Thu 2/11 @ 7:30PM
Oberlin Conservatory is dedicating its streaming series Oberlin Stage Left to Black History Month throughout February and it’s got a lot of stories to tell, some with a direct connection to the school.
For instance, this week they’ll play two pieces by William Grant Still who came to Oberlin Conservatory in the 1910s after attending the historically Black Wilberforce University where he initially was studying to become a doctor but got sidetracked into music. After serving in World War I he lived in New York during the Harlem Renaissance and eventually ended up in Los Angeles. He arranged pop tunes, composed symphonies, operas and film music. Oberlin violin professor Sibbi Bernhardsson and piano professor Haewon Song will play Still’s Pastorela, while song and violin professor David Bowlin will play his “Blues” from Lenox Avenue.
Then Bernardsson will join piano professor Robert Shannon to play Transparência, a piece composed in 2016 by Oberlin horn professor Jeff Scott.
To listen to the performance, live from Oberlin’s Warner Concert Hall, go here.
oberlin.edu/conservatory/stage-left