The Classical Music Experience is Our Experience, Too

Southeast Symphony Orchestra’s Message is Simple :

By EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Despite what some mistakenly think, classical music is our experience, too. That’s the black experience. For six decades, the Southeast Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles has had these ambitious goals: to nourish the classical music experience among African Americans, provide a venue for artists and musicians to play and for audiences to learn and enjoy classical music, as well as to train the next generation of young African American classical musicians.

The orchestra, under the direction of nationally renowned musicologist, conductor and concert artist maestro Charles Dickerson, will hold its 60th anniversary season closing concert on July 20, 3 p.m., at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a powerhouse afternoon of American classical music gems. They include Gershwin’s “American in Paris,” “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Porgy and Bess.” The program will feature some of Los Angeles’ renowned black virtuoso performers.

And with all these artists : Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges :

African-American Heritage in Classical Music (AfriClassical.com) lists 52 composers, conductors and instrumental performers who are Africans, African Americans and Afro-Europeans spanning five centuries. These artists are unknown to most of us, yet are so numerous the Web site can present only a fraction of them. They have made enduring contributions to classical music, including composing, conducting and performing.

Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) of Guadeloupe is one of those multi-talented musicians. Cuban classical guitarist Leo Brouwer (born 1939) is another. More than 100 sound samples can be heard at the audio page and at the biographical pages on the Web site and others.

Classical music world giants Ludwig Van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak, Camille Saint Saens, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and others have either befriended black classical music artists or incorporated jazz, spirituals, or African rhythms in their compositions. Living legend Wynton Marsalis has virtually made a second career out of recording Haydn, Teleman and other classical music composers trumpet concertos.

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