New Mexico School for the Arts performed its spring Jazz Ensemble April 20 in O’Shaughnessy Performance Space. The performance was directed by NMSA faculty Bert Dalton and John Trentacosta. They invited SFUAD Contemporary Music Program Chairman Horace Alexander to perform with them.
Jazz Sounds and Sights...
posted by Madeleine Sardina
Paul Slaughter’s “Jazz Greats” photography exhibit and the Contemporary Music Program’s accompanying concert made for a great night for jazz lovers of all kinds.
All that Jazz
posted by Christy Marshall
Robby Rothschild, a Contemporary Music Program teacher, tunes the piano in Tipton Hall for the Feb. 12 7-9 p.m. jazz concert, which will follow the photo exhibition opening from 5-7 p.m. of “Jazz Greats” in the Atrium Gallery at the Marion Center for Photographic...
Lady (Birth) Day Concert...
posted by Serafima Fedorova
SFUAD hosts concert to celebrate Billie Holiday.
Horace Young
posted by Serafima Fedorova
In an office hidden in the twists and turns of Benildus, the walls are covered with posters, awards and articles. They include an autographed poster of Whitney Houston, a Gold Record commemorating a million copies sold by Regina Belle and several promotional posters of performances from around the globe. It takes a while to notice, but every single one is addressed to or features Horace Young, the new chairman of the Contemporary Music Program. “My parents weren’t musicians but they believed it was essential, they knew its worth,” Young says about his beginnings. “My two elder sisters played the piano so I got to take classes too. I cheated at practicing. I memorized the melody from the way my sisters played and watched the way their fingers moved on the keys. I didn’t know it then but this was a clear sign of having a high aptitude. Now I am able to tell a kid to get involved in music because I can see the signs I experienced myself.” Young had different plans for his future, though, hoping to become a sports journalist as a springboard into writing. He ended up playing the saxophone on a whim and turning it into a career. This return to music led him to collaborate with numerous acclaimed artists such as B.B. King and Nancy Williams. In 1993 he conducted the National Symphony of South Africa; the first person of African descent to do so. “I started as an adult musician not being able to read music,” Young says. “I learned to celebrate my limitations in being able to overcome them.” His role conducting the National Symphony of South Africa was broadcasted on national television. As a teacher, Young encourages the exploration of various skills and jobs in the...
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