WCPE Celebrates Black History Month

WAVElengths on TheClassicalStation.org

Wake Forest, N.C. (Vocus/PRWE February 03, 2011

WCPE’s WAVElengths Producer Kenneth Bradshaw announces a series of
programs celebrating Black History Month. The programs air at 9 p.m. ET
each Sunday evening, bringing the musical voices of a new generation.

“The music displays depth and emotion,” says Bradshaw. “Each composer brings her/his life and experience to their music.”

“We will enjoy music by Billy Childs, Leslie Burrs, Valerie Coleman and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson,” he adds.

However, on Sunday evening, February 6th, WAVElengths will present
the music of just one composer, William Grant Still. Still is a great
American composer who is also called the “Dean of African-American
Composers” because of his trailblazing, segregation-shattering work.
There are so many “firsts” attributed to him – the first Black to have a
major American symphony perform their composition, the first to conduct
a major American Symphony – and the list goes on. Follow this link to
read more about his incredible life: http://www.williamgrantstill.com/wgsbiography/

William Grant Still composed over 150 works during his lifetime, not
counting a large number that have been lost – including orchestral,
opera, chamber, organ, choral and solo vocal works. The compositions
you’ll hear this Sunday evening are:

Reverie (organ work)
And they lynched him from a tree (a choral work that evokes the pathos of a not-so-distant past).
Elegy (organ work)
Symphony No. 1 (orchestral) – also known as The Afro-American Symphony

The rest of the month is:

February 13 Billy Childs, pianist and composer, has the wonderful
ability to create memorable melodies, whether writing jazz or classical
music, as heard in Prelude in E Minor.

February 20 Valerie Coleman combines African-American heritage with
urban culture to create a distinctive sound. Hear her Concerto for Wind
Quintet.

February 27 Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson was equally at home in
classical, jazz and popular music, as shown in his work, Sinfonietta no.
1.

About WCPE:

With a 30 plus year history, WCPE 89.7 FM is a non-commercial, 100
percent listener-supported, independent station dedicated to excellence
in Great Classical Music broadcasting. Community-minded business
underwriters and foundations are among the 150,000 listeners in the
North Carolina broadcast area. General Manager Deborah S. Proctor’s
leadership has enabled the WCPE community to include national and
worldwide listeners. Big and small dish home satellite transmissions
serve North America. Other radio stations and cable television systems
use these services to rebroadcast Great Classical Music, 24 Hours A Day.
WCPE is one of the first public broadcasters to stream on the Internet.
WCPE is heard worldwide on the Internet in multiple formats, including
the next generation IPv6. Because WCPE receives no tax-derived support,
the station conducts two on-air fundraising campaigns and two major
mail-out campaigns per year to raise needed operating funds. For more
information, visit http://www.TheClassicalStation.org or call 919-556-5178.