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 | 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
Dedicated to Dr. Ceylon Mitchell in March 2023, Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s “El cazador de historias” (The Hunter of Stories) comes literally from the posthumous book of the same name by Eduardo Galeano (Uruguayan journalist and writer), one of the most eminent thinkers of the last fifty years. Featuring controlled indeterminacy, extended techniques, and virtuosity from Brouwer’s avant-garde style of composition, this new work for flute, cello, and piano represents an eclectic sound universe connected to ancient and modern Latin American literature and culture. Paquito D’Rivera’s Invitación al Danzón, originally written for clarinet trio, pays homage to the national dance of Cuba, the guajira country song, and the strong influence of jazz upon D’Rivera’s compositional style.
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 | Feb 28, 2024
Dedicated to Dr. Ceylon Mitchell in March 2023, Cuban composer Leo Brouwer’s “El cazador de historias” (The Hunter of Stories) comes literally from the posthumous book of the same name by Eduardo Galeano (Uruguayan journalist and writer), one of the most eminent thinkers of the last fifty years. Featuring controlled indeterminacy, extended techniques, and virtuosity from Brouwer’s avant-garde style of composition, this new work for flute, cello, and piano represents an eclectic sound universe connected to ancient and modern Latin American literature and culture. Paquito D’Rivera’s Invitación al Danzón, originally written for clarinet trio, pays homage to the national dance of Cuba, the guajira country song, and the strong influence of jazz upon D’Rivera’s compositional style.
