Natalie Cole | The Sleepless Critic

Renowned conductor Charles Floyd talks Boston Pops’ annual Gospel Night and how his career began

Posted on June 10, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

For 27 years, the Boston Pops have made Gospel Night a highly-anticipated tradition. A glorious, enthusiastic audience which includes newcomers and returning fans greet conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd, the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, and a selection of guest artists. This year, award-winning Gospel singer Dottie Peoples headlines this year’s concert for one night only on Saturday, June 15 at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for tickets to this beloved annual event.

Renowned conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd talks about his longtime role with Gospel Night, its evolution, and having dreams he never imagined would come true.

Charles Floyd leading the Boston Pops (Stu Rosner)

Renowned conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd leading the Boston Pops Photo courtesy of Stu Rosner/Boston Pops

Sleepless Critic: The Boston Pops Gospel Night is an incredible event each year. The last time I went, it seemed like a nonstop celebration, joyfully continuing long after the concert was over.

The orchestra wants to go into overtime and that gets into an issue, but if the building is still open, there’s no reason why the choir can’t stay to do a couple more numbers if they enjoy singing and the audience is going to stick around. When the formalities are done, it’s a nice moment when people can just let their hair down.

SC: The concert is so uplifting, you don’t want to leave. You have been with Gospel Night for 25 years, almost since its start.

CF: I appeared the second year. I was called because the conductor the first year could not do it the second year. I had to take a year away back in 2004, so this is my 25th and it’s their 27^th, but I am celebrating 27 years just like they are.

SC: It must be amazing to see how it has evolved over the years.

It was a little bit nerve-wracking to put together an entire program, write orchestration that didn’t exist, and then learn the classics and light classics on top of having to cater to guests artists. We balanced out the program with Keith conducting the first part of the program and I conducted the third part of the program, Rhapsody in Blue.

Keith had to be at Tanglewood and other places as the date of Gospel Night moved around. That’s kind of how it happened. When the door opens, you walk through or the door might not open again and here we are.

Award-winning gospel singer Dottie Peoples Photo courtesy of Boston Symphony Orchestra

SC: Some of the best things happen spontaneously. This year, Dottie Peoples will be the featured artist on Saturday, June 15. Do you have a hand in who performs each year?

CF: I am involved in the process. I don’t always have control over who the artist will be because a certain artist I may want to work with may not be available, but they are nice enough at the Pops office to ask who they could look into. They come up with their own ideas too. We all put our cards on the table and explore the possibilities.

SC: You have been part of the Gospel Night tradition for so many years and you have performed all over the world. Music has been a part of your life since you were 4.

CF: I used to bang on cables and pretend like I was playing. Everybody thought it was cute. By the time I got to a piano, I was 4 and I was already taking out melodies and ordering things by year. It was another six months before I started taking formal lessons, but yeah, music has been a part of my entire life.

All through 10 years of conservatory and grad school, it was all piano. I was not a conducting major and I found myself in a situation where a conductor was needed. I was the only person who could step in at the time, so I got serious about conducting. I started studying all kinds of things such as opera, had to go through all the symphonies and all the major works of all the major composers.

I learned so much about accompanying singers with the baton from listening and attending operas. I played for singers my entire life, but to watch a conductor accompany a singer is something I don’t think a lot of people really appreciate at least the way that I did and what I learned from it. It’s been fun and as long as the work keeps coming in, that’s the greatest thing. Just to keep going.

SC: What have been your career highlights? I understand you also performed Howard Shore’s ‘The Lord of the Rings Symphony‘ at his request. That must have been tremendous.

If I had said when I was eight years old that I would be at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops or working with an orchestra at Carnegie Hall with James Taylor and Sting or sitting at an event next to Harry Belafonte or conducting orchestras for Natalie Cole or playing the piano for somebody else. These are usually once in a lifetime events and I’m grateful that they continue to happen. New things are coming in all the time and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful.

Click here for Gospel Night tickets, call SymphonyCharge at 1-888-266-1200, or visit the Symphony Hall box office during business hours at 301 Massachusetts Ave in Boston, Massachusetts. Follow The Boston Pops on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

REVIEW: Boston Ballet’s bold and exciting ‘Full on Forsythe’ kicks ballet up a notch

Posted on March 16, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

With all that Full on Forsythe has to offer, it is easy to forget any preconceived notions one may have about the ballet. The Boston Ballet takes on a wide variety of classic productions such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, as well as the upcoming performances of Cinderella in May and Coppelia starting March 21. Yes, ballet is steeped in tradition, but Full on Forsythe adds a bold, modern dimension to dance and this version is unconfined by any assumptions.

Boston Ballet in William Forsythe’s Pas/Parts 2018; photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet

The Boston Ballet continues Full on Forsythe at the Boston Opera House through Sunday, March 17. The Boston Ballet also recently announced a tour of Full on Forsythe in Paris next month. The production is divided into three parts with two intermissions. Click here for more information and tickets.

From catchy R&B to electronica to soul, acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe showcases a modern spin to the Boston Ballet’s signature moves creating fascinating visual portraits. Songs were taken from James Blake’s album, The Colour in Anything, including I Need a Forest Fire, I Hope My Life, and F.O.R.E.V.ER., music by Dutch composer Thom Willems, and music from popular R&B singers such as Khalid, Barry White, and Natalie Cole.

Lithe, athletic solo dancer Chyrstyn Fentroy kicked off this joyful, haunting, and romantic music journey with last year’s Pas/Parts 2018 in a dual colored leotard as dancers gradually multiplied. The industrial, tribal feel of Thom Willems music as dancers shift in shadows create a haunting intensity. The dancers spin and swing like part of seamless machine, hitting every last eccentric beat.

Patrick Yocum Boston Ballet in William Forsythe’s Playlist (EP); photo by Angela Sterling; courtesy of Boston Ballet

There are quite a few extended solos including Lasha Khozashvili, Sao Hye Han, Patrick Yokum, Issac Akiba, Ji Young Chae, Daniel Cooper, Patric Palkins, and Lia Cirio who all capture an intensity within the music and pulsing rhythm, depicting an myriad of exciting dance moves. Whether in a duet or solo, Patrick Yocum is a particularly wonderful dancer, soulful and charismatic each time he takes the stage. Click here for a closer look at the company.

Lia Cirio and Viktorina Kapitonova in William Forsythe’s Playlist (EP); photo by Angela Sterling; courtesy of Boston Ballet

Blake Works I offers a more intimate, romantic display, but also has its share of subtle and humorous moments, especially within the duets. Pairs Ji Young Chae and Seo Hye Han, Lia Cirio and Patric Palkens, and Jessica Burrows and Patrick Yocum have a great chemistry together as they entwine in each other’s arms in a part interpretive dance. At one point Patric Palken attempts to lift Lia, but she teasingly denies him before she joins him. It is a subtle moment, but it depicts the sweet chemistry and joy between the two.

Roddy Doble, Patrick Yocum, and Hannah Bettes in William Forsythe’s Pas/Parts 2018; photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy of Boston Ballet

The Boston Ballet is revered for its beautiful performances, but what sets Full on Forsythe apart is its universal appeal. The Boston Ballet’s must-see Full on Forsythe leads the audience on an enthralling, unique, and beautiful music journey that concludes on a jubilant, mesmerizing note.

The Boston Ballet continues to offer an opportunity to learn more about ballet through The Warm Up, an interactive, photo-friendly display located in the lower lobby.

The Boston Ballet continues Full on Forsythe at the Boston Opera House, 539 Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts through Sunday, March 17. They also recently announced a tour of Full on Forsythe in Paris next month. Click here for more information and tickets. For future events and more, follow Boston Ballet on Facebook and Twitter.

Cambridge Symphony Orchestra’s renowned conductor Cynthia Woods discusses ‘Angels and Heroes’ and describes her inspiration

Posted on March 9, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

On International Women’s Day, the Sleepless Critic pays homage to women who are making their mark around the world. One woman who is thriving in the Boston area and beyond is renowned Cambridge Symphony Orchestra (CSO) conductor, Cynthia Woods.

Cynthia has toured around the world and put together Cambridge Symphony Orchestra’s latest show, ‘Angels and Heroes,’ a one day only concert performance on Sunday, March 17 at Kresge Auditorium at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Click here for more information and tickets. The Sleepless Critic interviewed her about her exciting music background, what inspires her, ‘Angels and Heroes,’ and her future plans.

Photo courtesy of Cambridge Symphony Orchestra

Sleepless Critic: Grammy award-winning composer Nan Schwartz has not only composed arrangements for Natalie Cole and is from a long line of women composers, but she has also created orchestration for several films such as My Week with Marilyn, Life of Pi, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, and Julie and Julia. What inspired the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra to take on Nan Schwartz’s latest work, the 15-minute trumpet tone poem, ‘Angels Among Us?’ I understand this piece will be performed live for the very first time.

Cynthia Woods: I met Nan Schwartz a few years ago and immediately thought her music would be a great way to broaden our programming. I asked her to keep me in the loop about her works for concert orchestra and she very kindly did.

Simultaneously, I was actively looking for some fresh concertos that use the brass to break up the piano or violin concerto routine and found a great fit when I heard Angels Among Us. Its beautiful lines and lush melodies evoke shimmering imagery and its rich, jazz influence brings a breath of freshness to the concert repertoire.

SC: One of the featured soloists for the afternoon is trumpeter Joseph Foley. He has performed all over the country and his first solo CD makes its debut this year. How did he become part of this performance? I understand this is a particularly challenging piece.

CW: I knew I needed an exceptional trumpet player who was also very comfortable crossing idioms and had a range that went much higher than what is considered standard. Joe, whom I have known for years, came to mind right away as the perfect choice.

SC: It is easy to see why this performance is called ‘Angels and Heroes’ because Joseph Schwanter’s powerful piece, ‘New Morning for the World’ pays tribute to the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Reverend Ray Hammond of Bethel AME Church will narrate some of Dr. King’s most acclaimed speeches.

CW: As you know, Art reflects the times we live in and the struggles we face as a society. I wanted to program something that reflected some of our current struggles we face while adding a historical context. Schwantner’s brilliant ‘New Morning for the World’ was a perfect choice. Dr. King preached hope and love and Schwantner represented that by using bold, fractured rhythmic cells to represent the unrest and despair of inequity against the soaring, vocal-like writing of the strings and brass.

The text is drawn from a series of some of King’s most famous speeches including ‘Behind the Selma March’ ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ and ‘I Have a Dream.’ We are thrilled Reverend Dr. Raymond Hammond is joining us to narrate these speeches and to bring renewed life and hope to Dr. King’s words.

SC: The theme of this concert is using your voice to break through feelings of powerlessness. Please expand on that. I understand the pieces in this performance complement each other.

CW: Yes, all the works in some way celebrate the human spirit and its ability to transform our lives for the better. The ‘Angels’ of Schwartz’s work are the ordinary people such as parents, teachers and friends, who, in the quietest way, change our lives for the better. Schwantner reminds us while we may face many challenges and heartbreak in life, we must have hope for change ‘because the arm of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice’ (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). The Sibelius, which was inspired by the simple beauty of 17 swans soaring overhead, reminds us of the simple beauty and inspiration our lives hold on a daily basis.

SC: You have worked all over the world. Please tell me what first inspired you to choose a career in music and what has been your favorite career moment so far?

CW: My parents enrolled me in a Preschool for the Performing Arts when I was three, and I think I have had the music bug ever since. I have very vivid childhood memories from when my folks would take my brother and me to the local orchestra concerts, which were conducted by the pioneering conductor Catherine Comet. My eyes were glued to her and thought it looked like fun! My passion for music began early and never dimmed.

I have so many wonderful memories. One of my favorite moments might be our recent ballet production of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. It ended up being everything I could have hoped for artistically as a synthesis of music and dance, two of my favorite art forms.

SC: Is there a particular conductor that has inspired you over the years?

CW: It’s hard to choose because there are so many wonderful conductors out there, but my favorite one would be Bernard Haitink if I had to choose. He seems to overflow with music every time he performs.

SC: I understand you conducted Conrad Pope’s The Little Match Girl, such a compelling tale. You also worked on Morgan Neville’s documentary on Amar Bose. Please tell me more about that.

CW: Two seasons ago, the CSO was very fortunate acclaimed Hollywood composer Conrad Pope agreed to write The Little Match Girl for us. With youth runaways and homelessness at an all time high, we envisioned a tone poem outlining a story that is still very relevant today. Instead, it found its essence as a ballet filled with various scenes of our heroine’s life, from snow ball fights to teasing a grumpy old man to her vivid memories of her grandmother waiting for her in heaven. Due to this evolution, both Pope and I hope to see it fully staged at some point in the future.

I worked with Morgan Neville on his documentary about Amar Bose filmed on location at various parts of MIT where Bose was a student and he designed where the CSO performs, the Kresge Auditorium. Anytime you work with artists of different fields, it gives you a broader sense of your own idiom. It was an inspiring and rewarding experience.

SC: When you are not conducting, you are also a lecturer and writer. Any new projects you’d like to let people know about?

CW: We are busy planning lots of great things for our 45^th anniversary season next year including a newly commissioned ballet of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. We also hope to commission a new work for our Family Concert series as well as continue to highlight diverse and relevant programming that inspires our audiences. I think it will be our most challenging and rewarding season yet.

Cambridge Symphony Orchestra’s latest show, ‘Angels and Heroes‘ will be held Sunday, March 17 at Kresage Auditorium at MIT. Click here for more information on Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and for tickets.

Renowned conductor Charles Floyd talks Boston Pops and Gospel Night’s 25th anniversary featuring CeCe Winans

Posted on June 15, 2017 by The Sleepless Critic

For 25 years, the Boston Pops has made Gospel Night a highly-anticipated tradition. A glorious, enthusiastic audience which includes newcomers and returning fans greet Conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd, the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, and a selection of guest artists. This year, multiple Grammy award-winning Gospel singer Cece Winans headlines this special 25^th anniversary concert for one night only on Saturday, June 17 at Symphony Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for tickets to this monumental concert event.

Renowned conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd talks about his longtime role with Gospel Night and its evolution as well as dreams he never imagined coming true.

Renowned conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd leading the Boston Pops Photo courtesy of Stu Rosner/Boston Pops

Sleepless Critic: The Boston Pops Gospel is an incredible event each year. The last time I went, it seemed like the Boston Pops Gospel Choir was a nonstop celebration, joyfully continuing even after the concert was over.

Charles Floyd: Everybody looks forward to that part of the program because it is probably the most energetic. The music can be very exciting and uplifting. We like to feature something that the gospel choir performs without the orchestra. The orchestra wants to go into overtime and that gets into an issue, but if the building is still open, there’s no reason why the choir can’t stay to do a couple more numbers if they enjoy singing and the audience is going to stick around. When the formalities are done, it’s a nice moment when people can just let their hair down.

SC: The concert is so uplifting you don’t want to leave anyway. You have been with Gospel Night for 23 years, almost since its start.

CF: I appeared the second year. I was called because the conductor the first year could not do it the second year. I had to take a year away back in 2004, so this is my 23^rd and it’s their 25^th, but I am celebrating 25 years just like they are.

SC: It must be amazing to see how it has evolved over the years.

Gospel Night at the Boston Pops (Stu Rosner)

Gospel Night at the Boston Pops Photo courtesy of Stu Rosner/Boston Pops

CF: It’s been an honor to be a part of it. I was working with Miss Natalie Cole for close to 14 years. We had done a few concerts with the Boston Pops, and at the time, Maestro Lockhart and I were in the running in some capacity to step in. Keith got the gig and I was very happy for him. It was great for the community and I was somewhat new, and so they called and asked if I had done that sort of thing. I said I have and only had about 6 weeks’ notice to prepare. It was little bit nerve-wracking to put together an entire program, write orchestration that didn’t exist, and then learn the classics and light classics on top of having to cater to guests artists. We balanced out the program with Keith conducting the first part of the program and I conducted the 3^rd part of the program, Rhapsody in Blue. Keith had to be at Tanglewood and other places as the date of Gospel Night moved around. That’s kind of how it happened. When the door opens you walk through or the door might not open again and here we are.

SC: Some of the best things happen spontaneously. This year, CeCe Winans will be the featured artist on Saturday, June 25. Do you have a hand in who performs each year?

CF: I am involved in the process. I don’t always have control over who the artist will be because a certain artist that I may want to work with may not be available, but they are nice enough at the Pops office to ask who they could look into. They come up with their own ideas too. We all put our cards on the table and explore the possibilities. CeCe is big in the Gospel world and was available. We’re really excited to have her as our guest.

Legendary, Grammy award-winning Gospel singer CeCe Winans Photo courtesy of the Boston Pops

SC: Will there be any surprises on this 25^th anniversary celebration?

CF: I don’t think I’ll be flying in from the balcony on a cable, but we do have a few things. (Laughs) The first part of the program is mostly Americana. We’ll start the program with Fanfare for The Common Man. It recently would have been JFK’s 100^th birthday. Maybe the first part will feature the music of John Williams edited together and text added from the speeches of the late president JFK called, Let the Word go Forth. Some of the music by John Williams will accompanying the narration is from the movie, JFK. We are just going to celebrate a little Americana with CeCe Winans and the choir is going to perform some favorites over the past 25 years. We may never get out of there. (Laughs)

SC: It is fitting since the Boston Pops season is dedicated to John Williams this year.

CF: Absolutely. Tying the program together with Boston Pops tradition as well as the Gospel music tradition and its history has been a challenge and a lot of fun. I look forward to it as well as some many other people.

Boston Pops John Williams leads Film Night, 6.6.14 (Stu Rosner)

Acclaimed composer and conductor John Williams leads Film Night Photo courtesy of Stu Rosner/Boston Pops

SC: I’m glad you have been part of the Gospel Night tradition for 23 years and I know you performed all over the world. Music has been a part of your life since you were 4.

CF: That’s when I finally got to a piano. I used to bang on cables and pretend like I was playing. Everybody thought it was so cute. By the time I got to a piano, I was 4 and I was already taking out melodies and ordering things by year. It was another six months before I started taking formal lessons, but yeah, music has been a part of my entire life.

You never know what life is going to hold when you are young. Just because you start playing the piano no matter how good or bad you are at it, there is no guarantee of what the future will hold. I took physics and journalism just as a back up in high school, but once I got to college, I dedicated myself completely to music and didn’t try to be a master of all trades. All through 10 years of conservatory and grad school, it was all piano. I was not a conducting major and I found myself in a situation where a conductor was needed, I was the only person who could step in at the time, so I got serious about conducting. I started studying all kinds of things such as opera, had to go through all the symphonies and all the major works of all the major composers. I learned so much about accompanying singers with the baton from listening and attending operas. I played for singers my entire life, but to watch a conductor accompany a singer is something I don’t think a lot of people really appreciate at least the way that I did and what I learned from it. It’s been fun and as long as the work keeps coming in, that’s the greatest thing. Just to keep going.

SC: What have been your career highlights? I understand you also performed Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings Symphony at his request. That must have been tremendous.

Charles Floyd and Melinda Doolittle perform on a Gospel Night Program in 2010 (Stu Rosner)

Charles Floyd and Melinda Doolittle perform on Gospel Night in 2010. Photo courtesy of Stu Rosner/Boston Pops

CF: I was trying to explain it to my sister and family not long ago. People talk about having their dreams come true. My situation is a little backwards. It’s not a question of my dreams not coming true, but most everything that has transpired in my career were things I never dreamed of in the first place. If I had said when I was eight years old that in 2017, I would be celebrating 25 years at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops or working with an orchestra at Carnegie Hall with James Taylor and Sting or sitting at an event next to Harry Belafonte or conducting orchestras for Natalie Cole or playing the piano for somebody else. These are usually once in a lifetime events and I’m grateful that they continue to happen. New things are coming in all the time and I couldn’t be more grateful and happier.