Telling Stories That Matter: Charlotte Blake Alston, American Griot
02/04/22 • 28 min
Which stories are worth repeating? This question has driven storyteller, narrator, and longtime Philadelphia Orchestra collaborator Charlotte Blake Alston throughout her more than 30-year career.
On this episode of the HearTOGETHER Podcast, American griot Charlotte Blake Alston joins host Tori Marchiony for a candid conversation about her transition from being a teacher to a full-time creative, the pillars of her craft, and her responsibility to honesty as a steward of both African-American and African folktales and lived histories.
MUSIC:
DVORAK, Symphony No.9
The Philadelphia Orchestra
BERNSTEIN, Symphony No.3 (Kaddish)
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker
BARBER, Adagio for Strings
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.
Which stories are worth repeating? This question has driven storyteller, narrator, and longtime Philadelphia Orchestra collaborator Charlotte Blake Alston throughout her more than 30-year career.
On this episode of the HearTOGETHER Podcast, American griot Charlotte Blake Alston joins host Tori Marchiony for a candid conversation about her transition from being a teacher to a full-time creative, the pillars of her craft, and her responsibility to honesty as a steward of both African-American and African folktales and lived histories.
MUSIC:
DVORAK, Symphony No.9
The Philadelphia Orchestra
BERNSTEIN, Symphony No.3 (Kaddish)
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker
BARBER, Adagio for Strings
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Charlotte Blake Alston Speaker
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.
Previous Episode
Composing Across Cultures - Reena Esmail
What does “home” sound like to you? For composer Reena Esmail, this was a question of invention, not recollection. Today, she is celebrated for the seamless interplay between her Western and Hindustani influences in her music, but her journey through craft, culture, and creativity was winding and often treacherous.
In this episode of HearTOGETHER, composer Reena Esmail joins host Tori Marchiony for a heartfelt conversation about growing up between two cultures and two religions, the toxicity of competition, and the importance of constantly challenging her own worldview.
Music in this episode:
- ESMAIL, Piano Trio - Suzana Bartal - piano, Peter Myers - cello, Vijay Gupta - violin
- ESMAIL, This Love Between Us: Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415, David Hill, conductor -- with Rabindra Goswami, sitar and Ramu Pandit, tabla
- ESMAIL, Take What You Need - Street Symphony and Street Symphony Chamber Singers -- Shelley Fox, soprano
- ESMAIL, Interglow: Salastina Music Society - Maia Jasper White - violin Kevin Kumar - violin Meredith Crawford - viola Yoshika Masuda - cello HyeJin Kim - piano Benjamin Smolen - flute
- ESMAIL, Zeher - Brooklyn Rider - Johnny Gandelsman, violin, Colin Jacobsen, violin, Nicholas Cords, viola, Michael Nicolas, cello
Thanks to
Noel Dior & Tim German, Editorial Council
Teng Chen, Audio Engineer
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.
Next Episode
From Programming to Progress: MLK Day Live Recording
Reflections on programming, progress, "the American dream," and more!
On January 17th, 2022, as part of The Philadelphia Orchestra's annual day of free community programming in observance of Martin Luther King Jr day, an audience gathered in the Perelman Theater at The Kimmel Center for From Programming to Progress, a live panel discussion with pianist Michelle Cann, Juilliard ethnomusicology professor Dr. Fredara Hadley, and music directoress of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church and CEO of Next Step Associates, Dr. Cassandra Jones, plus a spotlight interview with Andrea Custis (CEO, Urban League Philadelphia). NOTE: In this episode, Dr. Jones laments the last-minute exclusion of Total Praise from the MLK Tribute concert. This omission was the result of COVID-related complications that made the CAPA choir unavailable to perform as planned and not due to a lack of interest. The Philadelphia Orchestra looks forward to including the piece next year.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.
HearTOGETHER Podcast - Telling Stories That Matter: Charlotte Blake Alston, American Griot
Transcript
[TORI MARCHIONY VOICEOVER] Hello! And welcome back to the HearTOGETHER Podcast from The Philadelphia Orchestra. I’m your host, Tori Marchiony. And this is a space to hear from the artists and activists working to create a more equitable future- inside and outside the concert hall.
Our guest today is Charlotte Blake Alston, a Philly-raised, internationally renowned master storyteller, librettist, singer, narrator, and multi-instrumentalist, celebrated for her a
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