Anthony Tommasini. "Leonard De Paur Dies at 83; Lincoln Center Administrator", The New York Times, 11 November 1998.
- ^ African Songsas Contribution to Choral Music. Diss. University of Arizona, 1998.
- ^ Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9780810884014"Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra founded by Samuel Adler in 1952 conductor Henry Lewis 1955–1956"
- ISBN 9781580460 194Seventh Army Symphony
- ISBN 978-0-520-24755-0"Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra (1952–1962) performing works by Roy Harris, Morton Gould and Leroy Anderson" and cultural diplomacy
- ^ AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ PACO people Archived April 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Harbus
- ^ Cunningham, Carl (June 25, 1989). "Untitled". Houston Post.
- ^ Greenfield, Phil (February 5, 1998). Candidate Dunner has trio of talents; Diversity: Leslie Dunner, who is vying for the directorship of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, is a talented conductor, composer and clarinetist Archived November 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Baltimore Sun, Retrieved November 22, 2010
- ^ Voynovskaya, Nastia (August 20, 2021). "Michael Morgan, Visionary Oakland Symphony Conductor, Dies at Age 63". KQED Inc. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Nommé directeur artistique et musical de l'Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Paul Daniel prendra ses fonctions en septembre 2013" (PDF) (Press release). Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. July 15, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
- ^ "Sisters in the Spotlight". Ebony. March 2003. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ AfriClassical (February 18, 2012). "Marlon Daniel and Tatarstan State". AfriClassical. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ IMusici. "Marlon Daniel: A Voice for Cultural Diversity". IMusici. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ Africlassical (July 31, 2018). "Marlon Daniel Wins Prize at Bucharest". Africlassical. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ "Marlon Daniel: Biography". Marlon Daniel Biography. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ De Lerma, Dominique-Rene. "African Heritage Symphonic Series Vol. III". Liner note essay. Cedille Records CDR066.
Further reading
- Michael Bowles: The Art of Conducting (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1959); English edition as The Conductor: His Artistry and Craftsmanship (London: G. Bell & Sons, 1961).
- Larry G. Curtis and David L. Kuehn: A Guide to Successful Instrumental Conducting (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992); ISBN 978-0697126948.
- Michel Faul: ISBN 9782351650387.
- ISBN 978-0918728470.
- Antoinette D. Handy: Black Conductors. Scarecrow Press, 1995; ISBN 9780810829305.
- Norman Lebrecht: The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power (2nd revised and updated edition, New York: Citadel Press, 2001).
- ISBN 978-0193858305.
- Ilya Musin: The Technique of Conducting (Техника дирижирования) (Moscow: Muzyka Publishing House, 1967).
- Ennio Nicotra: Introduction to the Orchestral Conducting Technique in Accordance with the Orchestral Conducting School of Ilya Musin, book and DVD in English, German, Italian, Spanish (Milan: Edizioni Curci, 2007).
- ISBN 978-0393951547.
- ISBN 978-0028722207.