By Vita Duva
RED BANK – To celebrate Juneteenth the Red Bank Chamber of Music Society (RBCMS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing classical chamber music concerts for the benefit of the Two River community, has partnered with the township’s T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center to present a concert featuring the New York City-based Harlem Chamber Players.
The concert, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 19 at the United Methodist Church of Red Bank, located at 247 Broad St., will highlight music composed, performed and influenced by Black musicians from the 18th to 20th centuries. The program will feature popular musical compositions from Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George, Antonin Dvorák, Harry Burleigh, Florence Price and George Walker.
“As an arts organization focused on chamber music, RBCMS sees Juneteenth as the perfect opportunity to highlight another example of celebrating something that many of us did not really know we had, namely the rich contributions of Black composers and performers to classical chamber music,” Chris Foard, president of RBCMS told The Two River Times. “We felt it would be a perfect way to celebrate our newest national holiday with a concert of beautiful music that exemplifies the diversity of chamber music repertoire.”
The Harlem Chamber Players are an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond.
Liz Player, founder, executive and artistic director of the Harlem Chamber Players, will provide commentary on the presented works and their significance in the development of classical chamber music. The Harlem Chamber Players featured in the Juneteenth concert include Ashley Horne on violin, Claire Chan on violin, William Frampton on viola, Wayne Smith on cello and Kyle Walker on piano.
“We think our members will appreciate hearing the pieces in the program that may be unfamiliar to them, as well as gaining additional insight into a familiar piece, the ‘American String Quartet’ by Dvorák,” Foard said. “We are also hoping to attract a broader audience who might not be familiar with classical chamber music or classical music in general. For this group, we are hoping that the concert can be an introduc- tion to a lifetime of musical enjoyment.”
Foard stressed the purpose of the program was to combine the holiday and music in a way that feels significant.
“For everyone, though, we want them to take away a direct knowledge of the importance of Juneteenth and an appreciation for the contributions of Black and African American composers and performers to the chamber music repertoire,” he said. “Their response should be ‘Wow! This is great!’ ”
The T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center is a national historic landmark and the former home of T. Thomas Fortune, recognized as one of the most influential American journalists and newspaper publishers of the 19th and 20th centuries who lived in Red Bank from 1901-1915. Fortune’s wife Carrie Fortune was a classically trained pianist and singer and his son Fred played the violin. They frequently performed at churches and recitals throughout the Red Bank area.
“It is quite likely that (the Fortune family) was familiar with some of the music on our program,” Foard said, highlighting the musical and cultural connection to the event.
In addition to RBCMS’s tradition of hosting musical events, the United Methodist Church is an apt choice as a venue for a Juneteenth concert, especially given its long-term association with Pastor Gil Caldwell. According to Foard, Caldwell, who called himself a “foot soldier” during the Civil Rights Movement, worked for over 60 years to end both racial and LGBT discrimination, including marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in both Washington and Selma.
A live video recording of the concert will be broadcast on the Brookdale Community College public access channel and will later become available on YouTube beginning Sunday, July 24.
Attendance for the event is free. For COVID safety, the event organizers have requested that all attendees wear masks. More information regarding the upcoming concert can be found on the RBCMS website.
“This holiday is significant because of its recognition as Freedom Day, and its roots in slavery – unlike the Fourth of July or Independence Day, which is not indicative of Black people and those enslaved,” Gilda Rogers, executive director of the T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center told The Two River Times. “However, like July 4 – which all Americans celebrate – now all Americans can celebrate and participate in Juneteenth.”
“My hope is that attendees get an appreciation for Black heritage and the superior talent of those who have been ignored and not recognized because of their race,” Rogers said. “The celebration of Juneteenth, as a joyous occasion, despite its genesis – is a step in the right direction of healing this nation’s ugly racial history.”
This article originally appeared in the June 9 – 15, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
