December 4, 2010 would have been Alex North's 100th birthday! Many events are taking place around the world this year to commemorate the centennial.
The Michael Teolis Singers (
www.mtsingers.org) will be presenting Alex North’s cantata, Negro Mother May 1, 2010 as the centerpiece of their annual spring concert in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. This jazzy and insightful work, to the poem by Langston Hughes, was composed and first performed in 1940 and believed to have had its last performance in New York in 1947. The Michael Teolis Singers’ performance will be the Midwest premier of the work. The piece was written for mezzo-soprano, mixed chorus (SSAATTBB), and piano. Famed Chicago- area soprano, Alfreda Burke, will be the featured soloist.
A university in Thailand, spearheaded by Harry Currie, will be performing "Parade March" from "Devil's Brigade."
The Tenerife Fimucite 2010 (July, 2010) will feature a 30-minute Alex North tribute on the closing night of the Festival.