Author Archives: PatrickD.McCoy

The Washington Chorus will sponsor a series of free lectures throughout the Washington, D. C. area in preparation for its special April 3 concert at the National Presbyterian Church. This season’s “Music for A New Age” concert will feature several beloved literary works, including a musical setting of Langston Hughes’ poem “Gospel Cha Cha” by […]

The Morehouse College Glee Club will mark its centennial year with a series of special events in Atlanta this week. On February 16, there was a music symposium in the newly built Ray Charles Performing Arts Center in the Adams Concert Hall. In addition, there was a centennial exhibit unveiling in the center’s Adams Concert […]

On Feb.15, Vocal Arts DC (Vocal Arts Society of Washington) will celebrate its 20th Anniversary Concert and Gala Benefit, featuring internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. A co-presentation with the Washington Performing Arts Society, the program will take place in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Of special note, this gala concert will also serve as Ms. […]

Opera superstar and Washington, D. C. native Denyce Graves will be presented in a special recital at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m., in the Terrace Theater. Themed: “A Tribute to the Grace Bumbry Concert,” this special recital commemorates the historic White House recital given by […]

Mayor Vincent Gray declared “Poetry Extravaganza Day” in D.C. on Jan. 15 during a celebration at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in the Great Hall. Sponsored by The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (C.A.A.P.A.), the 15th anniversary presentation featured readings and performances by some of the area’s finest poets.  Featured […]

Concert pianist Dana Kristina-Joi Morgan and operatic tenor soloist Terrence Bradford Tarver are featured guest performers at Historic Asbury United Methodist Church’s “Watchnight Reflections” on Dec. 31 at 10 p.m. Their performances are preceded by a special time of fellowship beginning at 8:30 p.m. Morgan began playing the piano at age 3 and has continued […]

With the many performances of Handel’s “Messiah” around the world, each of them have a unique quality all of their own. From the small church choir to the professional choir, these performances all provide their own fabric to the tapestry of a masterwork that has touched the hearts of many for centuries. The presentation at […]

For many years, brother and sister duo Pamela and Victor Simonson performed in concert as perhaps the nation’s first and only African-American brother and sister duo devoted to the performance and advocacy of classical music. As youth, their first concert debut took place on the stage of their Long Island, N.Y., church. Their upcoming special Christmas concert, which will […]

AGIS Center for the Arts and Humanities will present the Chinese grand dance drama Forbidden Fruit Under the Great Wall. The production tells the compelling story of the prosperous Yin Family whose master dies, leaving behind an ailing widow and disabled son. The family’s butler hatches an evil scheme to steal the family fortune by […]

The Washington Chorus marked the beginning of its 50th anniversary with a special reception, Nov. 9, at La Maison Francaise at The Embassy of France. This special reception honored 12 great chorus founders in the District of Columbia. Among the honorees were two well-respected conductors in the African-American community: Joyce Garrett, minister of music at […]