Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Garth Fagan Dance Brings Music of William Chapman Nyaho to Rochester, New York

[Dr. William Chapman Nyaho, Pianist, Professor and Music Editor]

On Nov. 3, 2008 AfriClassical posted “William Chapman Nyaho Plays Lamothe, Ndodana, Perkinson & Price in Garth Fagan Dance”. RochesterCityNewspaper.com published this preview on Dec. 3, 2008 of the Rochester performances from Dec. 4-7: “PREVIEW: Garth Fagan Dance, Call Waiting, By Casey Carlsen” “Audiences will gain a glimpse into the personal world of Garth Fagan - Tony Award winner, modern dance icon, and Rochesterian - with the local premiere of his revealing new work, 'Phone Tag, Thanks & Other Things,' this weekend. The dramatic action and emotional content of the piece evolves from actual messages left for Fagan on his cell phone and replayed on stage. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis tries to reach his friend, and the exasperation in his voice strikes a humorous chord. It's a sharp contrast to the poignancy of hearing Fagan's adult son contacting him from abroad after months of silence, identifying himself as Fagan's 'prodigal son.' 'Thank you for all the time you took in making me a man,' the son's message says.”

"'Phone Tag, Thanks & Things' first premiered at the Joyce Theater in New York City in November. Besides Depass, the piece features Annique Roberts, Guy Thorne, Lynet' Rochelle, Khama Phillips, and Norwood Pennewell. The music is composed by Bongani Ndodana (South Africa), Florence Price (USA), Ludovic Lamothe (Haiti), and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (USA), and recorded on piano by William Chapman Nyaho.” [William Chapman Nyaho, Florence B. Price, Ludovic Lamothe and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson are profiled at AfriClassical.com]

No comments: