by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Sep 15, 2024
Members of the Raíces Negras chamber music collective celebrate innovative and prominent American women composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Spotlighting the flute, cello, and piano, each work explores an element of nature and the spirits that dwell within, ranging from the Negro spirituals in Undine Smith Moore’s “Afro-American Suite,” the motions and gestures of the beach in Tania León’s “Sands of Time,” a day in the life of the Papua New Guinean rainforest in Elisenda Fábregas’s “Voices of the Rainforest,” or the avant-garde timbral illusions and mythical imagery of Clarice Assad’s world-premiere commission entitled “Flight of the Fairies.” Within these musical works, audiences will discover and enjoy the worldly and otherworldly soundscapes these composers can elicit.
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Sep 14, 2024
Explore the imaginative and intriguing melodies of Brazilian choro with an evening celebrating the genre’s most influential composer, Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho, also known as Pixinguinha. Alongside a remarkable guest ensemble, faculty member Ceylon Mitchell guides us through this Afro-Brazilian genre as we sample some of the most famous choros composed by Pixinguinha and his contemporaries.
Location: Levine Music DC Campus: NW + Online
Free for Levine Students
About Brazilian Choro
Choro emerged as a distinct musical genre around the middle of the 19th Century in Rio de Janeiro as a blend of Afrodiasporic and European musical styles in newly independent Brazil. Syncopated rhythms from Africa and popular dance forms from Europe (the polka, habanera, and more) melded together to create a unique new style, which often gives the lead and highly ornamented melody to the flute, harmonically supported by guitar and cavaquinho. Percussive accompaniment often comes from the pandeiro, a Brazilian frame drum similar to a tambourine. Though choros are frequently instrumental and improvisatory, they do feature lyrics from time to time.
- Ceylon Mitchell, flute
- Seth Kibel, sax
- Pablo Regis de Oliveira, cavaquinho
- Felipe Garibaldi, guitar
- Lucas Ashby, percussion
- André Coelho, percussion
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Aug 15, 2024
Dr. Ceylon Mitchell (flute) and Dr. Felipe Garibaldi (guitar) perform duo works by Brazilian composers, including Clarice Assad, a Grammy nominated composer renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. “Tríptico (Triptych)” is a three-movement suite inspired by popular Brazilian rhythmic concepts such as frevo, choro, and canção. “As Cores de Tomie” is a collection of four songs inspired by works and concepts of Japanese-Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake (1913-2015).
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Jun 8, 2024
Members of the Raíces Negras chamber music collective celebrate innovative and prominent American women composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Spotlighting the flute, cello, and piano, each work explores an element of nature and the spirits that dwell within, ranging from the Negro spirituals in Undine Smith Moore’s “Afro-American Suite,” the motions and gestures of the beach in Tania León’s “Sands of Time,” a day in the life of the Papua New Guinean rainforest in Elisenda Fábregas’s “Voices of the Rainforest,” or the avant-garde timbral illusions and mythical imagery of Clarice Assad’s world-premiere commission entitled “Flight of the Fairies.” Within these musical works, audiences will discover and enjoy the worldly and otherworldly soundscapes these composers can elicit.
by Dr. Ceylon Mitchell II | Jan 21, 2024
On Saturday, February 17th at 11:00 AM, Dr. Ceylon Mitchell (flute) and Dr. Felipe Garibaldi (guitar) perform duo works by Brazilian American Clarice Assad, a Grammy nominated composer renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. “Tríptico (Triptych)” is a three-movement suite inspired by popular Brazilian rhythmic concepts such as frevo, choro, and canção. “As Cores de Tomie” is a collection of four songs inspired by works and concepts of Japanese-Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake (1913-2015).
