The Glenn Korff School of Music will host the George Walker Festival on April 5 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Walker (1922-2018) was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, in 1996, for his work, “Lilacs,” for voice and orchestra.
“Beyond work that choirs have done in recent years, within the last seven or eight years, I haven’t seen any concerts or festivals with the School of Music that have ever celebrated Black composers,” said event organizer Marques L.A. Garrett, assistant professor of music in choral activities.”This just made total sense for us to have a festival that includes many different people, and not just choirs.”
The Korff School’s University Singers, Chamber Singers and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Symphony Orchestra are to participate, as well as Hixson-Lied Professor of Piano Mark Clinton and Associate Professor of Voice Jamie Reimer Seaman. Two local choirs, from Lincoln Northeast High School and Lincoln High School, also will be participating.
The premiere of a new piece commissioned by the Korff School, “We Are the Music Makers,” composed by Reginal Wright, will be a highlight of the festival. A composer, conductor and educator from Arlington, Texas, Wright has won many awards during his 20-year career at middle- and high-school levels.
“I like it,” Garrett said of the piece. “I wanted something that was not going to be super challenging because my research area is in Black choral music of Black composers most specifically, and one of the challenges has been finding music that developing high school choirs can do. So yes, this is a commission, and you can write anything. But I really need something that anybody can just pick up.”
A. Jan Taylor, director of choral music activities and assistant professor at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, will be guest conductor for the piece. Prior to her appointment at Prairie View, Taylor taught general music and piano and trained choirs in elementary, middle and high schools in the Houston Independent School District. She is the founding director of Intermezzo, a professional vocal chamber ensemble.
“I’ve known her for a number of years,” Garrett said. “I just respect her musicianship. I’ve seen her work with festival choirs before, and just what she’s able to do with choirs is commendable. Any way that I can allow our students, other students and the community to see any type of musician or clinician who is from any of the minoritized groups or underrepresented groups, especially when it comes to conductors, I want to take that opportunity.”
The festival will include two public performances and a panel discussion. The first performance is at noon April 5 at Sheldon Museum of Art, when graduate students from the Korff School will perform solo works by Black composers.
A pre-concert panel discussion on diversity in music will begin at 6:30 p.m. April 5 at Kimball Recital Hall. It will be moderated by Greg Simon, assistant professor of composition, and feature Garrett, Taylor, Reimer Seaman and Paula Harper, assistant professor of music in musicology. The evening concert will follow at 7:30 p.m., featuring works by Walker, including Piano Sonata No. 2, performed by Clinton; “Lyric,” performed by the UNL Symphony Orchestra; “O Praise the Lord,” performed by University Singers; and “Stars,” performed by the Chamber Singers. “Lilacs,” which won the Pulitzer Prize, will be performed by Reimer Seaman and pianist Stacey Haneline. “Music for Three” and “String Quartet No. 1” will be performed by two student groups and the premiere of “We Are the Music Makers,” will feature a combined choir consisting of the University Singers, Chamber Singers and the two high school choirs.
All events are free and open to the public.
Walker’s Piano Sonata No. 2 (1956) was written as the composer’s doctoral dissertation at the Eastman School of Music.
“It is a four-movement, neo-classical work conceived as a study in brevity—altogether a performance lasts about 12 minutes,” Clinton said. “I am thrilled to be part of the celebration of George Walker’s 100th birthday organized by Dr. Marques Garrett. As the first Black composer to win a Pulitzer Prize for music, Walker is tremendously important as a historical figure in 20th century American classical music. More importantly, however, his music is incredibly well crafted and displays a unique and powerful voice. In short, Walker’s music needs to be heard more frequently on the concert stage, and I’m thrilled to share this incredible sonata with all who can attend the concert.”
Graduate student Mary Daugherty is to conduct the University Singers.
“What a wonderful privilege it is to conduct Walker’s exciting ‘O Praise the Lord’ in this festival,” Daugherty said. “It is our hope that George Walker’s legacy echoes in the hearts of our performers and audience. Surely there is no timelier reminder to celebrate this trailblazing composer than the 100th anniversary of his birth.”
Garrett said audiences should expect a wide range of music from Walker’s works.
“There’s some easily palatable music for our novice classical audience members,” Garrett said. “But then we’ll also have some music that is more challenging, and it shows how Dr. Walker was able to live comfortably along the spectrum of classical expression.”
Garrett is looking forward to the event and hopes the festival will help students diversify their repertoire choices.
