Portrait of a Queen Concert: CSO + ΒιΆΉΣ³»
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The week of events kicked off with a joint concert titled βPortrait of a Queen,β featuring the ΒιΆΉΣ³» Concert Choir, ΒιΆΉΣ³» Drumline and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. This year was the second consecutive year of this partnership. More than 400 tickets were issued for this event, held inside the Jack S. Brayboy Gymnasium, April 2, 2024.
The concert emerged after Dr. Valerie Kinloch received a special appointment within the orchestraβs leadership.
βI just got elected to the Symphonyβs board, and so to have them on campus at ΒιΆΉΣ³» performing with the ΒιΆΉΣ³» Concert Choir, thatβs beautiful,β said Kinloch.
The Johnson C. Smith Concert Choir performed under the direction of Dr. Shawn-Allyce White, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities with piano accompaniment provided by Frank Williams β71. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra performed under the direction of Christopher James Lees, Resident Conductor.
Dr. White reflected on the experience:
βPerforming with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra was an exhilarating experience for the ΒιΆΉΣ³» Concert and Alumni Choir members and me. This wonderful opportunity for our choir students will always be cherished and remembered as a result of Experiential Learning. Kudos to Alumni Choir members for their visibility and support.β
The Symphony and the Choir played in combined and alternating patterns of performance. The Charlotte Symphony commenced the evening with Overture to La forza del destino by Giuseppe Verdi.Μύ The ΒιΆΉΣ³» Concert Choir joined in with a rendition of Walk Together, Children by William H. Smith.
The concert featured nine selections, including the Black National Anthem, βLift Every Voice and Sing,β and the ΒιΆΉΣ³» Loyalty Song.Μύ The title performance, βPortrait of a Queen,β was performed with great gusto.Μύ It is an overture that chronicles the journey of black people from Africa to America.Μύ In the CSO + ΒιΆΉΣ³» Concert Choir event, Dr. Shawn-Allyce White played the oratorical part of the Queen, a strong and eloquent black woman, who undergoes a conversion from an African Queen to an enslaved woman on an American plantation.Μύ The performance was powerful in Dr. Whiteβs emotional elocution and in the stirring crescendos and decrescendos performed by the symphony.
The evening was punctuated by a thunderous performance delivered by the ΒιΆΉΣ³» Drumline.Μύ The drummers carried the rhapsody from center court through the mezzanine of the gym to the outdoor plaza where they were greeted by a gaggle of enthusiastic concert-goers.ΜύΜύΜύ
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