Global Programming Concludes Back at Home

Conductor Michael Christie at the podium of the New West Symphony (courtesy of Jensen Artists)

The Global Sounds, Local Cultures season planned by Michael Christie, Artistic and Music Director of the New West Symphony in Los Angeles, will “come back home” for its final concert. The title of this concert will be America the Melting Pot, and it will feature a rich diversity of composers representing an equally rich diversity of genres. The “classical” genre will be represented by William Grant Still’s “Mother and Child,” composed for string ensemble, and an excerpt from Florence Price’s single-movement piano concerto with Lara Downes as the piano soloist.

In the “crossover” domain the ensemble will play two of Mimi Rabson’s arrangements for string orchestra of songs by Duke Ellington, “Echoes of Harlem” and “I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So.” Similarly, Jeremy Siskind has prepared an arrangement of Eubie Blake’s “Love Will Find a Way,” originally composed for the Broadway musical Shuffle Along. The domain of African-American spirituals, on the other hand, will be represented by Margaret Bonds’ arrangement of “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” This will probably feature tenor soloist Ashley Faatoalia.

The jazz genre will be particularly interesting through the selection of pianist Hazel Scott. Scott was the first black American to host her own television show, The Hazel Scott Show, which went on the air in 1950. Sadly, her success did not last long after she was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. She realized that her career progress was limited in the United States and moved to Paris in 1957, not returning for another ten years.

In the more “immediate present” another soloist will be bassist Xavier Foley. He will play two of his own compositions, “For Justice and Peace” and “Cranberry Juice.” In addition, the program will begin with “Umoja,” composed by Valerie Coleman, creator of the Imani Winds quintet. The other contributing soloist to the program will be violinist Eunice Kim.

This performance will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 27. Once again, the concert will be the final event of a Cultural Festival, which will begin on Thursday, June 24. Admission to the entire Festival will be $25 for a Festival Passport, which may be purchased online through the Festival event page. Passport holders will then be provided with information on how to stream the individual events. In addition to the concert itself, the only event to be streamed will be a Meet the Artists panel discussion, which will take place on Saturday, June 26, beginning at 7 p.m.