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Happy Presidents Day! Can you believe 13 of the 46 presidents played instruments? President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, played the Violin!
Happy Presidents Day! Bloomingdale will be closed in observance of Presidents Day.🇺🇸
William Grant Still was born in 1895 in Woodville, Mississippi. He was the first African American composer to have a symphony performed by a professional orchestra. His piece Symphony no. 1 ‘Afro-American’ was premiered in New York City at Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic in 1935. He was also the first African American to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the United States in 1936. His opera Troubled Island was the first piece created by an African American to be performed by the New York City Opera, a major opera company. It was also the first by an African American to be televised.
In honor of Black History Month, Judith Olson performs piano works by African-American composer Ed Bland (1926-2013), with whom she worked for many years. An unusually versatile musician, Bland began his career as a clarinetist, before making his mark as a composer, arranger, producer and orchestrator. His concert music has been performed by Speculum Musicae, the American Brass Quintet, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Bland's command of jazz allowed him to make a living in the record industry as a composer, arranger, and producer of urban-generated forms of Black music, such as soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock and roll, urban blues, and funk. He has collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Richie Havens, and Ray Charles, among many others.
Bland is perhaps best known as producer of the 1959 film, "The Cry of Jazz," described by MOMA documentarian Willard Van D**e as "the most prophetic film ever made," because it predicted the race riots of the '60's and '70's.
The piano works on this program are part of a 5-volume set entitled "Urban Counterpoint:" art music, using the language of gospel, soul, blues, jazz, and various film scores.
Today is the day! Join The Bloomingdale School of Music and Judith Olson Online Today at 7:00 PM to honor Ed Bland. In celebration of Black History Month, Judith Olson will be performing piano works by African-American composer Ed Bland (1926-2013), with whom she worked for many years. The piano works on this program are part of a 5-volume set entitled "Urban Counterpoint:" art music, using the language of gospel, soul, blues, jazz, and various film scores. You can RSVP using the link below.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/online-faculty-concert-the-piano-music-of-ed-bland-tickets-254291692297
LIMITED TIME OFFER. Lock in early bird pricing now! Our weeklong summer workshops are being offered at the promotional price of $600, now through March 15th. Act now to save money and reserve your spot before the workshops fill up!
We’re so excited to announce a diverse set of in-person programs for students this summer. From our Summer Voyagers program for young students beginning their musical journeys, to our Strings and Piano Intensives for developing musicians, to our Guitar Week and Adult Guitar Weekend, Bloomingdale is offering unique programs for all age groups. We look forward to seeing you at Bloomingdale this summer!
REGISTER NOW:
https://www.bsmny.org/classes/summer-2022/
Marian Anderson, a renowned contralto, was born in 1897 in South Philadelphia. Her mother was a former schoolteacher and her father delivered ice and coal throughout the city. Marian began singing in her childhood church, the Union Baptist Church. In 1955, she became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. In 1958, she was named a delegate to the 13th General Assembly of the United Nations. Over two dozen universities presented her with honorary doctorates and in 1963 President Lyndon Johnson awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Join The Bloomingdale School of Music and Judith Olson online this Friday, February 18th at 7:00 PM to honor Ed Bland. In celebration of Black History Month, Judith Olson will be performing piano works by African-American composer Ed Bland (1926-2013), with whom she worked for many years. The piano works on this program are part of a 5-volume set entitled "Urban Counterpoint:" art music, using the language of gospel, soul, blues, jazz, and various film scores.
Ed Bland was born on the South Side of Chicago to Althea and Edward Bland. His father was a postal worker and a self-taught literary critic with acclaimed friends such as Ralph Ellison, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Langston Hughes. Bland briefly served in the Army during World War II, afterwards he studied at both the University of Chicago and the American Conservatory of Music during the G.I. Bill. He composed scores for the TV play A Raisin in the Sun and the film A Soldier's Story. He wrote, directed, and produced the film The Cry of Jazz.
Happy Valentine's Day from Bloomingdale! Choose love! 💕
Scott Joplin was born in the late 1860s along the border of Texas and Arkansas. Joplin took up piano as a child and eventually became a traveling musician as a teen. He immersed himself in the musical form Ragtime and became the genre's prime composer. He is best known for works like ‘The Entertainer,’ ‘Solace’ and ‘The Maple Leaf Rag,’ which is the biggest-selling ragtime song in history. He also wrote the operas Guest of Honor and Treemonisha. He passed away in New York City on April 1, 1917.
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