Lettie Alston

Lettie Beckon Alston (born 1953) is an American composer known for her piano work and a longstanding series of concerts, "Lettie Alston and Friends."

Biography

Alston was born in 1953 in Detroit.[1]

Alston attended Wayne State University for her undergraduate and masters degrees.[2] In 1983, she earned her doctorate in musical composition from the University of Michigan (UM) where she had studied with Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom and Eugene Kurtz.[1][2] She was the first African-American to earn this degree from UM.[2]

Work

Alston's work includes traditional, as well as electronic instruments.[3] She has composed for orchestra, chamber and vocal groups.[3]

In 1995, Alston started a series of concerts at Oakland University called, "Lettie Alston and Friends."[4] The concerts featured contemporary classical music usually based around a central theme.[2][4] The last of these concerts took place in 2008.[2]

In 2001, her work was recorded on a two CD set, Keyboard Maniac. [5] The set highlighted both her work on acoustic and electric piano.[5] She passed away in 2014 while vacationing in Hawaii.

Selected works

Violin

Pulsations (unaccompanied). 1974, revised 1993. Duration 10:00. Three movements. Recorded by Gregory Walker, Kaleidoscope: Music by African-American women (Leonarda CD-LE339). Library: AMRC, IU-USM. Available from: Alston. [6]

Oboe

Three implied jesters (unaccompanied). 1975. Available from: Alston. [6]

Percussion

Visions (piano, marimba). 1979, revised 1993. Duration: 7:00. Performances include Larry Kaptein, marimba, Lettie Beckon Allston, piano, University of Michigan Symposium on Black Women Composers, August 1985. Library: AMRC. Available from: Alston. [6]

Piano

Four moods for piano. 1993. Duration: 12:00. Performances include the Unisys African-American Forum Chamber Music Concert, Orchestra Hall, Detroit, April 1993. Library: AMRC, IU-USM. Available from Alston. [6]

Moods for piano. 1975. Duration: 5:00. Library: AMRC, Available from Alston. [6]

References

  1. Gray, Anne (2007). The World of Women in Classical Music. La Jolla, Calif.: WordWorld. pp. 211. ISBN 1-59975-320-0. OCLC 123539910.
  2. "Lettie Beckon Alston Scores and Other Material". Black Metropolis Research Consortium. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  3. Walker-Hill, Helen (2007). From Spirituals to Symphonies: African-American Women Composers and Their Music. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 42. ISBN 978-0-252-07454-7. lettie alston and friends.
  4. Stryker, Mark (February 6, 2004). "Big Weekend for the DSO". Detroit Free Press. p. 44. Retrieved December 14, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Stryker, Mark (May 20, 2001). "Detroit Disc". Detroit Free Press. p. 70. Retrieved December 14, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  6. Walker-Hill, Helen (1995). Music by Black women composers : a bibliography of available scores. Chicago: Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College. ISBN 0-929911-04-0. OCLC 31971765.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.