During the holidays, this is a time of the year when families rejoice and give thanks for the things they have and are about to have. It is also the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
On Sunday, at Sundays Live, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presented The Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra, which performed to a sold out audience at Leo S. Bing Theater.
The program, conducted by Janice White, included the works of Harlem Symphony by James P. Johnson (1894-1955} with an excellent performance of Subway Journey and Baptist Mission.
Included in the program was Symphonie Concertante, Opus 6, No. 1 by Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-1799). Allegro moderato and Roneau featured Nadria Kimberly, violin, Manoela Wunder, violin and Dawn Foster Dodson, cello.
The talents of each of these artists was exceptional.
The Snowstorm by Joyce Solomon Moorman was an exciting, yet dramatic piece which left the audience in solitude. With that piece, two other arrangements well received were, Anticipation and Beautiful and Fun. The closing, Symphony of Peace by Shirley Thompson included Marshes, Hamlets and Roaming Cows, along with Location, Location, Location.
The Afro – American Chamber Music Society Orchestra was founded in 1987. It has revived and premiered works of over 200 composers.
The orchestra has performed on KPFK’s Music in Black, also appearing with Richard Smallwood, Alex Haley, Garrett Morris and with conductors Michael Morgan, Kermit Moore, and Denis de Couteau.
AACMSO is listed in the Bibliography of Black Composers by Dr. Rene de Lerma, Brass Music of Black Composers by Aron Horne, and the International Dictionary of Black Composers by Samuel Floyd, Jr.