Gaston College Celebrates the music of composer Zenobia Powell Perry
TO WATCH THE PERFORMANCE, CLICK HERE.
Dr. Jessica Lindsey and Judith Porter will perform ‘Sonatine for Clarinet and Piano’ by Zenobia Powell Perry on Monday, April 12, at 10:00 a.m. through a link on the Gaston College website. The pre-recorded performance is sponsored by the Gaston College Multicultural Affairs Committee.
Zenobia Powell Perry (1908-2004) was a prolific black American pianist and composer born into a well-educated and middle-class family in Boley, OK. She studied with notable musicians such as Nathaniel Dett, William Dawson, and Darius Milhaud. After graduating from the Tuskegee Institute (Ala.) in 1938, she headed an African American teacher-training program where she met First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who became a life-long friend and mentor. Perry completed her Master of Arts degree from Colorado State College in 1945, and two years later, she accepted her first university faculty position at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
While at UAPB, Zenobia formed a piano duo with Arthur Kelton Lawrence as a way to recruit students. From 1955 to 1982, Powell Perry was a composer-in-residence at Central State University in Wilberforce, OH. Her opera, Tawawa House, is based on the history of Wilberforce.
“Dr. Lindsey and I selected the ‘Sonatine for Clarinet and Piano’ which was composed in 1963 for one of Perry’s students at Central State University for his senior recital,” said Judith Porter, music instructor for Gaston College. “This is a classically influenced work that is challenging and features recurring themes, contrapuntal lines, mild dissonances and exciting rhythmic patterns.”
Zenobia Powell Perry is also recognized for writing songs, piano pieces, chamber works, and music for orchestra and symphonic wind band. Viewed as a very modest and creative individual, she did not concentrate on her accomplishments but on the quality of her music. Perry has influenced more than a generation of musicians.
Dr. Jessica Lindsey has earned the reputation as an electrifying performer and phenomenal educator. She is an admired clarinetist who has performed in both chamber and orchestral settings throughout the United States, China, and New Zealand. As an orchestral player, she currently performs with the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra as bass clarinetist and as substitute clarinet with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. She is regularly featured at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest and the National College Music Symposium. In 2018, Dr. Lindsey released “Set No Limits” with Albany Records, an album of music for clarinet and piano by women composers. She is the Associate Professor of Clarinet at UNC Charlotte.
Judith Porter is an Instructor of Music at Gaston College where she teaches Music Appreciation, Intro to Jazz and serves as the president of the Multicultural Affairs Committee. An Ohio native, Ms. Porter earned a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. In 2019 she was one of 12 educators selected from North Carolina to create educational materials for the CD, Wu Fei and Abigail Washburn, as part of the prestigious World View Global Music Fellows Program at UNC Chapel Hill. In addition to classical music, Judith is a jazz pianist/singer who performs in the greater Charlotte area. Judith has toured as a pianist with national theater productions, accompanied dance classes, and has worked as on-camera talent and producer for numerous video productions. In her free time, Judith enjoys reading, home improvement projects and international travel.
To watch the performance on YouTube, click here. The presentation will also be aired daily the week of April 26 – May 2 at 1:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. daily and the week of May 3-9 at 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. daily on Spectrum Cable Channel 21 in Gaston County.
For additional information about the presentation, contact Judith Porter at porter.judith@gaston.edu.
About the Multicultural Affairs Committee (MAC)
The mission of the Gaston College Multicultural Affairs Committee (MAC) is to develop and deliver an array of activities to expose the Gaston College community to diverse cultures. MAC presents a variety of programming on the Gaston College campus throughout the school year. Programs include town hall meetings, movie events, seminars, and musical performances.
