Celebrating African American Composers – Two Composers of Note
This spring, The Canticle Singers are looking forward to performing two works by Black composers: Now Let Me Fly by Stacey V. Gibbs, and Wanting Memories by Ysaye M. Barnwell.
The joyful Now Let Me Fly incorporates the traditional spiritual I’ll Fly Away and celebrates overcoming life’s challenges and obstacles. Wanting Memories expresses appreciation for the gifts our departed loved ones have given us, and how living out these gifts uplifts us in times of need.
Stacey V. Gibbs is an acclaimed composer, best known for arrangements of spirituals, whose works have been performed by such groups as The Fisk Jubilee Singers, The United States AIr Force Singing Sergeants, The St. Olaf College Choir, the Stellenbosch University Choir, and The King’s Singers. His work was performed at the 57th Inaugural Service for President Barack Obama. He made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in 2017 and formed the ensemble Stacey V. Gibbs & Just Music in 2018.
Ysaye M. Barnwell was destined to be a musician. Named after the virtuoso violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe, she has composed music for dance, choral, and film, and performed as a member of the Grammy Award-nominated ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock. Ms. Barnewell holds degrees in speech pathology, cranio-facial studies, and public health. For over a decade, she taught at the Howard University School of Dentistry. A sought after clinician, conductor, singer, and actor, she is also a well-known author of the celebrated children’s books, No Mirrors in My Nana’s House (1998) and We are One (2008).
