by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Mar 21, 2023
Joshua Jenkins has been playing the piano since he was seven years old and began performing in public at the age of twelve. A proud alum of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, he holds a Bachelor of Music from Temple University, where he also majored in Spanish. Alongside fellow Ellington students, he performed on stage at the Kennedy Center and Strathmore Music Center with such artists as Ledisi, Patti LaBelle, and Sting. While studying in Philadelphia, he gave various classical solo and chamber recitals and worked with several jazz ensembles.
An ever-growing multi-instrumentalist, Joshua studied pipe organ for several years under the tutelage of organist Clyde T. Parker, having performed numerous times on this instrument at People’s Congregational Church in Washington, DC. Joshua was the Jazz Ensemble Director of CAAPA (the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts) from 2018 to 2020. He has a keen interest in Afro-Cuban drumming and has visited Cuba several times to conduct research and take lessons.
Supported in part by Daniel & Sarah Gallagher♪, HelenLouise Pettis♪, and Tina & Arthur Lazerow
♪Strathmore graciously thanks our Artist in Residence Champions for their multi-year commitment and above-and-beyond support to the AIR program.
Learn more about the AIR program and the Class of 2023.
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Mar 21, 2023
A celebration of the vibrant LatinX culture of the Lower East Side and the musical talents the area has nurtured, from the classical virtuoso pianist Teresa Carreño to the tango master Astor Piazzola and salsa superstar Celia Cruz.
Cuban-born Tania Leon is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer whose music is known for its rich textures and infectious and complex rhythms, Del Caribe, soy! is dedicated to flutist Nestor Torres, and builds on his improvisatory fragments, mixing in bird calls, whistles, fragments of Latin melodies, atonal piano effects and gestures that characterize music of the Caribbean.
Featuring traditional tonality and Baroque era forms, avant-garde and aleatoric techniques, and Afro-Cuban strains, Brouwer’s stages of composition represent an eclectic sound universe. Throughout his output, his music is a kind of musical cartography and allegory of Latin America, with its most emblematic landscapes, characters, and cultures. Passages with controlled indeterminacy and extended techniques in the musical forces create fascinating textures and colorful soundscapes connected to ancient and modern Latin American literature and culture.
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Oct 4, 2022
Special Guests and the Black Radio Orchestra, led and conducted by Derrick Hodge
Five-time Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, producer, and founding Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council Member Robert Glasper celebrates the 10th Anniversary of his groundbreaking, award-winning, and genre shattering brand—Black Radio. Join us for a special one-night only concert featuring special guests yasiin bey, Lalah Hathaway, Bilal, and Meshell Ndegeocello alongside the 32-piece Black Radio Orchestra led by Derrick Hodge.
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Sep 12, 2022
Looking to kick-start your new school year or career?
Receive inspiration and tips from three dynamic professionals who have charted their own path in the flute world! This virtual event is open at no charge to the public.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link for the event. This event will be recorded and available for viewing on the Flute Society website until October 3, 2022.
Register
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Oct 4, 2021
Flutist Ceylon Mitchell and friends present works honoring the musical heritage of Cuba and Brazil. Brazilian choro is a musical genre with roots in African syncopated rhythms and European dance forms, including the lundú, the polka, and the habanera, creating a very unique style. The improvisatory nature of choro mirrors that of North American jazz and virtuosity is a hallmark of the style. The Cuban flute tradition represents dance music at the heart of Cuban national and cultural identity with flute, piano, strings, and Cuban percussion as the core ensemble. Starting with the danzón and extending to other genres like the cha cha cha, mambo, and salsa, its elements include centuries-old European court dances, rhythmic complexity based on the clave pattern from the African Congo Basin, and a flute ornamentation style similar to the late-Baroque and early-Classical flute traditions.
Ceylon will also participate in a brief conversation about his work and talk a little about how the pandemic has changed or charged his practice as an artist and as a marketer.
