Hayden Neumann

Playlist: Song & Celebration for Juneteenth

By Hayden Neumann and Mary Lathem

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were finally informed of their freedom nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The anniversary of that day became Juneteenth, a globally celebrated holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and honors African American culture and achievements. Since the earliest Juneteenth celebrations over 150 years ago, themes of family togetherness, freedom, progress, and the continued struggle for equity that Black Americans face have been at the forefront.

We’re celebrating Juneteenth 2023 with jubilant works written by African American composers, many of which paint heartfelt pictures of faith, family, liberation, and identity. Wishing all WDAV friends and family members who are celebrating this weekend a joyful and meaningful Juneteenth!

  1. Lift Every Voice and Sing (John Rosamond Johnson) – We Shall Overcome (The Boys Choir of Harlem)
  2. Fanfare on Amazing Grace (Adolphus Hailstork) – Hailstork: Orchestral Music (Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Joann Falletta)
  3. Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin) – Joplin: Piano Rags, Vol. 1 (Alexander Peskanov)
  4. The Princeton Grand March (Francis “Frank” Johnson) – Those Fabulous Americans (Symphony Orchestra of America)
  5. Simon Bore the Cross: III. The Trial (Margaret Bonds) – Margaret Bonds: Credo; Simon Bore the Cross (Langston Hughes, Malcolm J. Merriweather, The Dessoff Choirs, The Dessoff Orchestra)
  6. Piano Quintet in A Minor: III. Juba (Florence Beatrice Price) – Uncovered, Vol.2: Florence B. Price (Catalyst Quartet)
  7. Violin Concerto in D Major: 2. Rondo Burlesque (Wynton Marsalis) – Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite (Nicola Benedetti, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cristian Măcelaru)
  8. Troubled Water (Margaret Bonds) – Some Of These Days (Lara Downes)
  9. Short Piece for Orchestra (Julia Perry) – Music of Talma, Fine, Perry, Daniels & Howe (Imperial Philharmonic of Tokyo, William Strickland)
  10. Symphony No. 1 in E Minor: IV. Finale, Presto (Florence Beatrice Price) – Florence Price: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin)
  11. Cyclone Galop (Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins) – Halley’s Comet: Around the Piano with Mark Twain & John Davis (John Davis)
  12. Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra: :I (George Walker) – Lilacs (Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Russell)
  13. Strum (Jessie Montgomery) – Strum: Music for Strings (Catalyst Quartet)
  14. Tale Of Two Powers 1 (Terence Blanchard) – BlacKkKlansman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Terence Blanchard)
  15. Suite for Violin and Piano: I. African Dancer (William Grant Still) – Roots (Randall Goosby, Zhu Wang)
  16. Suite from “The Quiet One”: Street Wanderings (Ulysses Kay) – Works for Chamber Orchestra (Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra, Kevin Scott)
  17. Piano Concerto No. 1: III. Lento-Vivace (Adolphus Hailstork) – Elfman: Violin Concerto, ‘Eleven Eleven’ – Hailstork: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Stewart Goodyear, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Joann Falletta)
  18. There Is a Balm in Gilead (Arr. W.L. Dawson for Choir) (William L. Dawson) – The Spirituals of William L. Dawson (Marvis Martin, The St. Olaf Choir, Anton Armstrong)
  19. Movement IV: Southwestern Shakedown (Wynton Marsalis) – Blues Symphony (Philadelphia Orchestra, Cristian Măcelaru)
  20. Basque Folk Song (Clarence Cameron White) – But Not Forgotten (Marcus Eley, Lucerne DeSa)
  21. 3 Spirituals for Orchestra: No. 3. Oh Freedom (Adolphus Hailstork) – Hailstork: Orchestral Music (Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Joann Falletta)
  22. Afro-American Suite for Flute, Cello and Piano: II. Allegro molto e marcato (Undine Smith Moore) – Flute and Piano Music by Composers of African Descent, Vol. 2 (Laurel Zucker, John Cozza, Jia-Mo Chen)
  23. Negro Folk Symphony: III. O Let Me Shine! (William Dawson) – Dawson & Kay: Orchestral Works (ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Arthur Fagen)
  24. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing (John Rosamond Johnson) – The Essential Leontyne Price: Spirituals, Hymns & Sacred Songs (Leontyne Price, Charles Gerhardt, National Philharmonic Orchestra)


Playlist: Road to Summer 2023

by Hayden Neumann

Round up the crew and hit the road: we’ve got you covered for those long summer drives! WDAV’s Road to Summer playlist keeps you moving with classical favorites all about the season of sun (and life’s winding journeys). Safe travels, and enjoy the ride!

  1. Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op.46: I. Morning Mood (Edvard Grieg) – Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites/Sibelius: Valse Triste (Berliner Philharmoniker)
  2. The Wider View: To the Road! (Harrison Leslie Adams, Jr.) – Love Rejoices (Darryl Taylor)
  3. String Quartet in B Flat Major, Hob.III: 78, Op.76, No. 4 – “Sunrise”: IV. Finale (Allegro ma non troppo) (Joseph Haydn) – Haydn: String Quartets “Emperor”; “Sunrise”/Mozart: String Quartet “The Hunt” (Amadeus Quartet)
  4. Porgy and Bess: Summertime (George Gershwin) – The Voice of Leontyne Price (Leontyne Price, ErichLeinsdorf, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra)
  5. Twelve Études, Op. 10: No. 8 in F Major “Sunshine” (Frédéric Chopin) – Chopin (Maurizio Pollini)
  6. Summerland (William Grant Still) – In My Own Voice- Music for Violin and Piano (Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Craig Ketter)
  7. Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été, Op. 7, H 81b: I. Villanelle, H 82b (Hector Berlioz) – Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été (Théophile Gautier, Véronique Gens/Louis Langrée/Orchestre De L’Opéra National De Lyon)
  8. La corbeille de fleurs, Valse, Op.9 (Teresa Carreño) – Carreño: Piano Music (Clara Rodriguez)
  9. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G Major, K.525: I. Allegro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) – The London Symphony Orchestra: The Top 100 of Classical Music (London Symphony Orchestra)
  10. Summer Night on the River (Frederick Delius) – Fantasia on Greensleeves (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner)
  11. VII. July. Song of the Reaper (Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky) – Tchaikovsky: The Seasons (Mikhail Pletnev)
  12. Before and After Summer (Gerald Finzi) – Finzi: I Said To Love/Let Us Garlands Bring/Before and After Summer (English Song, Vol.12) (Roderick Williams, Iain Burnside)
  13. Symphonie Fantastique, Op.14, H 48: II. Un Bal (Hector Berlioz) – Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis)
  14. Invierno Porteño (Astor Piazzolla) – Piazzolla 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires (Astor Piazzolla)
  15. Barber: Summer Music, Op. 31: I. Slow and Indolent (Samuel Barber) – American Classics: Samuel Barber (Jeanne Baxtresser, Joseph Robinson, Stanley Drucker, Judith LeClair, Philip Myers)
  16. Symphony No. 3, “The Sunday Symphony”: I. The Awakening: Moderately Fast (William Grant Still) – Still: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 – Wood Notes (Fort Smith Symphony, John Jeter)
  17. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, Op.8 No.1 RV 269 “Spring”: I. Allegro (Antonio Vivaldi) – The Four Seasons (Itzhak Pearlman, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra)
  18. The Sound of Trees: Apaisé, Boisé (Camille Pépin) – The Sound of Trees (Orchestre De Picardie, Arie Van Beek, Julien Hervé, Yan Levionnois)
  19. The Seasons, Op. 67: VIII. Scene 3, L’Eté (Alexander Glazunov) – Glazunov: The Seasons & Violin Concerto (Neeme Järvi, Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
  20. Miroirs: Une Barque Sur L’Océan (A Boat on the Ocean) (Maurice Ravel) – Ravel: Miroirs (Sorana Jagi)
  21. Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden: V. Summer (Paul Reade) – English Fantasy: Music for Clarinet and Orchestra (Emma Johnson, Philip Ellis, BBC Concert Orchestra)
  22. Barber: Summer Music, Op.31: III. Lively, Still Faster (Samuel Barber) – American Classics: Samuel Barber (Jeanne Baxtresser, Joseph Robinson, Stanley Drucker, Judith LeClair, Philip Myers)
  23. Summer Dreams, Op.47: No. 2, Robin Redbreast (Amy Beach) – Beach: Complete Works for Piano Duo (Genova and Dimitrov Piano Duo)
  24. Mozart: Divertimento No. 11 in D Major, K. 251: I. Allegro Molto (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) – Mozart: Divertimenti K136, K137, K138 & K251 (Apex) (Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman)
  25. But Not For Me (George Gershwin) – Summertime (Le Trio)
  26. Overture to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Op. 21: Allegro Di Molto (Felix Mendelssohn) – Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (London Symphony Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner)
  27. Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op.22: III. Leidenschaftlich Schnell (Clara Schumann) – Clara Schumann & Great Female Composers (Lisa Batiashvili, Alice Sara Ott)
  28. The Seasons, Op. 67: IX. Valse Des Bluets Et Des Pavots (Alexander Glazunov) – Glazunov: The Seasons & Violin Concerto (Neeme Järvi, Royal Scottish National Orchestra)