“Lecolion Washington, an accomplished classical bassoonist based in Boston, was invited to be a part of the orchestra that gave life to Hans Zimmer’s score on Disney’s photo-real remake of ‘The Lion King,’ ” writes Brendan McGuirk on Friday (7/12) at Boston radio station WBUR. “Zimmer sought the predominantly black Re-Collective Orchestra, which caught attention for its philharmonic rendition of ‘Black Panther’s’ ‘All The Stars’ last year, to perform the score…. The project was in keeping with Washington’s longtime aims to unlock the transformative power of equity, diversity and inclusivity in music…. In 2017 [Washington became] executive director of the Community Music Center of Boston, a South End nonprofit dedicated to equitable access to music instruction and arts experiences…. Contributing to a motion picture like ‘The Lion King’ was … a departure. For most of Washington’s career, singular concert performances had been the center of his creative world…. [In] ‘The Lion King’ soundtrack … listen closely to the instrumentals and you’ll not only hear the practiced expression of skilled musicians, but also their experience. ‘Each artist brings their selves … to the art. And the more perspectives you have,’ Washington says, ‘the more colors overall that there are.’ ”
Posted July 18, 2019
