Saturday, February 3, 2018

NWFDailyNews.com: Anthony R. Green to introduce Seaside to black composers

Anthony R. Green


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Feb. 2, 2018

The Providence Public Library was where Anthony R. Green discovered he wasn’t alone.
It’s where he would spend his afternoons after high school practicing on the library’s piano. It’s where he would purchase old sheet music, which he still owns today.
The Providence Public Library was where Green discovered he could be a black pianist and a black composer.
“As a studying musician, I didn’t come across a lot of black composers,” Green said. “I feel like the up-and-coming generation of black composers shouldn’t go through my experience, shouldn’t feel like there aren’t any of us, when in fact there are hundreds throughout history.”
Green now composes pieces, collaborates with visual and musical artists on projects, performs piano and founded Castle of Our Skins, an organization dedicated to celebrating black artistry. The performer, composer and social justice advocate will introduce audience members to black composers at an intimate recital and lecture at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at The Rep Theatre, 216 Quincy Circle, Seaside.
Tickets are $25. To purchase tickets, visit LoveTheRep.com.
Green, a resident of the Netherlands, did a phone interview with DN to tell us about what he has planned for his recital at The Rep Theatre and why celebrating black artistry is important. 

How did you choose these pieces to perform at The Rep Theatre?
I chose these pieces because most of them I have performed before. It’s always good to revisit a piece of music and try to find new things within that music for a performance. I also think this program shows quite a wide variety of the type of music black composers have composed in the past and present. Scott Joplin, as we all know, is the king of ragtime. A lot of people don’t know he also composed waltzes. I’ll be performing one of his waltzes and talking about his relationship to the waltz.

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