HSO Presents African American Sketches



Kate Mangiameli. Photo courtesy of HSO

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will present African American Sketches, the final concert of the 2011-2012 Sunday Serenades Chamber Music series 2 pm Sunday, April 22 in the Courtyard of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

This program is inspired by the Wadsworth’s exhibit, Collective Memories: Selections from The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, and will feature performances of works by Ravel, Bernstein, Burleigh, Foss, and more.  Guest soprano Kate Mangiameli will join Sunday Serenades Artistic Director and HSO Concertmaster (principal violinist) Leonid Sigal, HSO Assistant Principal cellist Eric Dahlin, and HSO pianist Margreet Francis for this intimate chamber program.

Collective Memories: Selections from The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is the first of two exhibitions to commemorate twenty-five years dedicated to telling the story of people of African descent.

Opening on April 22 and on view through Sept. 23, Collective Memories  features works from the permanent collection dating from the 17th to early 20th century to show the breath of the collection on the topic of African American enslavement.  Inspired by these works of art, Sunday Serenades Artistic Director Leonid Sigal has programmed a concert comprised of music spanning more than 100 years of the African American musical tradition, including traditional African American Spirituals, Ravel’s Madagascan Songs, Burleigh’s Southland Sketches for Violin and Piano, and Bernstein’s “Simple Song” from Mass and Dream with Me.
Tickets are $30 ($25 for HSO Subscribers and Atheneum Members). Ticket price includes general admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum on the days of the concerts. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860) 244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.