“The Colour of Music Festival will mount its seventh annual event March 27-30 at three historic downtown venues,” reports Adam Parker in Sunday’s (3/3) Post and Courier (Charleston, SC). “The festival will showcase leading black classical artists from the U.S. and abroad and highlight the musical achievements of lesser-known black female composers, including Florence B. Price. The festival originated in Charleston, spearheaded by Lee Pringle, producer and president, but since March 2018, it has presented concerts in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Pittsburgh and Richmond, Va. March is National Women’s History Month, which inspired organizers to focus on black female classical performers and composers. ‘(We are) honoring Florence B. Price, among other women of color who have contributed significant works but whose compositions are rarely programmed and heard by major American orchestras,’ Pringle said.” The festival will offer chamber music concerts including works by Price as well as “a piano recital by Karen Walwyn; an all-female chamber orchestra concert featuring violinist Anyango Yarbo-Davenport; a vocal recital by Louise Toppin; an organ recital by Eldred Marshall; two chamber music recitals; a masterworks concert featuring the music of Price; and a symposium on Price presented by Toppin.”
Posted March 5, 2019
