Colour of Music Festival Debut: Sacramento, CA
Presented by Visit Sacramento and the City of Sacramento, the Colour of Music Festival Pétit will present four days of diverse classical performances.
Choro Lecture Series: Pixinguinha and Black Contributions to Choro
Many of the early great composers and performers of the choro genre were Afro-Brazilians, like Patapio Silva and Pixinguinha. In this lecture, Ceylon Mitchell talks about Pixinguinha, the father of Brazilian choro. Pixinguinha’s compositions and playing style are by far the most popular and have a heavy influence to this day. Ceylon will demonstrate Pixinguinha’s compositional innovations, such as his use of counterpoint melody.
This is a free, in-person, and socially distanced event that will later be posted to EducArte’s YouTube page.
Takoma Elementary – Hispanic Heritage Month
An Arts Integration program of Latin music. The ensemble includes Fran Vielma on percussion, Taisha Estrada on vocals, and Eliot Seppa on guitar.
Music from Poplar Series: Ceylon Mitchell and Friends!
Ceylon Mitchell, a 2021 Strathmore Resident Artist, brings his ensemble and their passion for the Brazilian Choro and Afro-Caribbean music to St. Mary’s County. The choro, birthed in Rio de Janeiro in the mid 19th century, has its roots in African syncopated rhythms and European dance forms, including the lundú, the polka, and the habanera – an intriguing musical blend. The program also includes chamber music by Afro-Cuban composers.
Strathmore Artist in Residence Summer Concert
Just as the notes from his flute fly and float on air, Ceylon Mitchell is always in motion. This musician, educator, entrepreneur, and arts advocate is driven by his mission of keeping classical music alive, authentic, and accessible with programming and performances that promote traditionally marginalized communities, especially Black and Latinx cultural identities.
Originally from Alaska, this new dad is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts student at the University of Maryland, College Park. Mitchell is the recipient of a Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council Artist Fellowship Grant and a Prince George’s County Forty Under 40 Award in Arts and Humanities.