Haitian cello & piano album
Donation protected
I became interested in Haitian music and culture after I began working for a Haitian music center in Boston in 2011 (Open Access to Music Education for Children, run by Youth and Family Enrichment Services). Many of my students had left Haiti after the earthquake and found that learning music helped them to adjust to a new life in Boston. The students came to a Firebrand Concert Series concert of Haitian art music and shared stories and poems about Haiti as well as performing La Dessalinienne, the national anthem, as a cello ensemble.
With the help of Janet Anthony, cellist and Haitian music education guru, I joined some colleagues to teach at the École de Musique Dessaix-Baptiste in Jacmel, Haiti, the summer of 2012. Getting to know more about music and life in Haiti from the friends I met there made a big impression on me.
When I began my doctoral studies at Rutgers, I devoted my research to the history of Haitian art music, scouring as much writing as I could on the topic. I visited the Société de Recherche et Diffusion de la Musique Haïtienne, an archive for the study and promotion of Haitian music. Thanks to the SRDMH, I was able to access scores for my lecture recital document and performance. Shawn and I performed some of this music together in 2017, and have continued getting to know it since then. Due to issues of preservation and publishing, many works by Haitian composers are difficult to access and have not yet been performed or recorded. We are making this album because we believe these compositional gems deserve to be heard, these composers should be promoted, and that the repertoire for Haitian cello and piano music should be made accessible for other cellists (and listeners in general) to enjoy!
Shawn Chang and I would like to make this album to celebrate Haiti's rich and fascinating tradition of art music creation taking place for hundreds of years. We are calling the album Tanbou Kache, or hidden drum, after composer Werner Jaegerhuber's chamber pieces based on Haitian folk music, which hide rhythms from the Vodou drum in the cello part or in the left hand of the piano.
The album will include works by Justin Élie, Carmen Brouard, Werner Jaegerhuber, Frantz Casséus, Julio Racine, Jean Rudy Perrault, and Daniel Bernard Roumain. Three of these are living composers whose creative efforts you would be supporting! What better way to show your enthusiasm for Haitian culture than by supporting the work of living Haitian artists?
We plan to record in June. We have the passion, the scores, the rehearsals, and the recording venue and engineer! Now, for the funding: here's the breakdown. We need to pay for studio time, editing, mastering, piano tuning, tax, album art by the wonderful Haitian artist Gina Samson, a 2.9% processing fee, and album representation and distribution.
Your support would mean a lot to Shawn, five composers, one visual artist, and myself, along with anyone who wants to hear an hour of incredible cello and piano music. Any donation is welcome, and if you satisfy your curiosity about Haitian art music by donating $20 or more, we will send you the whole album! Thank you so much for considering donating to this project!
With the help of Janet Anthony, cellist and Haitian music education guru, I joined some colleagues to teach at the École de Musique Dessaix-Baptiste in Jacmel, Haiti, the summer of 2012. Getting to know more about music and life in Haiti from the friends I met there made a big impression on me.
When I began my doctoral studies at Rutgers, I devoted my research to the history of Haitian art music, scouring as much writing as I could on the topic. I visited the Société de Recherche et Diffusion de la Musique Haïtienne, an archive for the study and promotion of Haitian music. Thanks to the SRDMH, I was able to access scores for my lecture recital document and performance. Shawn and I performed some of this music together in 2017, and have continued getting to know it since then. Due to issues of preservation and publishing, many works by Haitian composers are difficult to access and have not yet been performed or recorded. We are making this album because we believe these compositional gems deserve to be heard, these composers should be promoted, and that the repertoire for Haitian cello and piano music should be made accessible for other cellists (and listeners in general) to enjoy!
Shawn Chang and I would like to make this album to celebrate Haiti's rich and fascinating tradition of art music creation taking place for hundreds of years. We are calling the album Tanbou Kache, or hidden drum, after composer Werner Jaegerhuber's chamber pieces based on Haitian folk music, which hide rhythms from the Vodou drum in the cello part or in the left hand of the piano.
The album will include works by Justin Élie, Carmen Brouard, Werner Jaegerhuber, Frantz Casséus, Julio Racine, Jean Rudy Perrault, and Daniel Bernard Roumain. Three of these are living composers whose creative efforts you would be supporting! What better way to show your enthusiasm for Haitian culture than by supporting the work of living Haitian artists?
We plan to record in June. We have the passion, the scores, the rehearsals, and the recording venue and engineer! Now, for the funding: here's the breakdown. We need to pay for studio time, editing, mastering, piano tuning, tax, album art by the wonderful Haitian artist Gina Samson, a 2.9% processing fee, and album representation and distribution.
Your support would mean a lot to Shawn, five composers, one visual artist, and myself, along with anyone who wants to hear an hour of incredible cello and piano music. Any donation is welcome, and if you satisfy your curiosity about Haitian art music by donating $20 or more, we will send you the whole album! Thank you so much for considering donating to this project!
Organizer
Diana Golden
Organizer
New York, NY