Gateways Music Festival and African-American Classical Music
You can certainly “Take it to the Bank” if you asked the average person in the United States to name a classical music composer or two that the answers would probably include the famous among the most famous Beethoven and Mozart. Those more familiar with classical music would include the names Brahms or Salieri. And a very very small number of replies would include the more obscure luminaries Berlioz, Ives and Khachaturian. But, would they have spoken of Florence Price or George Walker? Doubtful. But they should have been included because they belong in a small segment of the many African-American composers who have written excellent works of classical music. Their works are being presented in this year’s Gateways Music Festival in New York City.
More than just a series of concerts in a variety of concert halls, the Festival offers a profound immersive experience that celebrates the classical genre at large, but more specifically deepens awareness of the contributions to classical music made by African-Americans. The Festival’s mission is to build awareness.
There is no doubt who the musicians are that dominate hip hop and rap, blues, rock ‘n roll, gospel and jazz — classical composers and musicians names need to be included on this list of celebrated artists. They are making great strides in classical music and it is important to realize that it is more than a stroke of luck.
The Black Mozart
The classical genre is plagued by the misperception, by many people, that the music is composed by European men and played by and for predominantly older European audiences. Both European and American histories reveal the contrary. We can look to 18th century Europe when the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (also known as “The Black Mozart”) served the court of Marie Antoinette as a master violin virtuoso and composer. Even within our 20th century American history, there have been great symphonic contributions made by composers William Grant Still, Julius Eastman and the aforementioned George Walker. And there are celebrated female classical composers like Florence Price and Undine Eliza Anna Smith Moore. Moore was often referred to as the “Dean of Black Women Composers.” Price made history in 1933 when she became the first African-American woman to have had a symphony performed by a major U.S. orchestra, in Chicago.
Enthusiasts know that in order for classical music to remain relevant, the genre must reach a younger and more diverse audience. Offerings featuring African-Americans must include more than just the occasional staging of the beloved opera “Porgy and Bess.” Of course, the fact that so many concerts come with pricey tickets and take place in venues that seem elitist, stuffy or even foreboding does nothing to alter these perceptions. However, even here, many orchestras, revered musical halls and non-profit arts organizations are working toward building awareness and appreciation, as well as, offering affordable, free and/or “rush” tickets. The annual Gateways Music Festival is focusing some of its efforts in meeting the needs of those audiences.
Just as there have been efforts to increase the visibility of a wider range of jazz music by African-American composers and musicians, the Gateways program is at the forefront of spreading the word about classical music as played by and created by African Americans.
The Gateways Musical Festival Programming
The Gateways Festival, which is based in Rochester, New York, is an ambitious music festival held in the two cities. Its debut was in 1993 in North Carolina. However, two years later, it was relocated to Rochester — its founder Armenta Hummings Dumisani became an Associate Professor at the Eastman School of Music.
The April 2022 festival programming is intense and pitiably limited to one week. Hopefully in the future it will be equally as intense but over a longer period of time. The two primary ambitious and heartening goals of the Gateway Festival are “Connecting and Supporting Classical Musicians of African Descent” and “Enlightening and Inspiring Communities.” These goals are important for educational, creative, cultural and financial reasons. They are not easy to achieve: musicians, composers and communities (especially young listeners) need to be supported at various levels.
“Classical music belongs to all people” is also a key part of their philosophy. Many people need to be reminded of this. Its accessibility needs to be emphasized.
This April, the schedule has focused on Rochester and New York City. In Rochester, there were two performances, a parent chat, a film screening with a lecture, and a master class. In New York City the offerings were expanded:
- Imani Winds on April 21 at Abyssinian Baptist Church
- A Panel Discussion on April 22 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Gateways Brass Collective on April 22 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Marian Anderson String Quartet on April 22 at the 92nd Street Y
- Gateways Artists Concert on April 22 at the Morgan Library
- Gateways Pianists on April 22 at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
- Harlem Chamber Players on April 23 at the Schomburg Center
- A Master Class on April 23 at Carnegie Hall
- A Film Screening and Lecture on April 23 at the Cooper Union
- Chamber Music Concert on April 23 at the Cooper Union
A Chance to Listen and Learn
The festival culminates on April 24 at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall — The Gateway’s Orchestra is featuring 130 musicians. The concert features a world premiere composition by 2022 Grammy award winner Jon Batiste.
This is a wonderful group of events, held at both traditional concert halls throughout Manhattan, as well as more community-minded venues in Harlem. Routes Magazine is sending several of its correspondents to cover a sampling of the classical offerings and in the coming days we will share our coverage of these events, inclusive of the Carnegie Hall concert (see links above). We hope you will join us for this series of articles