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Streaming online at https://rvalibrary.org/events/gellman-concerts/ The Chamber Music Society of Central VirginiaPresentsOur PicturesMay 14, 2022 | 2pm Gellman RoomRichmond Main Public Library101 E. Franklin St., Richmond VA

Stre

withRocoe Burnems, poetAnaMarie Diaz, fluteAntonio Garcia, composerNjioma Grevious, violin Celia Hatton, violaDavid Lemelin, clarinet Alyssa McKeithen, oboeKevin Newton, horn Thomas Schneider, bassoon Andrew Sommer, bassSuliman Tekalli, violinDonovan Williams, composerJames Wilson, cello

Roscoe Burnems, poet

James Wilson Artistic DirectorGreetings,Even as the arts world continues to face many questions and unknowns, it’s wonderful to settle back and focus on a fresh concert season! At CMSCVA, we’ve doubled down on artistic content, centered our community as our source of inspiration, and are ready to present one of our most ambitious seasons yet. Here are some exciting highlights for 2021-22:TALENT: We will be bringing more than 30 gifted artists from around the country to entertain and move you with their musical storytelling.NEW ART: In an exceptional display of commitment to classical music, we have commissioned 6 new works of chamber music from an exciting roster of composers, all to be premiered over the season.VIRGINIA: We are focusing on our Richmond region as a source of inspiration and pride, from concert programming, to artists, to new commissions.OUR PICTURES: In a project inspired by the timeless suite “Pictures at an Exhibition,” we will kick off an ambitious multi-year project based on the abundance of art found in the Richmond region.With all of the excitement in the season, we hope you will find a place in CMSCVA for exciting and unique classical music in Richmond.Sincerely,

ProgramMaggie Said Walk! Antonio GarcíaWhere the Real Battle Takes Place Donovan WilliamsAnthem for RemovalThey Rest Above the RiverRoscoe BurnemsZachary Wadsworth

Our Artistic CollaboratorsFor the full roster of season artists, please visit cmscva.orgRoscoe Burnems, poetRichmond, Virginia native, Douglas Powell/Roscoe Burnems is a poet, published author, spoken-word artist, comedian, educator, father, and husband who has dedicated his craft to entertaining and educating. In his time as an artist, he has been a two-time southern regional finalist (2009, 2014), National Poetry Slam Champion (2014), NPS Group Piece Finalist (2018), and NUPIC/Underground Slam Champion (2019). He has been a TEDx speaker, a host for RVA Booklovers Festival, and founder and member of The Writer’s Den Art Collective. With Roscoe as a coach of The Writer’s Den poetry slam team has been consistently ranked top 10 in the country. As a poetry slam coach, he also took the VCU poetry slam team to be ranked 3rd in the world (2018). Douglas hasn’t limited his passion to competitions and workshops. He is the author of three published works: Fighting Demons, Chrysalis Under Fire, and God, Love, Death and Other Synonyms. He has also been published in over a dozen literary magazines and journals, including: Freeze Ray Magazine, Flypaper Magazine, Scene & Heard, Into Quarterly, Beltway Quarterly, Drunk in a Midnight Choir, and Rise Up Review.Anamarie Diaz, fluteAnamarie Diaz is a flutist, educator, performer, entrepreneur, and arts administrator in Richmond, VA. She currently teaches privately at her home studio, DiazFlute Studio, where she strives to push and encourage personal growth through music lessons. Anamarie is a strong advocate for music education access for all students

regardless of socioeconomic standing. She volunteers her time visiting lower income elementary schools where she gives lessons on Disney and Pixar music, the flute, and classical music and drawing.As an active performer, Anamarie regularly performs with Classical Revolution RVA. Her most recent performance, Current Times, include performances of solo flute works by underrepresented BIPOC composers and interviews with each composer. In addition, Anamarie is a big proponent of new music and strives to perform works by living underrepresented composers. Anamarie is currently part of the KE Creative team where she helps with website and graphic design, social media management, and creative endeavors. Working with KE Creative, Anamarie hopes to change the way classical musicians look and understand their career opportunities, and help musicians transition from student to professional life. One of her biggest passions is helping classical musicians become more financially literate and she is currently working to become a personal financial counselor. Anamarie received a Bachelors of Arts in Music from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015, and a Master of Music in Performance and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Musicology from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 2019. Her primary teachers include Tabatha Easley, Erika Boysen, and Diana Morgan.Antonio García, composerAntonio J. García is a Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he directs the Jazz Orchestra I; instructs Applied Jazz Trombone, Small Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Pedagogy, Music Industry, and various jazz courses; and founded a B.A. Music Business Emphasis (for which he initially served as Coordinator). An alumnus of the Eastman School of Music and of Loyola University of the South, he has received commissions for jazz, symphonic, chamber, film, and solo works from Meet The Composer, The Commission Project, The Thelonious Monk Institute, and regional arts councils; composition/arrangement honors

include IAJE (jazz band), ASCAP (orchestral), and Billboard Magazine (pop songwriting); and his music has aired over National Public Radio and CBS-TV. A Bach/Selmer clinician, he has freelanced as trombonist, bass trombonist, or pianist with over 70 nationally renowned artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, George Shearing, Mel Tormé, Billy Eckstine, Doc Severinsen, Louie Bellson, Dave Brubeck, and Phil Collins—and has performed at the Montreux, Nice, North Sea, Pori (Finland), New Orleans, and Chicago Jazz Festivals. An avid scat-singer, he has performed vocally with jazz ensembles around the world and has served as Director of the Illinois Music Educators Association All-State Jazz Choir and Combo and similar ensembles outside of Illinois and was the recipient of IMEA’s 2001 Distinguished Service Award. He has produced recordings or broadcasts of such artists as Wynton Marsalis, Gene Bertoncini, Jim Pugh, Dave Taylor, Susannah McCorkle, Sir Roland Hanna, and the JazzTech Big Band.His newest book, Jazz Improvisation: Practical Approaches to Grading (Meredith Music), explores avenues for creating structures that correspond to course objectives. His book Cutting the Changes: Jazz Improvisation via Key Centers (Kjos Music) offers musicians of all ages the opportunity to improvise over standard tunes using just their major scales. Widely published in more than a dozen education and jazz periodicals, he is Co-Editor and Contributing Author of NAfME’s Teaching Jazz: A Course of Study and has taught and guest-conducted in Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia, The Middle East, and across the U.S. Previous to VCU, he served as Associate Professor and Coordinator of Combos at Northwestern University, where he taught jazz and integrated arts, was Jazz Coordinator for the National High School Music Institute, and for four years directed the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Formerly the Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois University, he was selected by students and faculty there as the recipient of a 1992 “Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching” award and nominated as its candidate for 1992 CASE “U.S. Professor of the Year” (one of 434 nominees nationwide). He is recipient of the VCU School of the Arts’ 2015 Faculty Award of Excellence for his teaching, research, and service and in 2021 was inducted into the Conn-Selmer Institute Hall of Fame. Visit his web site at <www.garciamusic.com>.

Njioma Grevious, violinNjioma Grevious of Washington, DC, is an avid chamber, studio, and orchestral musician. She won a Keston-Max Fellowship to study and perform with the London Symphony Orchestra, and First Prize for Performance and Interpretation in the Prix Ravel chamber music competition in France. As a member of the Abeo Quartet, she won the Silver Medal in the 2019 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition.Njioma is a Jupiter Symphony chamber player and has participate in numerous summer festivals including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Montreal International String Quartet Academy, Meadowmount, Fontainebleau Schools and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Njioma has been a concertmaster with the Juilliard Wind Orchestra and has performed on tour in Germany, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Spain, Argentina as a member of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.For many years Njioma was a scholarship recipient through Boston’s Project STEP string training program for youth. She fondly remembers the special privilege of performing in a quartet for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at a prestigious White House State Dinner. She continues to shared her love of music as a Juilliard Gluck fellow, performing in a variety of hospital settings for veterans and others suffering physically and mentally. Njioma also loves teaching composition and collaboration to elementary and middle school students, most from underserved and underrepresented communities, through the Opportunity Music Project in NYC.

nationally with A Far Cry and internationally with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Hatton is an Honorary Ambassador for the New York in Chuncheon Festival in South Korea. Her world premieres include string quartets by Colin Matthews, Derek Bermel, and Felix Jarrar. Hatton was a member of the Zorá String Quartet and has performed with the Harlem String Quartet, Blair String Quartet, Manhattan Chamber Players, and North Country Chamber Players. Hatton can be heard on movie scores of Joker (2019), I Tonya, A Dog’s Purpose, Goldfinch, The Greatest Showman, and Tick, Tick...Boom. Hatton earned degrees from New England Conservatory with Kim Kashkashian and Manhattan School of Music with Karen Dreyfus.Celia Hatton, violaBased in New York City, violist Celia Hatton has performed throughout Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the US. She is Principal Viola of Sphinx Virtuosi and her solos as Principal of Experiential Orchestra can be heard on GRAMMY winning album “The Prison.” She has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, toured David Lemelin, clarinetA native of Québec, Canada, David Lemelin is currently Principal Clarinetist with the Richmond Symphony. Before joining the RSO, David was 2nd/Eb clarinetist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and also previously served a 4-year fellowship with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach where he had the opportunity to work with a wide array of renowned musicians and conductors. In November 2011, David was a winner of the New World Symphony Concerto Competition and performed a concerto with the orchestra. In addition, he has played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and

and the Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke.David received his Master of Music from DePaul University in Chicago and his Bachelor of Music from McGill University in Montreal, both in Clarinet Performance. His main teachers include Larry Combs, Robert Crowley, and Nathalie DeGrâce.Alyssa McKeithen, oboeAlyssa McKeithen joined the VCU Department of Music in 2015 as Adjunct Professor of Oboe and Music History. Prior university teaching experience includes the University of Florida as Sabbatical Replacement in 2015, The Eastman School of Music as Graduate Teaching Assistant in Oboe and Musicology 2004-6, and Texas Lutheran University as Instructor of Double Reeds 1998-2006.In addition to her involvement at VCU, Ms. McKeithen is an active freelance performer in Virginia and Florida, recently performing with The Sarasota Opera Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, The Salute to Vienna Orchestra of South Florida, The Ash Lawn Opera Orchestra, The Roanoke Symphony and The Richmond Symphony. Professional performing experience includes oboe, oboe d’amore, english horn, bass oboe and bassoon.Ms. McKeithen has taught private lessons, masterclasses, and reed making classes in Florida, Texas, Illinois, Wyoming, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Puerto Rico. Since 2007, she has owned and operated “Double Reed Girl”, an online source for handmade reeds and processed cane, serving oboe and english horn enthusiasts across the country.Musical training and degrees include studies with Dr. Richard Killmer at The Eastman School of Music (2004-6), Dr. Nancy Ambrose King at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (MM 1998), Dr. Leslie Odom at The University of Florida (BM 1995) and Ms. Patricia Stenberg in Sarasota, Florida.

Kevin Newton, hornKevin Newton is the newest member of the GRAMMY-nominated wind quintet, Imani Winds. A native of South Boston, Virginia, he is a horn player and educator based in Manhattan. His first music teacher, his mother, instilled in him a love of music-making’s collaborative spirit.As a chamber musician, he has performed with Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Metropolitan Horn Authority, Roomful of Teeth, and Tredici Bacci, among other ensembles. He has appeared professionally on the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, and National Sawdust. Mr. Newton formerly served as principal horn of the Waynesboro Symphony.An advocate for new music, Mr. Newton collaborated with composer Erin Busch to premiere a solo work as a part of the Contemporary Performance Institute at the Composers Conference in 2020. Mr. Newton enjoys a busy recording schedule and has recently recorded with Tredici Bacci, Metropolitan Horn Authority, Tex Crick, and Sami Stevens, as well as for commercial projects. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University. He holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral performance from Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a regular participant at Yellow Barn in Vermont.Mr. Newton joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021. He is also on the horn faculty of Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege division and MSM Summer.

Thomas Schneider, bassoonTom Schneider joined the Richmond Symphony as Principal Bassoon in September of 2012. Before joining the RSO, Tom was a fellow for two years at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Tom holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from the University of Maryland. His primary teachers are Sue Heineman, George Sakakeeny, Yoshi Ishikawa, and Debbie Torpe. Tom has appeared at many of the country’s top festivals including the Tanglewood Music Center, National Orchestral Institute, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Sarasota Music Festival. In recent seasons Tom has performed as guest principal with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, guest associate principal with the Atlanta Symphony, and guest musician with Jackson Hole Chamber Music. Tom made his first solo appearance with the RSO in the fall of 2014 performing Peter Schickele’s Bassoon Concerto. Outside music, Tom loves to read, watch English Premier League soccer, take his dog Chowder on long walks, and climb the beautiful mountains in his native Colorado.Andrew Sommer, bassDouble Bassist Andrew Sommer is a native of the Atlanta area and principal bassist for the Richmond Symphony Orchestra since 2019. He has been a substitute for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.Mr. Sommer received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, and has been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School, performing with the Aspen Chamber Symphony. He also

spent three summers as a member of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Verbier, Switzerland. In the summers of 2018 and 2019, he was a member of the chamber orchestra, Taiwan Connection. With this group, Mr. Sommer toured and performed in all the major cities in Taiwan, as well as recorded an album including Brahms Symphony no. 2.Mr. Sommer grew up in a musical family. His mom, Phyllis, is a singer and choral teacher, and his sister, Grace, is a cellist. His father was the great bassist and teacher Douglas Sommer, who was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for 25 years. Andrew credits his father, who sadly passed away in 2014, as his bass hero.In addition to his orchestral work, Mr. Sommer is equally at home playing jazz and other styles of music. He performed at the 2013 Grammys with the Grammy Jazz Combo alongside Latino superstar Juanes. Mr. Sommer’s jazz teachers and mentors include Joseph Patrick Moore, Sam Skelton, Kevin Bales, and John Patitucci. Mr. Sommer plays on his father’s bass, an Enrico Bajoni made in Italy circa 1875.Suliman Tekalli, violinAs the top prize winner of the 2015 Seoul International Music Competition and prize winner in the Sendai, Lipizer, and Szeryng International Violin Competition, Suliman Tekalli’s performing career has taken him throughout the U.S., Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia.An exponent of chamber music, Mr. Tekalli has made appearances at numerous festivals including Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, and the Banff Centre, and has collaborated and performed with eminent musicians such as Gil Shaham, Cho-Liang Lin, and David Shifrin. He also perfroms as part of the Tekalli Duo with his sibling, pianist Jamila Tekalli with whom he had recorded an album entitled “Duality.”

Also a composer and arranger, Suliman Tekalli gave the world premiere of his composition “Mephistoccata” from his solo violin suite Fables at the Montreal International Music Competition in 2013, receiving the Maurice and Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity from the Cleveland Institute of Music in the same year. His arrangements of classical and contemporary repertoire have been performed by ensembles such as the International Sejong Soloists and Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect. Mr. Tekalli’s commitment towards spreading a love and appreciation for music has made him a passionate educator, performing for schools and community centers throughout the New York/New Jersey area, and giving master classes in this country as well as in South America at the Departamento de Artes Musicales in Buenos Aires, Argentina and La Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.Zachary Wadsworth, composerZachary Wadsworth’s “vivid, vital, and prismatic” music has established him as one of the leading composers of his generation, especially among those writing vocal, choral, and operatic works. With recent performances by the choir of Westminster Abbey, the Washington National Opera Chorus, Boston Metro Opera, Long Leaf Opera, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, his works have been heard in venues around the world, from Washington’s Kennedy Center to Tokyo’s Takinogawa Hall.As winner of the King James Bible Trust Award, Wadsworth’s anthem Out of the South Cometh the Whirlwind was performed at Westminster Abbey in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II. Other recent honors include a Fellowship from the Douglas Moore Fund for American Opera, a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, three Morton Gould Young Composer Awards from ASCAP, and fi rst-prize recognition in competitions sponsored by the American Composers Forum, the Pacific Chorale, the Boston Choral Ensemble, and the Esoterics. Wadsworth’s music is widely broadcast and distributed, with recent publications by Novello, G. Schirmer, and E.C.

Schirmer, and broadcasts on NPR, BBC, and CBC.Wadsworth earned graduate degrees from Cornell University (DMA) and Yale University (MM), and is an honors graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM). Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Wadsworth (b. ) has taught at Williams College, the Interlochen Center for the Arts and the University of Calgary, and he maintains an active performing life as a tenor and pianist. Donovan Williams, composerDonovan Williams is an Internationally-Acclaimed Composer hailing from Goochland, VA. His musical journeys began at the very early age of 2, where his violinist grandmother, Sandra Shelton, “stuck the violin under his chin”. Around the same age, Donovan began to experiment with hisgrandmother’s music notation software, Finale 2001, where he would begin his composing career. Since then, music has allowed Donovan to have amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that he will cherish forever. Donovan has performed in prestigious music festivals such as the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the VCU String Intensive, the Interlochen School of the Arts Summer Music Institute, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the Hilton Head Chamber Music Festival. Through opportunities at Greenspring International Academy of Music, Donovan has had the opportunity to tour across the US and to Europe, performing in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Southwark Cathedral, St. David’s Cathedral, Cardigan Castle, the Queen Mary 2’s Royal Court Theater and Carinthia Lounge, the Altria Theatre, the Carpenter Theatre, Collegiate School’s Hershey Center for the Arts, and the Jewish Community Center. He has also been featured on NBC12 News, CBS6’s Virginia This Morning, and the Green Mountain and Hilton Head Chamber Music Festivals’ Emerging Artist Series.

Donovan’s performances and original compositions have distinguished him as a musical force, as he has become the 1st Place Laureate of the Charleston International Romantic Music Competition and the American Protege International Piano and Strings Competition, where he performed his “Sonata Expressivo for 3 Violins in E Minor” alongside the Tri F3cta, GreenSpring’s premier crossover Violin ensemble featuring John Philip Mintz and William Bullock, two of Donovan’s best friends.Donovan has shared his love for performing and composing amongst his musical peers, serving as the founding member for both the Tri F3cta and the Windhelm Trio, who will be hopefully making their Greenspring debut in 2021. He aims to create a “sound that resonates with all” and music that “connects listeners to the Divine Creator”, as he believes that is his purpose to minister The Word to the world through music. “Music can speak where words cannot”, Donovan says. “It has the ability to transcend all cultures and all generations to unify humanity through love, healing, and peace”. He is forever grateful for his loving grandmother for catalyzing his musical journey, as he says that “he wouldn’t be who he is today without Grandma Sano”. In addition to creating music, Donovan is a two-sport Varsity athlete for the Collegiate School, where he competes as a running back and center fielder for their Football and Baseball teams. He hopes to one day pursue a degree in Music Composition/Performance while competing in collegiate athletics. He also enjoys playing video games, watching Netflix, lifting weights, sprint training, and being there for people when they need it.James Wilson, celloFor more than thirty years, cellist James Wilson has nurtured and enjoyed an exciting and varied career as performer and educator, bringing the joy of music to audiences throughout the world, from small towns to the world’s most illustrious venues. Acclaimed for his singing tone, and intelligent and soulful approach to music, the

Los Angeles Times described Wilson as a musician “with something to say and a commanding way of saying it.”As recitalist and chamber musician, he has appeared in many of the world’s most illustrious performing spaces, including America’s Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Sydney Opera House, the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Montreal, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Musikverein in Vienna. He has performed at music festivals around the world such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the City of London Festival, the Deutches Mozartfest in Bavaria, the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.The multi-faceted Mr. Wilson is a Member of the acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and regularly serves as guest principal cellist of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. His performances have been broadcast on West German Radio and Bavarian Radio in Germany, CBC radio in Canada, BBC Radio in Britain, Finish Radio, and National Public Radio. He currently teaches cello and chamber music at Columbia University in New York, and at Sarah Lawrence College.But chamber music forms the core of Mr. Wilson’s work. He is a former member of the Shanghai and Chester Quartets, and the DaCapo Chamber Players. In 2004, he founded the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia and remains the groups Artistic Director.

Notes on today's programThey rest Above the River, by Zachary WadsworthThe James River’s steep shores are dotted with cemeteries, some famous and some forgotten, where austere tombstones and ornate mausoleums sit still and silent, high above the rushing waters below. This is one of Richmond, Virginia’s essential scenes, and one that is lodged in my memory from growing up there.In They Rest Above the River, a string quintet explores the beauty and strangeness of this scene. At first, the river flows into life, before the music’s watery melodies rise up the steep cliffs and freeze in place in the silent cemetery. Here, we hear evocations of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Catacombs,” before the ghosts of Virginians come to life, mingling phrases of imagined (or forgotten?) local tunes. Before any of them can sing for too long, we descend again to river level, where water moves over rock and life lives on (for now).They Rest Above the River was commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia in 2021, and receives its world premiere on today’s concert. Notes by Zachary WadsworthMaggie Said Walk! by Antonio García“Maggie Said, ‘WALK!’” was commissioned in July 2021 by the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia its Artistic Director, James Wilson, as one part of a new suite conceived by the CMSCV as “Our Pictures.” Prompted in part by the concept of Mussorsky’s“Pictures at an Exhibition,” each movement would be inspired by a piece of visual art, historic object, dance, or piece of literature found in my current home of Richmond, Virginia.My own five-minute portion would be based on my musing upon some visual object shown me by the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site. Aware of Walker’s legacy and the musicianship of the performers

(some of whom, including Jim, I’d already known personally), I eagerly accepted the proposal for March 2022 delivery. While I have written music that I believe is enjoyable to perform and to hear without further explanation, I hope the following provides context that enhances that enjoyment.HistoryIn August 2021 I was privileged (by invitation of Jim Wilson) to receive a private tour of the Site from Ethan P. Bullard, its Museum Curator, viewing countless artifacts in person, plus receiving access later to a transcript of her 1925 diary and other documents. Any number of potential topics could have been my focus for the music. Walker had taken leadership in 1899 of the Independent Order of St. Luke, an organization she would lead for many years thereafter as an engine of economic and civil-rights growth for the African American community. She had founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903, later adding an insurance agency, department store, a newspaper, and more. Yet in the context of the heightened civil rights issues over the past couple of years, I found myself drawn to the streetcar strike she led nonviolently in Richmond in 1904 (along with Richmond Planet newspaper editor John Mitchell, Jr.)—more than 50 years before the landmark bus strike in Montgomery, Alabama—when she asked her fellow African Americans to walk to their jobs and errands rather than ride the streetcar.In 1888 Richmond had debuted the first impactful electric streetcar system in the world, at its peak spanning 82 miles of track. As a native New Orleanian, streetcars are a delight to me; but as with all transportation in the U.S. of a past time, segregation had been the rule. And in Richmond, segregation on streetcars was enforced by armed motormen. Walker implored Richmond’s African American community to stay off of the streetcars, as well as to shop at African American businesses; and as a result the Virginia Passenger and Power Company that ran the streetcars went bankrupt.Said the local Times-Dispatch newspaper headline on April 20, 1904, “The Negroes Will Walk”: “the black man shall desert the streetcars of Richmond...and plod his daily way along as best he can.” With the inescapable references to “walk” and “Walker,” as well as the mental suggestion of a musical “walking bass line,” I felt that the streetcar strike was a worthy focus for my composition. And yet, in visiting the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, I found that no document of a speech by her related to the strike existed there.

Nonetheless, a document at the site leapt to my attention. Her March 1, 1906 address “Benaiah’s Valour” (also known as the “Address for Men Only”) at the Independent Order of St. Luke captured many of the foundational concepts of the strike without referencing it directly: economic will translating into political power born out of united friendship and support. She spoke of the Biblical figure Benaiah: “...a man of great valour. Valour is great boldness in confronting the attacks of a personal enemy. Valour is great bravery in personal action.” And she called upon the valour of the men of St. Luke’s to unite supporting the women of the African American community finding their way into working in small businesses. Compositional ProcessDespite Maggie Walker’s documented impact as a public speaker, no audio recordings exist of her voice. Yet her written words quickly formed an imagined cadence in my ear; and I knew then that I would score music for the CMSCVA instrumentalists as if they were vocalists, with segments of the music paralleling the phrasing of spoken words. For that reason, I sought and received permission from the Site to include those selected words alongside the musical notation, allowing the musicians instantly to unite Walker’s words with their musical lines.Jazz is certainly my favorite genre of music. Maggie Walker did not feel the same way! However, her diaries show that she did attend a number of Broadway and other musicals in New York and elsewhere and enjoyed the shows; so I feel confident that she had heard popular song and swing-beats in ways she had enjoyed. Thus I strove to employ some jazz-influenced elements of music of which she might have approved, along with more modern musical approaches that simply convey my meaning.

One of those ways is at times by imposing rhythms of “two againstthree” during the musicians’ representation of her speech, with whichI seek to portray Walker’s conviction in the face of challenge. Anothermeans I utilize is polymeter: the initial “streetcar” theme, followed bya persistent “walking” feel under Walker’s oration to the men of St.Luke’s, are later combined during the “protest” portion of the piece,resulting in both meters being heard at the same time, providingtension until later released.And so a programmatic flow for this piece emerged: Transportation(the streetcar), Contemplation (Walker’s internal thoughts as to whataction to take), Oration (her call to the community to strike),Supplication (her imploring of the community to support themovement), Protestation (the strike itself), Cessation (the collapse ofthe streetcar company), and Reiteration. The reiterated question, bynature of the chord and the pertinent lyrics, is “Will you help us?” In2022 this remains the question from the oppressed.In my own humble opinion, the success of the 1904 streetcar strikesalerted oppressors that an economically sound, close-knit AfricanAmerican community such as existed in Walker’s Jackson Wardneighborhood posed a political threat to the dominance of white rule.To me it is not an accident that subsequent laws and policiesthroughout the South divided such communities physically with roadprojects cutting them in two, politically with gerrymandering, as wellwith the restrictions imposed beginning in the 1930s on mortgagesfor home ownerships by African Americans via banks’ policies of“redlining”—policies that remained in effect until the 1960s yetcontinue to harm African American communities today. These andother discriminatory mandates have created a world in which thequestion “Will you help us?” remains more relevant now than ever. Isaw no justification for ending the piece on a purely happy note soinstead reiterated one of the piece’s most tense chords (B7 altered),followed by a Grand Pause of length to be determined by theperformers.We want to collaborate with you!Take our Spring 2022 Survey and be sure to includeyour name and contact info for a chance to win twotickets to a concert in our 2022-23 season.Click here to take the survey!

OfcersJennifer Cable, PresidentMary Boodell, Vice PresidentJames Wilson, TreasurerPhyllis McCafferty, SecretaryFlexible in personnel and repertoire, the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia strives to empower our audience, musicians, and organization to face the world with new perspectives through music, building a broad and active audience, and a more enlightened industry.We are dedicated to inspiring, entertaining, and moving our communities through a combination of unique venues, world-class musicians, thought-provoking content, and eclectic classical music. Engaging with contemporary culture and honoring the classical tradition, we strive to promote interest and diversity in the musical life of Richmond and beyond.We invite you to attend one or all our events, become a member of CMSCVA, or volunteer your time and talents. We are certain that you will enjoy the experience.About the Chamber Music Society of Central VirginiaArtistic Director The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia Board of Directors:Mary BoodellJennifer CableDiana DamschroderPeter GilbertPhyllis McCaffertyRobin JonesEllen SaylesJames WilsonJames WilsonP.O. Box 8526 Richmond, VA 23226-0526 (804) 304-6312 | cmscva@yahoo.com | www.cmscva.orgThe Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia is a nonstock, nonprofit 5019(c)(3) organization. Our 2021-22 season is made possible through donations from our patrons, and through a generous grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia would like to thank the following individuals and foundations who have made our programs possible. Starred names reflect gifts given to support our 2021-22 concert season, received after the start of the current fiscal year, July 1, 2021, until April 5th, 2022Donors (up to $99)Paula Harstad *Anne Gordon Harrison (in honor of PMcM) * Mary Heen Kathleen Hoppe *James Kidd *Denis and Carol Klisz Hortense LibertiJoan LosenPatricia Parks Sheryl Smith John Rupp *Misa and Robert Stuart * Richard and Ruth Szucs Rick and Laurie Williams * James Wilson*Ralph and Jocelyne Graner * Cynthia Greene * Kathleen Hoppe Mark Huebsch *Eric and Christina Jacobson Carlyle Robin Jones * Harry Kaplowitz *Michael KellyJoann King *Sandy and Heyn Kjerulf A.W. Lewis lll MD Suzanne Maerz *Marion NelsenJack and Tricia Pearsall * Mathis Kirby Powelson Jeffrey Riehl *Ellen Sayles Margaret Stokely *Robert and Mary Ellen Wadsworth* Anonymous Gift(2) Robert and Barbara Alexander David and Shin-Min Block Booktopics Eugenia H. Borum *Edward Cowardin Jr.* Laura Deluca David DeppPhyllis Entin *Christine Ertell *Richard Fine and Sara Ferguson* Martha Faulkner *Megan FriesMartin and Kathleen Gary Miriam GoldbergCynthia Greene Members {$100 - $249) Anonymous Gift (4) Barbara Charlotte Anderson * Rev. Dennis A. Andersen Charles and Jean Arrington * John B. H. CaldwellDebra Carlotti *Robert M. Clewell* Diana Damschroder *Martha B. Dorill Alan W. Dow ll *Marilyn Erickson *Barbara Felton *Ann Franke *Sharon Fuller *Martin Gary * (In memory of Kathleen Gary) * Beverly Geissler Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Goldman *

Elisabeth Wollan *Yellow Cello Music Charitable Fund *Sally R. Youngs *Eli ZallerNetwork for Good *Tricia and Jack Pearsall * Richard Fox and Owen Sharman Grace Suttle *Ernest and Perry Wilson *Brooks and Lauren Nelsen * Eileen Schulman *Peter Gilbert and Anne Reavey * Michael and Molly Wray *Elizabeth King *Patricia Kelly Kyle * (in memory of Robert Kyle)Ridgeway Foundation c/o Elizabeth Lowsley-Williams *Members Cont.George WatkinsMarsden Williams * Brian and Jane Wilson *Patrons ($250 - $499)Anonymous (2) *Rosa Bosher *Richard Fox *Harry KaplowitzGita and Davis Massey Artist Sponsors ($500 $999) Phoebe F. Antrim*Mary Boodell and Evan Davis *Lois M. Crabtree *Fran and John Freimarck *Phyllis McCafferty *Outreach Sponsors ($1000 - $2499) Coille Limited Partnership* Fiends of the Public LibraryGisela John (in honor of Hans Ullrich Scharnberg) Concert Sponsors ($2500 and up) Anonymous Gift (3) *Jennifer A. Cable *Special Thanks to:• Everyone at First Unitarian Universalist Church for their beautifulspace and welcoming spirit.• All of our donors, patrons, volunteers, and friends for their unendingsupport.• The gracious hosts for our artists who provide such a valuablecomponent of our musical productions. And special thanks to NinaConway for coordinating our housing.And a gift from:The Virginia A. Arnold Foundation of the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond

Coming Up at CMSCVAJune Festival - Free Live and Streamed EventsAnother in our series of live and streaming concerts focusing different aspects Richmond and Central Virginia, "Our Creativity" showcases the talents of our brightest artistic stars, writer Edgar Allen Poe and composer Undine Smith Moore. This concert also features the talents of Richmond musicians – pianist Ingrid Keller, flutist Mary Boodell, and CMSCVA Artistic Director James Wilson.The program includes Arthur Bergh's “The Raven” (a Melodrama for Piano and Narrator) and Undine Smith Moore's “Afro-American Suite” for flute, cello and piano.Our CreativityJune 4, 2022 | SaturdayRichmond Main Public Library2:00 pm - FreeGo from Spring to Fall in this musical tribute to the seasons. Pianist Ingrid Keller, flutist Mary Boodell, and cellist James Wilson perform four pieces from Tchaikovsky's charming suite "The Seasons," filmed in March, 2022 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Goochland. Our SeasonsStreaming online starting June 1online at www.cmscva.org

Recorded live at Historic Mankin Mansion in October 2021,Grammy Award winning violinist Johnny Gandelsman performs aprogram of newly written music for solo violin focusing on thediverse and talented voices of American composers. Theprogram features the world premiere of A través del mantoluminoso, a work commissioned by CMSCVA from Puerto Rican-born composer Angélica Negrón.This Is America: Gandelsman And NegrónStreaming starting June 1online at www.cmscva.orgCMSCVA's free concerts are supported in part by the Virginia Commission forthe Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly andthe National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

P.O. Box 8526 Richmond, VA 23226-0526 (804) 304-6312 | cmscva@yahoo.comCMSCVA.ORG