Lettie Alston

Lettie Beckon Alston (1953 – March 31, 2014)[1] was an American composer known for her piano work and a longstanding series of concerts, "Lettie Alston and Friends".

Biography

Alston was born in 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, United States.[2]

Alston attended Wayne State University for her undergraduate and masters degrees.[3] In 1983, she earned her doctorate in musical composition from the University of Michigan (UM), where she had studied with Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom and Eugene Kurtz.[2][3] She was the first African American to earn this degree from UM.[3]

In 1991, Alston joined the faculty at Oakland University as associate professor of music in the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance.[1]

Work

Alston's work included traditional, as well as electronic instruments.[4] She composed for orchestra, chamber and vocal groups.[4]

In 1995, Alston started a series of concerts at Oakland University called "Lettie Alston and Friends".[5] The concerts featured contemporary classical music usually based around a central theme.[3][5] The last of these concerts took place in 2008.[3]

In 2001, her work was recorded on a two-CD set, Keyboard Maniac.[6] The set highlighted both her work on acoustic and electric piano.[6]

Alston died on March 31, 2014, while vacationing in Hawaii.[1]

Selected works

Instrumental Solos

Violin

Pulsations (unaccompanied). 1974, revised 1993. Duration 10:00. Three movements. Recorded by Gregory Walker, Kaleidoscope: Music by African-American women (Leonarda CD-LE339). Library: AMRC, IU-USM. Available from: Alston.[7]

Oboe

Three implied jesters (unaccompanied). 1975. Available from: Alston. [7]

Percussion

Visions (piano, marimba). 1979, revised 1993. Duration: 7:00. Performances include Larry Kaptein, marimba, Lettie Beckon Allston, piano, University of Michigan Symposium on Black Women Composers, August 1985. Library: AMRC. Available from: Alston. [7]

Piano

Four moods for piano. 1993. Duration: 12:00. Performances include the Unisys African-American Forum Chamber Music Concert, Orchestra Hall, Detroit, April 1993. Library: AMRC, IU-USM. Available from Alston.[7]

Moods for piano. 1975. Duration: 5:00. Library: AMRC, Available from Alston.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Alumni | class notes | Deaths" (PDF). Oakland University Magazine. Oakland University. Summer 2014. p. 31.
  2. ^ a b Gray, Anne (2007). The World of Women in Classical Music. La Jolla, Calif.: WordWorld. pp. 211. ISBN 978-1-59975-320-1. OCLC 123539910.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Lettie Beckon Alston Scores and Other Material". Black Metropolis Research Consortium. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Walker-Hill, Helen (2007). From Spirituals to Symphonies: African-American Women Composers and Their Music. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 42. ISBN 978-0-252-07454-7. lettie alston and friends.
  5. ^ a b Stryker, Mark (February 6, 2004). "Big Weekend for the DSO". Detroit Free Press. p. 44. Retrieved December 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Stryker, Mark (May 20, 2001). "Detroit Disc". Detroit Free Press. p. 70. Retrieved December 14, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e Walker-Hill, Helen (1995). Music by Black women composers : a bibliography of available scores. Chicago: Center for Black Music Research, Columbia College. ISBN 0-929911-04-0. OCLC 31971765.
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