When my wife and I heard Sidney Outlaw sing Harry Burleigh’s “Till I Wake” a few years ago, we both discovered ourselves weeping. The song was not new to me – but Sidney’s performance was a revelation. Not long after, he recorded “Till I Wake,” with the pianist Warren Jones, in concert at the Brevard Music Festival -- and it’s now on youtube (above). Burleigh is a … [Read more...] about Rediscovering Harry Burleigh — via Sidney Outlaw
Will Europeans Curate Our Receding Cultural Past?
My 2022 book Dvorak’s Prophecy has just been published in German (by Wolke Verlag) with a new Foreword for German-language readers: “The European/American Transaction.” I take note that the recent Charles Ives Sesquicentenary “was mainly celebrated in Europe”; that it is in Europe “that every city boasts a jazz scene engaging Americans who cannot find American gigs beyond a few … [Read more...] about Will Europeans Curate Our Receding Cultural Past?
Combating American Isolationism with Cultural Diplomacy
My unforgettable experience touring South Africa with the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra and their conductor Kenneth Kiesler is the topic of my most recent NPR feature and also of three previous blogs in this space. (Above: Karen Slack singing "My Man's Gone Now" in Cape Town, photographed by Patrick Morgan.) Today, “The American Scholar” publishes my further … [Read more...] about Combating American Isolationism with Cultural Diplomacy
“A Service to the Nation” — The University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra Tours South Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office with United States President Donald Trump My most recent More than Music documentary on NPR ponders the South African tour of the remarkable University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, led by Kenneth Kiesler. The tour happened to coincide with inflamed relations between South Africa and President Donald Trump. I … [Read more...] about “A Service to the Nation” — The University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra Tours South Africa
“Aida” in South Africa: a Sonic Earthquake
Photo: Oscar O'Ryan Never in an opera house have I thrilled to such a sonic earthquake as the wall of sound produced by the Cape Town Opera in its current production of Verdi’s Aida. In the triumphal scene, the stage is packed with robust Black voices, all functioning at full throttle. A decibel more would be painful to the ears. A crucial ingredient – the … [Read more...] about “Aida” in South Africa: a Sonic Earthquake