Claflin University will present a series of public lecture-recitals featuring South Carolina African American classical composers in 2013. SC Humanities supported this project with Major Grant funds in September 2012.
Claflin University recognized that there was little to no documentation of African American composers of classical music with ties to South Carolina. They implemented a plan to identify and promote these composers through a website and a series of public lecture-recitals around the state in 2013.
The first lecture-recital will present composer Dr. Trevor Weston and will take place on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. at Bob Jones University in Greenville. Dr. Trevor Weston started his musical training as a choirboy at St. Thomas School in New York City when he was ten. He received his M.A. and Ph.D in music from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Weston was a Professor of Music at the College of Charleston from 2000 – 2009 and Music Director and Organist at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Charleston for six years. He is currently an Associate Professor of Music at Drew University in New Jersey.
The second lecture recital will feature Dr. John Lane and will take place on February 27, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. at the Ponder Fine Arts Theatre at Benedict College in Columbia. Dr. Lane has taught music and religion courses at Wheaton College in Illinois and at Allen University in Columbia, SC. In addition to earning degrees from the University of South Carolina and Harvard University, Dr. Lane has studied composition and orchestration at the famed Universitat fur Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. In 2009 – 2010, Dr. Lane and the Chicago New Arts Trio completed two tours featuring his new cycle, "The Eleanor Collection."
The third lecture recital will feature Dr. Cedric Adderley and will take place on April 18, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center at Claflin University. Dr. Adderley is currently Dean of the College and Professor of Music at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Claflin University in Orangeburg. Ensembles throughout the United States and abroad have performed Dr. Adderley's music, Including the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Augusta Symphony, the Rutgers Philharmonia, the University of Miami Wind Ensemble, the Moravian Philharmonic, and the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony.
For more information about the concert series or the project to promote African American composers of classical music with ties to South Carolina, please contact Dr. Eunjung Choi at Claflin University at 803-535-5355.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.
