Events Michael Arnowitt in the Hayloft

Michael Arnowitt will present a variety of classical and jazz piano pieces by and about the African-American experience.

A special feature of the program will be music by the great Black classical musician George Walker, with selections from his Sonatas no. 1 and no. 2 including a theme and variations set on a Kentucky folk song, showcasing the dynamic, sparkling, and powerful music of this outstanding composer. Walker was the first African-American concert pianist to perform major piano concertos with the greatest American symphony orchestras in the period after World War II and the first Black composer to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Also performed will be Leslie Adams’ beautiful and expressive Etude in G minor, music by the African-American Cleveland native who just died in 2024 at the age of 91 that combines romantic melodies with jazz-tinged harmonies.

Michael Arnowitt will also play the Nigerian composer Joshua Uzoigwe’s “Ukom” from the composer’s set of piano pieces “Talking Drums,” music evoking the traditional drumming and singing of celebratory memorial music of southeastern Nigeria.

A highlight of the program are some excerpts from William Grant Still’s colorful “Lenox Avenue,” depicting street scenes in Harlem, originally performed in 1937 by the Los Angeles WPA Symphony Orchestra as part of President Roosevelt’s Federal Music Project during the Great Depression.

Arnowitt will wear his jazz pianist hat to close the program with his original jazz composition “Chicago Avenue” in memory of George Floyd and a performance of “Afro Blue,” the 1959 Mongo Santamaria classic made famous by the saxophonist John Coltrane, a tune incorporating the rhythm of African drumming mixed with the feel of the jazz blues uniquely created by American Black musicians.

Tickets $25 per person