Mark Lomax II To Perform With CSO Members At Freedom Center

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's (CSO) Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) presents a special performance at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) at 3 pm on Sunday, October 27. The concert features works by MAC Music Innovator and composer Mark Lomax, II, performed with members of the CSO. This event is open to the public and free with museum admission.

CSO musicians will collaborate with Lomax himself and the Mark Lomax Quartet to perform the 400 Years Suite, an hour-long excerpt from his work, 400: An Afrikan Epic. The piece marks 400 years since the start of the transatlantic slave trade and musically depicts the past, present and future of the Afrikan experience. (In this context, "Afrika" is spelled with a "k" to help decolonize the way many view the continent and the people of African ancestry.)

Lomax's work moves from ancestral unity through a devastating history of slavery and the complexity of the Black American experience. It ends with a hopeful musical portrait of a more just and equitable humanity for the future. "It is the intent of this composer to honor the strength, resilience, struggle, and triumph of Afrika and its diaspora," stated Lomax.

"We are extremely excited to be collaborating with the CSO," said Lomax, who is both composer and drummer. "Our pianist, Dr. William Menefield, is a native son, and many of our early performances took place in Cincinnati. To have reached a level of accomplishment where we can be in partnership with such an excellent ensemble and organization as the CSO is a dream come true."

This performance is open to the public and free with museum admission.

MAC Music Innovator program Lomax is the 2019-2020 MAC Music Innovator. The MAC Music Innovator program is a music residency that highlights leading African American classical musicians who embody artistry, innovation and commitment to education and community engagement. Supported by the CSO's Multicultural Awareness Council, the MAC Music Innovator participates in chamber music performances in schools and throughout the community. Previous MAC Music Innovators include pianist Michelle Cann and violinist Kelly Hall-Thompkins.

"The MAC Music Innovator is a program that's one of my favorites and near and dear to my heart," says Daphney Thomas, MAC Co-Chair. "It provides the community an opportunity to see dynamic artists who happen to be African American and display extraordinary talent and professionalism. This program also puts brown faces in front of little brown faces and says, 'If I can do this, YOU can too!'"

MAC celebrates 30 years with a series of special events The CSO's Multicultural Awareness Council began in 1989 with the vision of increasing awareness for CSO programs in diverse communities while offering guidance and leadership to the CSO with various inclusion initiatives. During the 2019-2020 season, MAC, led by co-chairs Daphney Thomas and Quiera Levy-Smith, celebrates its 30th anniversary with a series of special concerts and events.

In addition to Lomax's October 27 performance at NURFC, MAC is proud to support two other upcoming events:

On November 1 at 6 pm at Music Hall, historian and guest speaker Kori Hill will discuss the life and work of pioneering African American composer Florence Price and screen excerpts of the film, The Caged Bird: The Life and Music of Florence B. Price in advance of the CSO's performance of the American Life concert on November 15 and 16. Violinist Maxwell Fairman will also perform music by Price. The talk is free with registration.

On November 9 at 4 pm the popular Classical Roots Community Choir will host a concert at Allen Temple AME Church. This uplifting performance will feature members of the community representing choirs from around the region, all joining forces for a powerful afternoon of gospel and other choral works. The concert is free with registration.

For more information about these and other MAC 30 events, please visit the MAC website.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum of conscience, an education center, a convener of dialogue, and a beacon of light for inclusive freedom around the globe. Our mission is to reveal stories of freedom's heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring everyone to take courageous steps of freedom today.

Our physical location in downtown Cincinnati is just a few steps from the banks of the Ohio River, the great natural barrier that separated the slave states of the South from the free states of the North. Since opening in 2004, we have filled a substantial void in our nation's cultural heritage and illuminated the true meaning of inclusive freedom by presenting permanent and special exhibitions that inspire, public programming that provokes dialogue and action, and educational resources that equip modern abolitionists.

Sustaining Support The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is grateful for the support of the Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund of the Greenacres Foundation and for the thousands of people who give generously to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. This project is also supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Ohio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Orchestra acknowledges support from the following:

For more information about these concerts, visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org

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