THE STORY BEHIND: Coleman's "Seven O'Clock Shout"

On May 21, Bramwell Tovey, Tania Miller, Nathaniel Efthimiou and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will present A Joyful Future with violinist Ray Chen.

THE STORY BEHIND: Coleman's Seven O'Clock Shout

Title: Seven O'Clock Shout
Composer: Valerie Coleman (1970- )
Last time performed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic: This is a RI Philharmonic Orchestra premiere. This piece is scored for two flutes, piccolo, oboe, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and strings.

The Story:

Valerie Coleman is a flutist and composer. Also, she was the founder of the Imani Winds ensemble. She has developed a career as a composer, notably associated with the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2019, she composed Umoja, Anthem for Unity for that orchestra, leading to her being named by the Washington Post “One of the Top 35 Women Composers” in 2020. The previous year, her orchestral work, Umoja, Anthem for Unity was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, making Coleman the first living African-American woman composer to receive a commission from that orchestra.
       
Coleman is known for combining jazz with classical music. In fact, one of the albums containing her music was nominated for a GRAMMY for “Best Classical Crossover Album.”
       
Coleman became a composer at an early age, working with a portable organ. By age 14, she had composed three full-length symphonies. She went on to earn a double B.A. in composition and flute performance from Boston University. Her master's degree from Mannes College of Music was in flute performance.
       
Valerie Coleman's Seven O'Clock Shout was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2020 and written to honor frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. This lively work, which treats us to a huge variety of sound colors, has become a sort of anthem of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Coleman comments, “To me, Seven O’Clock Shout is a declaration of our survival. It is something that allows us our agency to take back the kindness that is in our hearts and the emotions that cause us such turmoil. . . We cheer on the essential workers with a primal and fierce urgency to let them know that we stand with them and each other.”

Program Notes by Dr. Michael Fink © 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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