The Sounds Of Honor
CAAPA’s Black & Brave Concert Partners The Classics With African American Contributions To Defending The Nation
By Joshua Phillip // PHOTOS BY CATRILLA WATSON // VIDEO BY NORRIS WIGGINS JR
War has no soundtrack that most would find inviting. But From Francis Scott Key to Edwin Star and Marvin Gaye, the nation has always had voices who chronicled the essence of the era men and women were called to serve.
The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts called on four classical talents to salute the span of African Americans in military service throughout the nation’s history.
PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS
The concert was an engaging and sometimes emotional program. Launched with stirring video and compelling historic stills to complement the incredible vocal performances, “Black and Brave” applied immortal works such as “The National Anthem” and “The Negro National Anthem” as well as many lesser known but equally poignant offerings such as the lullaby “Nana” and “Ariang.”
“CAAPA was honored to create a concert featuring musicians of color while assigning poignant narration and moving visuals to each war in America’s history,” explained Terri Allen, CAAPA’s executive director. “Paying homage to our veterans in such a unique way was a humbling experience – especially during black history month.” The theme for the concert was derived from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History's national theme for Black History Month 2018. The group chooses the national BHM theme each year.
CAAPA Executive Director Terri Allen. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS
The event took place February 27 at the John Addison Concert Hall in Fort Washington. It opened with a few welcoming words from Councilwoman Karen Toles (D-Dist. 7), Councilman Obie Patterson (D-Dist. 8) who teamed with Toles to sponsor the event and Terri Allen. From there, the program really began. It honored the African American troops who sacrificed for the nation’s continued growth – and in the hopes that it would lead to better opportunity for their communities. The stream of history and performance was broken up by each war, with a specific song representing each conflict. CAAPA covered every war from the Revolutionary War through Desert Storm.
Videographer Norris Wiggins Jr with his mother Ellen Wiggins. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS
Vocalists Angeli Ferrette, Karla Rivera, Keesun Kwon and V. Savoy McIllwain provided stellar performances. Youth pianist Michael Butler offered a striking performance of “Maple Leaf Rag,” to recognize the World War I and the great music of composer Scott Joplin. Narrator Sistah Joy Alford’s sultry voice anchored the walk through U.S. military history and a brief recognition of the impact of each song. The entire concert was sown together under Artistic Director Dr. Lester Green with a powerful video created by Norris Wiggins, Jr., a young video enthusiast who has created Norris Works, Inc. a budding video editing agency.
African American soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen have served in every war the nation has fought.
PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS
Although it was a tribute to African American troops, the musical selections were not limited to African American songs. For example, to recognize the Spanish American War, Rivera sang a rendition of Gioachino Rossini’s “Canzonetta Spagnuola.” In concordance with the trend, when it came to the Korean War, Kwon performed Arirang, a very old but very popular Korean folk song. The composer of Arirang is unknown to this day. This creativity led to a surprisingly eclectic mix of songs.
PHOTO: CATRILLA WATSON
“We have to honor our troops, and what better way do it than in song…” remarked Angeli Ferrette, the soprano diva. This is the perfect way to summarize the intent of “Black and Brave.” They fulfilled that mission with masterful skill. CAAPA really gave the community a gift with this event. It was an amazing show and a perfectly fitting way to end Black History Month.
“Bravi, bravi!” Patterson exclaimed with a broad smile and applause as he took the stage with Allen after the performance. “I just want to thank everyone for coming out. This has been an incredible occasion.”
County Councilmember Karen Toles explained origins of the occasion. “Mr. Patterson and I felt that we needed to have a program that the County Council can bring to the community to talk about black history. The event is about our vets and their service to the country. So it gave us the opportunity to partner with a dynamic organization like CAAPA. I gave them funding – and so did Mr. Patterson – to bring a program to Prince George’s County at beautiful Harmony Hall along with the (blacks in World War 1) exhibit. It’s about bringing attention to the black men and women who service our country.”
“I must thank Rhonda Dallas and the Prince George’s Arts & Humanities Council,” Allen said. “Rhonda has been with us from the beginning and every step of the way.”
PHOTO: CATRILLA WATSON
CAAPA is less than a decade old. Being such a young organization, it’s surprising just how much of an impact the have made on the community. They have a program called sing for seniors, in which they perform recitals for elderly individuals all over the community. They also have the Opera for Fun Youth Outreach program, where they teach opera music to children from preschool to twelfth grade. Through these programs and many more, CAAPA exposes many forms of classical music to people of all ages and hues.
Ms. Toles, Ms. Lewis and Ms. Ferrette. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS
