A Tribute to Black Pioneers

by Fred Peterbark

While attending the University of Michigan, I had the distinct honor of studying voice with George Shirley, the first African-American tenor to perform with the Metropolitan Opera.  Additionally, I walked the halls with another Metropolitan Opera great, Shirley Verrett, and attended master classes with Grace Bumbry.  To be in the presence of greatness is an unforgettable feeling, and when the opportunity to pay tribute to those great African-American pioneers arrived, I could not pass up the chance to honor them and say thank you.

In February 2007, I presented and produced what was the first Black History Musical Celebration at the College of Music.  The concert featured undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students in a concert of art songs and arrangements of spirituals by African-American composers, centered on the poetry readings of Langston Hughes.  The positive response was overwhelming, and the community echoed Associate Dean Steven Bruns’ sentiment that “[this] concert is something we should repeat every year — it would be well worth hearing and rehearing.”  Feeding on the encouragement and support, I decided the time to pay tribute to those who were instrumental in my confidence to succeed at the University of Colorado had arrived.  The following summer I began planning what quickly transformed into A Tribute to Black Pioneers in Music Performance, honoring those who broke the color barrier in opera and composition, including Todd Duncan, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry, Shirley Verrett, George Shirley, and composer, William Grant Still.  The original proposed budget approximated just $66,000.

The project required funds from a variety of University and community grant funding programs.  However, I believed securing those funds would be possible only if the funding began by the College of Music Dean, Daniel Sher.  After presenting it to him, he allocated $5,000 towards the event.  It was not long before the College of Music saw this vision mature and become a real possibility.  Before the year was out, I raised over $17,000 in grant funding.  While it was encouraging to see the financial support, it was apparent that the budget would have to undergo future cuts, ultimately being slashed in half.  As a result, I focused on the necessities of the event.

I began recruiting soloists by contacting the “Living Legends” of the program – George Shirley, Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry, Mattiwilda Dobbs, and Leontyne Price – approaching all with the thought, “Just Ask.”  Only George Shirley accepted the engagement.  I quickly moved on, contacting my network of friends, which included nationally and internationally acclaimed singers, as well as Metropolitan Opera Audition winners and finalists.  By the end of the summer, I contracted young artists Lori Hicks and Darnell Ishmel, and mezzo-soprano, Marietta Simpson.  During the fall, I learned that Mattiwilda Dobbs was close friends with mezzo-soprano Patricia Miller, a family friend of mine.  I soon contracted Ms. Miller to sing in honor of Grace Bumbry, while contracting a former student of Ms. Dobbs’ (Louise Toppin) to sing on her behalf.  However, I still had a major problem: procuring a soloist to sing in honor of Leontyne Price.

Ironically, the answer came during a choir rehearsal at Grace Lutheran Church in Boulder, Colorado.  While telling members of the choir my dilemma, the gentleman next to me said, “You should ask my cousin, Leona Mitchell.”  After tracking her down, and a short negotiation process, she accepted the engagement to sing in honor of Ms. Price.  This immediately enhanced the historic nature of the program, as Ms. Mitchell was the next Black dramatic soprano to arrive at the Met after Ms. Price.  With the history and soloists in place, the only major issue left was the orchestra.

Because the University Symphony was unavailable for the performance, I had to contract a 62-piece orchestra in a month’s time.  Miraculously, and after the diligent efforts of many, the 62-piece orchestra, comprised of students, faculty, and community freelancers, materialized in just three weeks.  The orchestra was contracted for 3 rehearsals, (3 hours on Friday, 6 hours on Saturday), and a dress rehearsal for 2½ hours on Sunday before playing the concert.  The result was astonishing.

Lead by Maestro Nicholas Carthy, the orchestra opened the concert performing William Grant Still’s Festive Overture, at the suggestion of his daughter, Judith, and it closed with a Colorado premiere of Ozie Cargile, II’s Creation of the Universe and The Second Movement.  Between them came arias from I Pagliacci, Samson et Dalila, Rigoletto, La Forza del Destino, Carmen, and Otello, as well as historical anecdotes about each pioneer.  The highlights were definitely “Pace, pace mio Dio” by Leona Mitchell, and Act IV of Verdi’s Otello sung by Lori Hicks and George Shirley.  Both received standing ovations, as did I when introduced to the audience to give closing remarks.  It was the first time I exhaled all night.

After 11 months of planning, concluding with a historic tribute concert, I said, “Tonight we honor those pioneers in opera and composition – some well-known, and others not – but all with a significant contribution to our history.  However this is not the end of the history of African-Americans.”

Now I am starting to take my own advice.  The following week I was encouraged to consider “taking this show on the road.”  Today, I am doing just that.  Since the inaugural concert, I have created my own company (Peterbark Productions), and produced a second production at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music (January 2009).  On April 16, 2010, the production will travel to Orangeburg, South Carolina to take part in the 140th Anniversary Celebration of Claflin University.  As the tribute to Black Pioneers continues, so does the acknowledgement of their continued accomplishments.

Fred Peterbark currently serves as Assistant to the Dean for Recruitment and Outreach at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s College of Music.

For more information visit: www.peterbarkproductions.com