J O E L U C K E Y R E C I T A L S E R I E S THE LEGACY OF HARRY T. BURLEIGH

C A T H E D R A L O F F E B R U A R Y 8 , 2 0 1 6 7 : 3 0 P M S T . P A U L

Edward Pleasant, baritone | Trio Nova Mundi Jean Snyder, speaker | The Cathedral Singers of St. Paul E R I E ' S N A T I V E S O N HARRY T. BURLEIGH ERIE JOE LUCKEY CHAMBER RECITAL ORCHESTA SERIES

TH1 E LEGACY OF H2 ARRY T. BURLE3IGH FEBRUARY 8, 2016 7:30 PM CATHEDRAL OF ST. PAUL

BURLEIGH FIVE SPIRITUALS: SPIRITUALS SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR

Dry Bones Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child Deep River I Was Way Down a Yonder Ain't Goin' Study War No Did the Lord Deliver Daniel? More They Will Not Lend me a Child Hard Trials The Lord Delivered Daniel

Edward Pleasant, baritone Trio Nova Mundi Beth Etter, piano Maureen Conlon, violin Elisa Kohanski, cello Becky Billock, piano Ezekiel Saw de Wheel My Lord, What a Mornin' Hold On (Keep Your Hand on the Plow) BURLEIGH

Cathedral Singers of St. Paul SPIRITUAL Sharon Downey, choir director Have You Been to Lons Brent Weber, soloist

Edward Pleasant, baritone Beth Etter, piano Go Down Moses SPEAKER Edward Pleasant, baritone Beth Etter, piano Jean Snyder Cathedral Singers of St. Paul Sharon Downey, choir director

9 | B O O K I S H M A G A Z I N E ERIE JOE LUCKEY CHAMBER RECITAL ORCHESTA SERIES ARTISTS

Edward Pleasant B A R I T O N E

Edward Pleasant, baritone, is recognized as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. Critically acclaimed in both opera, musical theater and recordings, he has distinguished himself as a gifted actor with brilliant comic timing and a luscious baritone voice. Pleasant champions the proliferation of the artistic contributions of early 20th century African-American writers, singers and composers, through live performances and recordings, propelling their works into the 21st century for the education and enjoyment of today’s global audience. He appears on no less than a dozen recordings and operatic compilations.

Mr. Pleasant appears in the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra’s recordings of Black Manhattan Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Both recordings for New World Records garnered praise for Pleasant’s performances as being “marvelous” and “beautifully sung.” He can also be heard in the definitive recording of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, also for New World Records. This historic recording was designated a BBC Music Magazine ‘Opera Choice’ and Gramophone Magazine ‘Editor’s Choice’ in the year of its release. His discography also includes a recording of The Seven Last Words of Christ for Gothic Records, Kurt Weill's The Flight of Lindbergh for Voices International, and a special 250th Anniversary edition of The Music of Mozart for the Madacy label. Pleasant is also the demonstration voice on the popular Karaoke Opera Series recordings of baritone arias. His latest project is a recording of the music of Irving Berlin for New World Records, set for release in January, 2016.

A native of Midland, Texas, Pleasant gained national attention when he appeared with the New York City Opera as Jake in Porgy and Bess, which included an Emmy-nominated Live from Lincoln Center telecast on PBS. This historic telecast marked the first time a live performance of the Gershwin masterpiece had ever been televised. He reprises this role both nationally and abroad. Mr. Pleasant returned to New York City Opera in other productions, including the premiere of Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison and their annual Vox Series showcases. Additional roles include Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Giuseppe Palmieri in The Gondoliers, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, Jacques in The New Moon, Zodzetrick in Joplin's Treemonisha, Harriet Tubman's father in a touring production of Freedom Train and Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime. Recent career highlights include his being the first to realize the role of Sam Perry in a contemporary opera entitled Strange Fruit by Chandler Carter and Joan Ross Sorkin for Harlem School of the Arts, and his starring in a one ​ man show about the life of Nat "King" Cole called Sincerely, Nat, which Pleasant also wrote and produced.

Pleasant performs on the world's most prestigious concert stages, including Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He appeared as a soloist with the world-renowned Moses Hogan Chorale and he has sung in other prominent venues such as the Texas State Capitol and the White House. His numerous oratorio and orchestral credits include Bach's St. John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Beethoven's Mass in C, Brahms' Requiem, Ellington's Sacred Selections, Handel's Messiah, Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs and Robert Ray's Gospel Mass. He is in high demand as a narrator/storyteller performing the perennial children's favorites Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, Tubby the Tuba, The Thrill of the Orchestra and most recently a new work, "Uzu and Muzu from Kakaruzu. ". ERIE JOE LUCKEY CHAMBER RECITAL ORCHESTA SERIES

In the 2015-2016 season, Mr. Pleasant looks forward to touring with the Storytime Quartet with Eddie Pleasant as narrator/storyteller. He is a co-founder and producer of this venture dedicated to classical music outreach. STQ is designed to introduce young audiences to great literature and the world’s finest music. He is thrilled to return to the Erie Chamber Orchestra in educational outreach, recital and concert. He also appears on a newly released CD of the music of Irving Berlin songs with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra for New World Records.

Jean Snyder S P E A K E R

As Assistant Professor of Music at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Jean E. Snyder served as Artistic Director for five Harry T. Burleigh Legacy events, including a national conference in April 2003. After completing her dissertation on Burleigh for her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at the University of Pittsburgh, she continued her research to prepare her biography, titled Harry T. Burleigh: From the Spiritual to the Harlem Renaissance, published by the University of Illinois Press. Her previous publications include a chapter on Burleigh and Dvorak in John A. Tibbetts’ Dvorak in America, 1892-1895 (Amadeus Press, 1993), a special Burleigh issue of the Black Music Research Journal, which she edited, and the entry on Burleigh in the International Dictionary of Black Composers (Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1999). She has presented papers and lecture-recitals on Burleigh at conferences of the Society for American Music, the Center for Black Music Research, the American Musicological Society, and the National Association of Negro Musicians, and the Pittsburgh Gospel Choir Festival.

Cathedral Singers of St. Paul

The Cathedral Choir is a group of mixed adult professional and volunteer singers who sing each Sunday morning at the Episcopal Cathedral of St Paul in Erie. They also sing Choral Evensong, concerts and services of Lessons and Carols throughout the year. In May of 2007 they toured England, singing services at Canterbury Cathedral and Chichester Cathedral. Their second trip abroad was in 2010, where they sang Evensong at the American Cathedral in Paris and were the choir in residence for a week at Canterbury Cathedral. The Cathedral Children’s Choir was established in 1992 as an outreach ministry to the children and youth of the Erie community. Singers are recruited from the Cathedral parish and the community. The choir is structured on the principles of the Royal School of Church Music, an organization that promotes excellence in musical and choral training for young singers. They are ERIE JOE LUCKEY CHAMBER RECITAL ORCHESTA SERIES

primarily a treble choir, singing services and concerts at the Cathedral and have traveled to sing at various cathedrals in the region. The have appeared annually with the Erie Chamber Orchestra and have also sung with the Erie Philharmonic, the Junior Philharmonic, the Lake Erie Ballet and the Erie Opera Company. They often sing with the Cathedral Choir and in 2011, both choirs sang the Sunday morning services and Evensong at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Trio Nova Mundi M A U R E E N C O N L O N , V I O L I N E L I S A K O H A N S K I , C E L L O B E C K Y B I L L O C K , P I A N O

The members of Trio Nova Mundi span the Americas in their musical training and heritage. The trio strives to embrace this heritage by showcasing the music and composers of the New World, in part by performing new or lesser-known works alongside the classics. Since its inception in 2001, the trio has appeared in concert and with regional orchestras in the US, Africa, Mexico, and Ecuador.

Highlights of the 2015-2016 season include recitals for both the Erie Chamber Orchestra and the Wheeling Symphony, as well as appearances at festivals in Frutillar (Chile), and Rhode Island. The trio's debut album Canticum will be released on November 14, 2015.

Last season included the February 2015 world premiere of a Triple Concerto commissioned by the trio from Spanish-American composer Elisenda Fabregas. The trio will continue to champion this work in the upcoming season.

The trio launched the 2012-2013 season with a dynamic all-women ensemble including founding member Maureen Conlon Gutierrez (violin), Elisa Kohanski (cello), and Becky Billock (piano). Its members have appeared as soloists with orchestras across the US, coached with members of the Orion, Emerson, and Tokyo quartets, and performed in such venues as Royal Albert Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York City, Schlossfestspiele in Heidelberg, Germany and the AIMS Opera Festival in Graz, Austria. Further honors include prizes in solo and chamber music competitions, numerous world premiere performances, extensive radio airplay in all major communities across the US, Canada, and Mexico, grants for both educational outreach and commissions of new works, and positive reviews in top musical publications including BBC Music Magazine, and Fanfare.

Trio Nova Mundi is committed to community outreach and the goal of bringing musical appreciation to younger audiences across the globe. In addition to performances in the US, the trio traveled to South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe in August/September 2013, and to Mexico in May 2014, where they concertized and engaged in educational outreach.

The members of Trio Nova Mundi serve on the faculty at Grove City College located in Western Pennsylvania, where their trio has been appointed the ensemble-in-residence. ERIE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: UPCOMING EVENTS

DEEP RIVER: THE MUSIC OF HARRY T. ECO ON DISPLAY BURLEIGH AND ANTONIN DVORAK April 23, 2016 || 7:30pm First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant February 13, 2016 || 7:30pm Cathedral Prep Auditorium

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

March 12, 2016 || 7:30pm Cathedral Prep Auditorium

JAZZ - PARIS TO HOLLYWOOD

June 4, 2016 || 7:30pm Cathedral Prep Auditorium

CHAMBER MUSIC

April 18, 2016 || 7:30pm Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie

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