Duke Ellington’s sacred works for chorus among concert’s highlights

Houston Ebony Opera Guild proudly announces its ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC GALA: A Concert of Works by Black Composers.  A special highlight of this year’s  program will be selections from Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington’s  renowned  “Sacred Concerts.”   Featured also will be works by R. Nathaniel  Dett,  Roland Carter,  and the premiere performance of  new compositions by  three Houston composers:  Roy Belfield, John Cornelius ll, and Calvin Vincent Fuller.  Roland Carter will conduct  Houston Ebony Opera Guild’s 48-member chorus with accompaniment by pianist John Cornelius II and organist Roy Belfield.  Coming to Houston especially for this occasion will be guest soloist DeVonne Gardner who will perform selected  Ellington pieces.  As a vocalist, Ms. Gardner performs internationally and is  renowned  as a leading interpreter of the sacred music of  Duke Ellington. 

The ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC GALA will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, March 1, 2015 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston 77002.  Tickets are available online at www.houstonebonymusic.org  or  by telephone at 713-335-3800.  Tickets are $30 each in advance or $35 at the door.  A special rate of $25 per ticket is available for groups of 10 or more.

Since 1992, AFRICAN  AMERICAN MUSIC GALA has been sponsored by annually by Friends of Houston Ebony Opera Guild, a 30-member group of volunteers whose current chairperson is  Linda Hollins.

Note To Media:

Dr. Jason Oby, artistic director of Houston Ebony Opera Guild, is available for interviews.