38th Annual Conference: Events & Excursions
Special Events
Wednesday Evening, 14 March
Opening Reception
8:00 – 10:00 p.m
Thursday Evening, 15 March
6:30 p.m. Reception with Musicians
C. Shaw Smith 900 Room,
Knobloch Campus Center
8:00 p.m. Gospel SHOUT! Performance
Duke Family Performance Hall
Davidson College
Featuring the high-energy trombone “shout band” tradition of the United House of Prayer for All People, bluegrass gospel from the Cockman Family, and a cappella African American singing by Men Standing for Christ. An evening celebration of religious roots music presented by the Davidson College Friends of the Arts and the Davidson College Music Department.
Friday Afternoon, 16 March
10:15 a.m. Special Panel
11:30 a.m. Lecture-Recital
A luncheon reception will follow the recital. All are invited.
The Black Composer Speaks: Cross-Generational Discussion of The Trials
and Triumphs of the Contemporary Black Composer
In 1978 the landmark monograph The Black Composer Speaks was released. It featured interviews that addressed the plight of the African American composer, individual compositional approaches and repertory. Each was and continues to be signified as some of the seminal African American compositional voices within the spectrum of American classical music. This special session seeks to further the conversation started by this book through a roundtable discussion with composers T.J. Anderson, Adolphus Hailstork and Anthony Kelley. These composers will discuss the plight of the contemporary composer as well discuss issues of accessibility to the concert hall and how they have managed to withstand the changing culture of classical music in the new millennium.
Songs My Mother Taught Me: Song cycles of T.J. Anderson and Adolphus
Hailstork
This lecture-recital will feature of selected song cycles written by composers T.J. Anderson and Adolphus Hailstork. The works featured during this concert were written for and debuted by famed soprano Louise Toppin (University of North Carolin, Chapel Hill).
Friday Evening, 16 March
SAM Honorary Member for 2012: Doc Watson
7:00 - 7:45 p.m.
The Society for American Music will induct North Carolina native Doc Watson as its newest Honorary Member at the 2012 conference in Charlotte. An iconic figure in the folk-music revival, he has been both a preserver of old-time Appalachian music and an innovator whose influence manifests in country, folk, and bluegrass styles. Mr. Watson will be present at the ceremony, which will also include remarks by SAM members Ron Pen, Kip Lornell, and Greg Reish. Those wishing to learn more about Doc Watson's career and immeasurable contributions to American music can visit: http://www.folkloreproductions.com/DocWatson.html.
Saturday Evening, 12 March
Closing Banquet
Friday Afternoon Excursions
Guided Tour of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Cost: $5.00 (Limited to 50 registrants. Additional tours can be added.)
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opened in 2010 and houses an important collection of mid-20th-century artists, including works by Miró, Giacometti, Picasso, Calder, Warhol, Tinguely, Le Corbusier, and many others.
Walking Tour of Uptown Charlotte
Cost: $7.00 (Limited to 25 registrants.)
Get a quick introduction to the history of Charlotte, from Charlotte's heyday in the 1930s as a recording hotspot for country, gospel, and blues to the city's current boom as the US's second largest banking center. Led by Charlotte history authority Dr. Tom Hanchett of the Levine Museum of the New South, the tour will also include a music history-themed guided tour of the Museum. (Click here for some of Dr. Hanchett's work on Charlotte music.)
Tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway
Cost: $25.00 (Minimum number required.)
With roots tracing back to bootleggers during the time of Prohibition, automobile racing has become an important part of American culture for some in the Southeast. Come tour the Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of the most important NASCAR racetracks. The excursion will start with a bus ride out to the Speedway and then enjoy a tour of the complex, including a chance to experience the extreme 24-degree banking turns on the track as you take a lap around the 1.5-mile track.
For additional information, contact Mariana Whitmer at the Society for American Music.