Black History Month: James Lee III, George Walker, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Jessie Montgomery, Nkeiru Okoye

James Lee III

Years Lived: b. 1975

Period: Contemporary

Country: United States

James Lee III is an American composer and pianist  who actively performs and composes today. The Columbia Orchestra performed his Chuphshah! Harriet's Drive to Canaan in February of 2017. 

James Lee III was born in Michigan in 1975. He studied composition with Michael Daugherty and Betsy Jolas among others. He received all three of his degrees from University of Michigan including an undergraduate degree in piano performance, and Master's and Doctorate in composition. He now lives in the Baltimore, Maryland area and works as Associate Professor of Music Theory at Morgan State University. 

Lee composes for a variety of instrument combinations including orchestra, band, chamber ensembles, solo piano, vocal works, and choral pieces. His style has been described as, “tonal but highly complex” (South Florida Classical Review) and “vibrant [and] richly layered” (Baltimore Sun).

 

Here is Lee's "Yoshiyahu," Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Orchestra performed by the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra and here is James Lee III speaking about his music.

George Walker

Years Lived: 1922-2018

Period: Contemporary

Country: United States

George Walker was an American composer who was the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1996. His career saw many firsts for black musicians/composers.

Walker was born in Washington DC in 1922. He started studying piano when he was just five years old and went on to study at Howard University in DC while he was still in high school. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory when he was only 18 and then went on to study further at Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he was the first black graduate of the school. 

Walker's first public recital as a composer was given in New York City in the famous venue The Town Hall where he was the first black musician to perform. He also was the first black musician to solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra where he performed Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. He also was the first black student to receive a Doctorate from Eastman School of Music in 1956.

Walker went on to compose and work as a composition professor at Dalcroze School of Music, Smith College, Rutgers University, and Peabody Conservatory.

In 1996, George Walker received the coveted Pulitzer Prize in Music for his work, Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra, premiered by the Boston Symphony. Walker composed over 90 works over his lifetime, composing works for solo instruments, piano sonatas, orchestral music, choral music, among others. 

 

Listen to George Walker's beautiful Lyric Strings, performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. This YouTube video includes more about Walker, including an interview with him at the age of 90.

Jessie Montgomery

Years Lived: b. 1981

Period: Contemporary

Country: United States

Jesse Montgomery is a composer and violinist based in New York City. Her parents worked in the theatre and music industries, sparking Mongomery's interest at a young age. Jesse attended Julliard for Violin Performance and then earned her Master's Degree in composition for film from New York University. 

Montgomery is an artist in residence with Sphynx Organization, an organization that supports young African-American and Latinx string players through competitions and outreach programs focused in underprivileged areas. 

Montgomery has composed nine chamber pieces, three vocal works, eight orchestral works, as well as music for film.

The Columbia Orchestra performed her orchestral work, Strum, on our virtual concert, Appalachian Spring which premiered in November. Watch it here! Montgomery talks about her music in this YouTube video from New Music USA. For more information, visit her website. 

Daniel Bernard Roumain

Years Lived: b. 1970

Period: Contemporary

Country: United States

Daniel Bernard Roumain is an American composer known for incorporating rock, funk, hip-hop, and classical music into his compositions. 

Daniel Bernard Roumain (or as he prefers to be known as, DBR) grew up in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area. He attended an arts high school and went on to study music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. From there he went to University of Michigan and earned his doctorate in composition. 

The Columbia Orchestra performed Roumain's Harlem Essay in February of 2007 and La, La, La, La in December of 2018 and a movement of his String Quartet No. 5: Parks was performed on a Columbia Orchestra chamber concert in September of 2019.  Some of his other works include an opera, chamber music, orchestral music, mixed ensemble (chamber music featuring electronic instruments), band music, vocal music, and more. To learn more about Daniel Bernard Roumain and his ongoing projects, visit his website.

 

Here is a YouTube video of an interview with Daniel Bernard Roumain when he was artist-in-residence with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.  Here is a video of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra performing Roumain's "Klap Ur Handz" from his String Quartet No. 5 "Parks."

Nkeiru Okoye

Years Lived: b. 1972

Period: Contemporary

Country: United States

Nkeiru Okoye is an American composer and musician. Her music shows heavy influence from many genres and styles, including Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, the George and Ira Gershwin, Aaron Copland, gospel music, jazz music, and more. 

Okoye was born in New York City. Her mother was African American and her father was Nigerian, so she spent her childhood between the United States and Nigeria. At the age of 8, she started learning piano and at 13 she started composing. Okoye attended the junior division of Manhattan School of Music and went on to study at Oberlin Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio. 

Okoye's most famous piece is Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed that Line to Freedom, a two act theatrical work telling the story of Harriet Tubman's life and how she came to be the conductor of the Underground Railroad. Some of Okoye's many other works include Voices Shouting Out (which the Columbia Orchestra performed in December of 2012), Invitation to a Die-In, and Charlotte Mecklenburg. For more information on Nkeiru Okoye's works, projects, and a FAQ, you can visit her website. 

 

Here is Okoye's Voices Shouting Out performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.