Fresno Philharmonic Music Director Rei Hotoda and composers (clockwise from top left) John Wineglass, Jasmine Barnes, Kevin Day, Augustus Hailstork
Throughout the month of February, California’s Fresno Philharmonic will stream Music Director Rei Hotoda’s previously recorded conversations with Black composers John Wineglass, Jasmine Barnes, Kevin Day, and Adolphus Hailstork. The series, entitled “Rise Up! Important Voices You Should Hear,” celebrates Black History Month and features works by these composers performed by the Fresno Philharmonic during the 2020-21 season and will be available on the orchestra’s YouTube channel. Hotoda’s conversation with Wineglass will launch the series on February 5 at 5:30 p.m.PT, and will focus on Wineglass’s work Alone/Together, which the orchestra premiered in October 2021. In that episode, Hotoda and Wineglass discuss the importance of creativity during times of crisis. A February 12 conversation will spotlight Jasmine Barnes’s brass quintet Resistance, followed by Kevin Day’s (loco)motion on February 19 and Adolphus Hailstork’s An American Fanfare on February 26. Conversations will remain on the orchestra’s YouTube channel after the initial streaming dates.
