Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Composer and Professor Adolphus C. Hailstork was born April 17, 1941; His 'Overture' for David Lockington will be premiered in 2014-15 Season

Adolphus C. Hailstork (b. 1941) 
is featured at

`
Adolphus Hailstork: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3
Grand Rapids Symphony
David Lockington, Conductor
Naxos 8.559295 (2007)

Adolphus C. Hailstork is an African American composer and professor who was born on April 17, 1941. His vocal and instrumental compositions are among the most frequently performed of those of any composer of African descent.  He was interviewed by William J. Zick on April 13, 2010. The website has a link to a transcript. It can be read on AfriClassical Blog, and is excerpted on his page at AfriClassical.com. Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma was a Professor of Music at Lawrence University Conservatory when he wrote in the liner notes of African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. II; Cedille CDR 90000 061 (2001):

"Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork was born in Rochester, New York in 1941, but spent most of his childhood in Albany, where he joined the choir of the Episcopalian cathedral. From this experience he developed an interest in vocal melodic writing that asserts itself not only in his choral works and art songs."

Adolphus Hailstork attended the public schools of Albany, New York. He says in his interview: "Early on, I took a Music Aptitude Exam given by the school system in New York State where I grew up.” “Apparently they thought I had some aptitude for music. If you do, you wind up getting free instrumental lessons. I started out on the violin by the Fourth Grade, and then switched to Piano and Organ, sang in the Choirs, and that was all my early schooling."  

Òn March 16, 2014 AfriClassical posted:



Maestro David Lockington conducted the Grand Rapids Symphony in its Naxos recording, shown above, of Adolphus C. Hailstork's Symphonies 2 and 3.  The premiere performance of the composer's Overture is scheduled for the 2014-2015 Season of the Grand Rapids Symphony.

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