This last weekend was crazy, filled with all kinds of music worth noting. Columbia, MO had all kinds of stuff going on...
Thursday: MU Choral Union & MU Concert Jazz Band
Man, this was a REALLY cool event. This concert featured old African American spirituals, music set to the poetry of Langston Hughes, and the Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts, featuring a full chorus, Soprano, Baritone, and a full big band! It's a hard recording to come by, and apparently much harder to get your hands on the actual sheet music, but it is really, really incredible.
I would highly suggest you check out some Duke Ellington if you haven't before. His music is so, for lack of a better word, fulfilling.
Friday: Dance Party on Lowry Mall :)
I am part of a team traveling to Cambodia this summer, and one of our main projects is to raise money to build a school for a community with 840 children who have no way of getting into school. So we had a dance party in the middle of campus! Super fun.
Saturday: James T. Scott Memorial Service & Procession
For those of you that aren't familiar with the story, James Scott was the last man lynched in Columbia, Missouri. He was a university employee, wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. Before sound evidence could be collected, he was pulled out of his cell by an angry mob of white citizens, dragged to the Stewart Bridge, and lynched. He had been in an unmarked grave in Columbia Cemetery for almost 100 years-until Saturday.
The service was truly moving, and it was so great to see such a big turnout from people who wanted to do SOMETHING to try and honor this innocent man and the tragedy he suffered. I add this in there because part of the event was a New Orleans-style processional through downtown Columbia with a local marching band. The band was nothing special by any means, but it was cool to see how music can transcend purposes beyond entertainment. It sends a message. It can honor individuals. It can help deliver justice. Sorry, sappy, I know, but that's what I was thinking on that warm, Saturday morning, marching alongside hundreds of Columbia natives mourning the loss.
Sunday: MU Women's Chorale
Okay, I'm biased with this one because my little sister, Hannah, is in this group :) Fun concert, though! I actually enjoyed the pieces written by female composers the most. I don't mean that as an insult, but to point out that female composers, until recently, are so few and far between, that you don't come across their music too much when looking back on prominent classical works. I think Gwenyth Walker is one of my new favorite composers; from what I have heard so far, her music wonderfully balances colorful chords, beautiful voicings, and tastes of dissonance. I would highly suggest her for anyone looking into choral music.
Okay, that was a REALLY long post. I promise they won't be that long anymore :) Just goes to show there is a lot of music going on if you are willing to keep your eyes open for what's going on.
