About

AUSTIN CHAMBER MUSIC CENTER PRESENTS

CELEBRATION

18TH ANNUAL BLACK COMPOSERS CONCERT

Saturday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m. | Virtual Concert

Austin Chamber Music Center presents Chamber Connect: Spring Sessions, brand new performances as part of an immersive 40th season of virtual chamber music.

Black composers and the incredible legacy of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Led by Artina McCain, pianist extraordinaire and long-time ACMC collaborator, we’ll take a journey of beauty, celebration, and story-telling. The program features McCain on piano, oboist Titus Underwood, bassoonist Maya Stone, and Adelante Winds.

Titus Underwood, oboe
Maya Stone, bassoon
Artina McCain, piano
Adelante Winds

Program

A Little Rain | Shirley Thompson
Six sketches for Oboes and Piano | Fred Onovwerosuoke (b. 1960)

  • Exhortation
  • Earth in Balance
  • Rooster Dance
  • Tethering Fogs
  • Storm at High Noon
  • Epilogue

Homage to Duke | Jeff Scott

  • Come Sunday
  • Steal Away

Trouble Don’t Last | Mark Lomax, II

Three Fours Suite | Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

  • Andante
  • Allegro assai

Rhapsodies for Wind Quintet No. 2, Malaika (My Angel) | Fred Onovwerosuoke (b. 1960)

7:30 PM CST:  Event “doors” open (access provided upon reservation)

7:45 PM CST:  Pre-concert talk begins with performing artists

8:00 PM CST:  Concert program begins

Tickets to each of the Spring Sessions are free or pay-what-you-can and include on-demand access through the end of May.

GET TICKETS

Titus Underwood

Titus Underwood is Principal Oboe of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Prior to Nashville Symphony Orchestra, he was Acting Associate Principal of Utah Symphony. He received his Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Elaine Douvas, and additional studies with Nathan Hughes and Pedro Diaz. He earned his Bachelor of Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a pupil of John Mack. There he also studied with Frank Rosenwein and Jeffrey Rathbun. In 2013, he received his artist diploma from The Colburn School with Allan Vogel. Additional teachers include Anne Marie Gabriele, Robert Atherholt, and Joseph Robinson. Titus has performed with a wide array of major symphony orchestras across the United States. He has also played principal in Chineke!, Gateways Music Festival, and Bellingham Festival of Music.

Maya Stone

Maya Stone is a champion of music. She has commissioned and premiered several works by American composers. Recent projects include solo bassoon in Black Gospel Music, which includes collaborating with the composers Raymond Wise, Mark Lomax, and William Menefield.

Stone gives recitals and master classes around the U.S. regularly. She has been a member of the Sphinx Orchestra since 2008 and won the second bassoon position with the Huntsville Symphony in 2007. She has played at the International Double Reed Society Conference and performs regularly with orchestras around the South East. She is also a member of the Rushes Ensemble, which performs Michael Gordon’s piece of the same name; and Chatterbird, an alternative new music group that is unique to the Nashville, TN region.

Adelante Winds

Adelante Winds, a “dynamic” multicultural chamber ensemble based in Central Texas focuses on educating and exposing audiences to a diverse range of composers and styles. After attending the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival in 2012, founding members Sabrina Stovall and Ruth Aguirre were inspired to challenge their perspective on chamber music for wind players.

Adelante, which means forward, is the ensemble’s mantra in exploring new sounds and imaginative ideas for the woodwind quintet. The ensemble aspires to challenge itself and its audience to approach music in innovative ways. Their recitals often include compelling collaborations with groups such as the Olmos Basin Brass quintet and Grammy Award-winning percussionist Nina Rodriguez.

Artina McCain

Described as a pianist with “power and finesse” (Dallas Arts Society), “beautiful and fiery” (KMFA Austin) and having a “sense of color, balance and texture” (Austin Chamber Music Center), Artina McCain has built a three-fold career as a performer, educator and speaker. Recent performance highlights include guest appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Oregon East Symphony, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

McCain’s performances have been heard on CKWR Toronto, KMFA Classical Austin, and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). Television appearances include CSPAN’s MLK 50 Commemoration. McCain is a three-time Global Music Awards winner for the album “I, Too” (Naxos), a collaboration with soprano Icy Monroe, focused on African American Spirituals and Art Songs.

 

KMFA Classical 89.5 is a proud sponsor of ACMC's Chamber Connect: Spring Sessions along with support from Still Water Foundation and Gusto Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar.

Event Details

Ticket Information

  • Cost: $0-$40

Presenter Details

  • Name: Austin Chamber Music Center
  • The Austin Chamber Music Center (ACMC) is dedicated to serving Central Texans by expanding knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of chamber music through the highest quality instruction and performance.