March 17, 2022
As part of our centennial celebrations, CMC is proud to present the world premiere of a commissioned new work by acclaimed composer-performer and longtime faculty member Maestro Curtis, PhD on April 23 at 1 pm as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. The premiere of Curtis’ “A Song of Triumph: The History of Black Music” will feature Maestro Curtis PhD, The Curtis Family C-Notes and special guests, including Dorothy Morrison, Bishop James Adams, Juan Escovedo, Pastor Harold Gordon, Ken Little, Larry Douglas, Ricardo Scales, Tony Bolivar, J.R. Hall, Tina Bryant, and Neil Stallings. (Learn more about the guest artists below.) The commission and premiere are an extension of CMC’s Black Music Studies Program.
A Song of Triumph: The History of Black Music
Saturday, April 23 at 1pm
Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
760 Howard St, San Francisco
Free
“This is a celebration of real American history, love, respect, and the contributions of American Black culture, which has impacted the world and crossed all ethnic and color lines,” said Curtis.
Curtis describes the works as “a symphonic musical opera about the journey of the descendants of slaves, who we identify as Black Americans.” Concert goers will experience storytelling through music about historical periods in Black American history in “A Song of Triumph.” According to Curtis, the underlying themes of this composition will encapsulate both the pain and the beauty of the Black American experience. From the tremendous suffering of slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights struggles, and into today’s racial justice movement, “A Song of Triumph” is a celebration of the remarkable beauty that Black Americans have given to the music world through the transmutation of this pain.
As Curtis said, “Field songs and spirituals that came from the invisible church— gave birth to the blues, barbershop, gospel, a new church and style of praise, jazz, country, early bluegrass, folk, rock and roll, RnB, funk, reggae and hip hop, bringing an artistic expression, beauty and genius to the entire world.”
In talking about the title of the composition, Curtis shared, “The song of triumph is the soundtrack of our lives–a conversation of moving the needle towards equality. Maybe we move the needle a little bit, but we still have a long way to go. We must move triumphantly towards that goal of equality, making sure that people are treated with dignity, regardless of race, creed, color, gender, or whatever you want to apply.”
A note about the special guest musicians who are a star-studded group with remarkable credits:
Dorothy Morrison (Grammy Award winning singer of “Oh Happy Day,” Edwin Hawkins Singers, toured/recorded with Huey Lewis and the News), Bishop James Adams (activist, evangelist, and pastor), Juan Escovedo (of the famous E Family: Sheila E., Papa Pete Escovedo, and Peter Michael Escovedo), Pastor Harold Gordon (of the famed San Francisco civil rights institution Jones Memorial United Methodist Church with members such as Mayor Willie Brown and Johnny Mathis), Ken Little (played with gospel legends James Cleveland, James Carr, Tim Toston, performed at the Gospel Music Workshop of America, music producer, composer, and choir director), Larry Douglas (long time Bay Area music educator, music director for Johnny Otis and Shugie Otis, Ray Charles, and many more), legendary Ricardo Scales (concert pianist, composer, and music producer, has played for celebrities, and dignitaries from all over the world, including five American presidents, known as the Bay Area’s “Black Liberace”), Tony Bolivar (activist, professor, music minister, creator of Dream Achievers [an ensemble of musicians with Autism touring the U.S. and internationally], also performed with the likes of Andraé Crouch and Alvin Slaughter), J.R. Hall (from the famed Edwin & Walter Hawkins Singers, has performed gospel music in the biggest arenas in the world), Tina Bryant (composer, producer, singer, pianist, played on programs with Kirk Franklin, John P. Kee, Daryl Coley, Hezekiah Walker, Ed Kelly, the Oakland Symphony, Bobby Jones, and many more), and legendary Bay Area guitarist Neil Stallings (performed and toured with King Floyd, The Four Tops, Albert Collins, Big Mama Thornton, Sly Stone, and The Platters, to name a few).