Poetry of Great African-American Poets Set to Music by American Composers of Many Races
Two concerts presented in 2001 and 2002 by Theodore Wiprud/New Music Presentation, African-American Art Song Alliance, and Videmus
Program Note
I, Too, Sing America is a program of vocal music and spoken word given during the week of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, in tribute to Dr. King’s vision of an inclusive society of mutual respect. This year’s concert also marked the centenary of the birth of Langston Hughes. The program has been broadcast on WQXR-FM New York; brought workshops to the Harlem School of the Arts; and received media sponsorship from The New York Amsterdam News.
I Too Sing America affirms that American culture is one world with many voices, that the works of leading African-American poets are beacons to many, and that artists of all races and backgrounds can and should respond in their own ways.
—Theodore Wiprud
Dreamer (World Premiere)
Music by
Erik Santos
Based on text by Langston Hughes
Songs of the Season
Music by Margaret Bonds
Based on text by Langston Hughes
Jersey Songs
Music by Ulysses Kay
Based on text by Donald Dorr
Songs of Love and Justice
Music by Adolphus Hailstork
Based on text by Martin Luther King, Jr.
American Journal (New York Premiere)
Music by Theodore Wiprud
Based on text by Robert Hayden
Performed by:
Louise Toppin, soprano
Darryl Taylor, tenor
Andre Solomon-Glover, baritone
Corigliano Quartet
Patricia Terry-Ross, harp
Erik Santos, piano
Jeanne Golan, piano
Robert Jason Jackson, spoken word
American Journal had its New York premiere at I, Too, Sing America in 2002, performed by baritone Andre Solomon-Glover and The Corigliano Quartet.
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Nightsongs
Music by
H. Leslie Adams
Based on text by Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Clarissa Scott Delany, James Weldon Johnson, & Leslie Morgan Collins
Beyond the Rim of Day
Music by Hale Smith
Based on text by Langston Hughes
Song of the Seasons
Music and poetry by Valerie Capers
Epilogue, 1965 (World Premiere)
Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain
Based on “Eulogy for Malcolm X” by Ossie Davis
Climbing: Seven Songs on Eight Poems
Music by Tom Cipullo
Based on text by Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Robert Hayden
A Georgia Song (New York Premiere)
Music by Theodore Wiprud
Based on text by Maya Angelou
Performed by:
Louise Toppin, soprano
Darryl Taylor, tenor
Timothy Holley, cello
Timothy Ries, soprano saxophone
Jeanette Blakeney, mezzo-soprano
Tom Cipullo, piano
Maria Corley, piano
Jeanne Golan, piano
Daniel Bernard Roumain, violin
George Shirley, narrator
A Georgia Song had its New York premiere at I, Too, Sing America in 2001, performed by Darryl Taylor, Timothy Ries, and Maria Corley.
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