November 22, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Guest conductor Charles Floyd, the Northwest Community Gospel Chorus and the Oregon Symphony present “Gospel Christmas,” three concerts that will bring audiences to their feet with expressive, soul-stirring Christmas music rendered in classic Gospel style on Dec. 20 and 21 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. These concerts are sponsored by TimeWarner and media support is provided by KINKfm102.
Now in its fourth year, “Gospel Christmas” continues to be one of the Symphony’s most popular holiday events; this season audience demand has led to scheduling a third performance. Floyd leads the Symphony and the Northwest Community Gospel Chorus, 100 of the region’s best Gospel singers. The choir has been rehearsing since late September with choir director Gary Hemmenway. Members represent churches from throughout Portland and Northwest Oregon, as well as the Portland/Vancouver Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America (PVC).
“These choir members, soloists and musicians are persons who love to sing and proclaim the Good News through the medium of gospel music. Each singer is always open to the opportunity to perfect their God-given gifts and is dedicated to the perpetuation of gospel music as an original American art form,” said PVC Chapter Representative and Choir Coordinator Dorothy L. Davis.
This year’s program features gospel arrangements by Floyd, including “The First Noel,” “Angels We Have Heard On High” and “For Unto Us A Child Is Born.” The program also includes music of Kirk Franklin, Rodney Friend, and Rick Vale. Floyd, the choir and the Symphony are joined by pianist Janice Scroggins and The Brown Sisters, a Portland-based Gospel a capella group, who will perform several featured selections. The four sisters, JoAnna, Leah, Dorcas and Rachel, grew up in a large musical family and taught themselves to sing close harmony at home in their bedroom.
Floyd has made a national name for himself as a conductor leading Pops concerts with the San Francisco, Atlanta, and Houston Symphony Orchestras, among others. He has also conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in addition to his frequent guest appearances with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Since 1993 Floyd’s performances have included the annual “Gospel Night at Pops” at Boston’s Symphony Hall and Esplanade Pavilion. He is also a noted pianist and composer/arranger.
Donations of new, unwrapped toys for the Northwest NewsChannel 8 Toy Drive and canned food for the Oregon Food Bank are accepted at all Oregon Symphony Holiday concerts.
Performances are scheduled for Friday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range from $21 to $59 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
Conductor, pianist and composer Charles Floyd began studying piano at age four, gave his first solo recital at age nine, and by age twenty had been heard in solo recital, chamber music and concerto performances throughout the United States and Spain. Mr. Floyd earned degrees in piano performance from the Conservatory at Oberlin College, the University of Louisville, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His teachers have included pianist Joseph Schwartz, Lee Luvisi, Aube Tzerko and Howard Karp. Through the auspices of numerous summer festival and master classes, he has worked with Jorge Bolet, John Perry and Mischa Dichter. Mr. Floyd performed frequently as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra between 1982 and 1984 under the direction of Robert Bernhardt and Stewart Kershaw; he also was chosen as pianist for the Louisville Ballet’s internationally recognized tribute to George Balanchine during the 1983-84 season.
Charles Floyd has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including those from the Aspen School of Music, the AMOCO Corporation, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Chicago’s Louis Sudler Foundation, and the National Chopin Competition of New York’s Kosciuszko Foundation.
As a conductor, Mr. Floyd has been heard in Pops concerts with more than 500 orchestras since 1991, including the San Francisco Symphony, the Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Houston, Oregon, Miami, Spokane, Akron and Colorado Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Los Angeles, Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras. He is also a frequent guest conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Since 1993 his performances have included the annual “Gospel Night at Pops” at Boston’s Symphony Hall and Esplanade Pavilion as well as standard Pops programs. His work in Boston’s 1996 season included a PBS telecast of “Evening at Pops,” featuring Patti LaBelle and Edwin Hawkins in a program of gospel music, and critically acclaimed performances of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” with conductor Keith Lockhart. In recent seasons, his schedule has included performances of “A Gospel Christmas” with the Atlanta, Baltimore and Oregon Symphony Orchestras; a holiday special, “A Cathedral Christmas,” with mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves from Washington DC’s National Cathedral, broadcast nationally over PBS-TV on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the Houston Symphony. Future and recent-past engagements include the Atlanta Symphony as well as performances with the Tulsa Philharmonic, Miami’s New World Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Oregon Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Akron Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic and the Boston Pops.
Mr. Floyd’s eleven-year partnership with Natalie Cole included such projects as the multiple Grammy Award-winning tribute to Nat King Cole entitled “Unforgettable, With Love,” the Emmy Award-winning PBS Great Performances concert video of the same title, as well as the Grammy-winning release “Take a Look,” and her most recent Grammy-nominated release “Stardust.” Natalie Cole performed Mr. Floyd’s adaptation of the National Anthem at the opening of the 1994 Super Bowl in Atlanta.
His compositions include chamber music, art songs, gospel music, two operas, and a work-in-progress based on Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” for narrator, chorus and orchestra. His “Four Spirituals” for soprano and orchestra was premiered at Boston’s Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in 1995 and his “Gospel Cantata” premiered in 2000.
From the moment they were conceived, it was inevitable: The Brown Sisters were born to sing gospel music. Even before their births, their parents exposed them to music. JoAnna, Leah, Dorcas and Rachel are four of six children born to Pastor Thomas and Charlene Brown.
Singing is a family affair for The Brown Sisters. They have two brothers – Thomas, who sings and plays drums, and Simeon, who sings and plays trumpet. Their mother instilled music in them even before their birth by playing the piano and organ in church. Their father collected recordings of the late Rev. James Cleveland, The Richard Smallwood Singers, Commissioned, Mahalia Jackson and many other well-known artists who shaped and inspired The Brown Sisters’ God-given gifts.
When they were young, The Brown Sisters sang songs in their bedroom. They discovered that each sister could sing a different part – JoAnna sang tenor, Leah sang soprano and Dorcas sang alto. Rachel was too young for the group at the time, but she now sings both soprano and alto. In 1986, The Brown Sisters became the soul-stirring a cappella and traditional gospel group.
The Brown Sisters learned to appreciate classical music at a young age from their mentor Mrs. Edwina Wills, a Methodist Pastor’s wife and schoolteacher. She gave them violin and piano lessons free of charge. She gave of her heart, and The Brown Sisters are forever indebted to her for her self-less sacrifice.
The Brown Sisters are also forever indebted to their parents for their consistent prayers and many sacrifices. The most important thing they taught them was to keep God first in their lives; only then would then find true happiness. Singing gospel music is not just what The Brown Sisters do – it is who they are. Their hearts’ desire is ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone and leaving an impression on the soul.
All of the Brown Sisters reside in Portland, Ore., except JoAnna, who lives with her family in Lithonia, Ga. Even across the miles, The Brown Sisters are able to keep the musical melodies alive.
The Northwest Community Gospel Chorus includes members from The Gospel Music Workshop of America (Portland/Vancouver Chapter) and various other music ministries and churches from Portland and surrounding communities. The Chorus also has participants from the Eugene and Corvallis areas. These choir members, soloists and musicians are persons who love to sing and proclaim the good news through the medium of gospel music. They count it an honor and a privilege to be given the gift of music and did not hesitate to come together when the call was made regarding this “Gospel Christmas” project.
Music is a universal language and knows no age barrier. This is certainly evident in this group of laypersons, professionals, high school students and retirees. Each is always open for the opportunity to perfect their God-given gifts and is dedicated to the perpetuation of gospel music as an original American art form to the world. The presentation of “A Gospel Christmas” with Mr. Charles Floyd and the Oregon Symphony allows them to do just that.
So, as we “Go Tell it on the Mountain” and declare “Joy to the World,” announcing our Savior’s birth, “Let the Praise Begin.”