The Philharmonic joins area organizations to present the world premiere of
Adolphus Hailstork’s new work, “Zora! We’re Calling You”

(Orlando, FL – October 6, 2011) – At 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, the Zora Neale Hurston Festival for the Arts & Humanities, the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, the “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation Master Singers and the Florida Opera Theatre Chorus join forces to present American Voices, a night of authentically American music, poetry and song honoring the legacy of author Zora Neale Hurston. The program features music of Adolphus Hailstork, Frederick Delius and Aaron Copland, and culminates in the premiere of Hailstork’s new work, “Zora! We’re Calling You,” with libretto by Elizabeth Van Dyke.

“Zora! We’re Calling You,” is a combination of music and spoken word adapted from the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature and a former resident of Eatonville, FL. The premiere of the work is scheduled just two months before the 125th anniversary celebration of Eatonville’s incorporation as the first African American municipality in North America, founded in 1887.

“This will be a performance filled with beauty, inspiration and local appeal,” says Wilkins.  “People will come away learning something important about Florida, about Eatonville, about Zora Neale Hurston and our community. If they thought they knew Zora, or if they’ve never read her before, they’ll go back and explore her work again, and know the true master and poet she was.”

The culmination of over two years of planning and collaboration, American Voices is supported by a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a $45,000 grant from the Pabst Charitable Foundation for the Arts—an organization that values collaboration, diversification, and innovation in the arts. With such a momentous project, Wilkins says great care was taken to choose the best composer and librettist.

“Hailstork is probably the best known of African American composers, with a track record of writing symphonic music,” said Wilkins. “He has written numerous award-winning choral and instrumental works, all performed by major symphony orchestras. He is perhaps best known as a writer of songs and composer for chorus, and for this reason, I knew he would be the perfect choice for the project.”

The libretto for “Zora! We’re Calling You” is written by director and actress Elizabeth Van Dyke, who won an Audelco for Best Actress for her role as Zora Neale Hurston in Laurence Holder’s 1990 Off-Broadway hit. Having toured around the world as Zora Neale Hurston, Van Dyke was also the obvious choice to narrate the Hailstork work on November 12, accompanied by the “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation Master Singers under the direction of Edward Washington II and the Florida Opera Theatre chorus, directed by Robin Stamper.

All the works on the concert are what Orlando Philharmonic Music Director Christopher Wilkins calls “from the soil”—music conceived and written in North America, with a distinctly American folk melody, voice and language. Included on the program are Hailstork’s best-known work, “Celebration,” Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, based on the American Shaker melody “Simple Gifts,” and Appalachia—a work drafted in Florida by British composer Frederick Delius, based on a song of farewell from a mother to a child. This particular performance will end with a full statement of the folk song by both choruses, and a solo by baritone James Brown III.

Wilkins says projects like American Voices are essential in fulfilling the orchestra’s mission.

“There’s a beautiful synergy created in a community when you step outside of your little foxhole, and get out and join with others,” says Wilkins. “It stretches each organization, always creating a sum that is greater than its parts.”

Executive Director David Schillhammer agrees.

“I like to think of the Orlando Philharmonic as a cornerstone cultural organization in the community,” he says. “We’re very flexible, and we’ve shown we can collaborate with theater, opera, ballet, museums, history, and now with literature. It’s such a wonderful way for an orchestra to extend its reach in the community.”

The sole performance of American Voices will take place at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, 401 W Livingston Street, Orlando. Tickets to American Voices are $14.75, $29, $39, $52 and $70, and can be ordered through the Orlando Philharmonic Box Office at 407-770-0071 or www.orlandophil.org.

***

About the collaborators

Now in its 19th season, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is Central Florida’s resident professional orchestra, appearing in more than 125 performances each season. The Philharmonic’s mission is to foster and promote symphonic music through excellence in performance, education and cultural leadership. To learn more the Philharmonic and its programs, including the 2011-2012 Super Series, Focus Series or concert opera, Rigoletto, call the Philharmonic box office at 407-770-0071, or visit www.orlandophil.org.

Dr. Adolphus Hailstork has written numerous award-winning choral and instrumental works, including pieces for choir, chamber ensemble, band and orchestra. His work has been performed by several major orchestras, including Philadelphia, Chicago and New York, and his Consort Piece, commissioned by the Norfolk Chamber Ensemble in 1995, was awarded first prize by the University of Delaware Festival of Contemporary Music. He has written three symphonies and several operas, including Joshua’s Boots (commissioned by the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the Kansas City Lyric Opera) and Rise for Freedom, an opera about the Underground Railroad, premiered in 2007 by the Cincinnati Opera Company. Whitman’s Journey, his cantata for chorus and orchestra, was premiered by the Master Chorale of Washington, D.C. at Kennedy Center in April 2006. Dr. Hailstork resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is Professor of Music and Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Elizabeth Van Dyke is an award-winning director and actress. She received an Audelco for Best Actress for her starring role in Laurence Holder’s 1990 Off-Broadway hit, Zora Neale Hurston. Since its opening, she has toured the show around the world. She also won the Ace & Gold Award for Love to All, Lorraine, a solo piece based on the life of Lorraine Hansberry that she wrote and co-directed. Van Dyke currently serves as the Artistic Director of Going to the River and The River Crosses River: A Festival of Short Plays by Women of Color. These programs at the Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) in New York City support and champion the work of African-American Female playwrights and women playwrights of color. The River Crosses Rivers 2: A Festival of Short Plays By Women of Color is currently running at EST. Van Dyke has received the Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence in Theatre at Austin Peay State University, The Board of Directors Award from Audelco, The President’s Award from the Black Theatre Network, A Fox Foundation Grant, and a Rockefeller Grant.

The “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation Master Singers, under Music Director Edward Washington II, is a chorus of post-secondary singers of all ages and backgrounds. Using a repertoire of arranged negro spirituals and other selected master works, the Master Singers offers its members performance opportunities along with intellectual stimulation, professional development, and musical growth. Master Singers are paid for their service. More information at negrospiritual.org. Music Director Edward Washington II is in his second term as Music and Education Director for the “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation. He appeared with the Orlando Philharmonic as “Parpignol” in the 2011 production of La Boheme and as “Robbins” in the 2010 production of Porgy and Bess. Washington holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Stetson University, where he performed with the Stetson Opera Theatre.  He has also performed with Central Florida Lyric Opera, and conducted the chorus for Hansel and Gretel and Mikado at the Wayne Densch Performing Theatre.

Florida Opera Theatre Chorus, under the direction of Music Director Robin Stamper, is a volunteer organization that encourages the development and appreciation of singing, performance and production arts. Their activities include opera related events as well as out of town trips to opera venues. More information is available at www.floperatheatre.org. Robin Andrew Stamper is the Music Director of the Florida Opera Theatre, and was the Director of Music and Chorus Master for the Orlando Opera from 2003-2009, during which he conducted main stage performances of L’elisir d’amore, Pirates of Penzance and Die Fledermaus. Previously, Stamper was Artistic Director for the Nevada Opera. He received his degrees in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School.

A Central Florida resident, James Brown III is recognized as a strong performer in a variety of styles, including opera, musical theater and spirituals. Brown appeared with the Philharmonic in last year’s presentation of “My Favorite Things: The Music of Richard Rodgers,” and played “Jake” in the collaborative performance of Porgy and Bess by the Orlando Philharmonic and Mad Cow Theatre in 2010. He teaches locally at his alma mater, Jones High School, and is an Adjunct Professor at Valencia Community College.

Held every January, the Zora Neale Hurston Festival for the Arts & Humanities (ZORA! Festival) has become internationally recognized as a premier festival celebrating the heritage and culture of African-descended peoples. The festival honors Eatonville’s historical resident Zora Neale Hurston, who went on to become a anthropologist, folklorist and one of the pre-eminent writers and of twentieth-century African-American literature. Hurston was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance, and wrote about the founding of Eatonville through the eyes of character Janie Crawford in her well-known novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The 2012 ZORA! festival, “The Rise of Community: The Town of Eatonville Models 125 Years of Self-Governance” will take place on January 22-30, 2012.

Founded in 1887, Eatonville was one of the first all-black towns to be formed after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Named for Union Army Captain Josiah Eaton, who sold the land he owned to a group of African American men who wanted to start their own city, Eatonville was already a powerhouse of music and arts from the time of its incorporation. With the creation of the Roger Hungerford Normal and Industrial School in 1897, the city began drawing in children like Zora Neale Hurston from all over to learn about arts and literature. A town of just over 2,000 residents, Eatonville prides itself in being the oldest incorporated African American municipality in America. The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (APEC) was incorporated in May of 1988 as an advocacy organization, focusing on preservation strategies, including completing an historic survey and planning the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

***

Contact:

Emily Lindahl elindahl@orlandophil.org
Director of Public Relations
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
812 E. Rollins Street, Suite 300
Orlando, FL  32803
PH: 407-896-6700 x223
FAX: 407-896-5512