Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Op. 46 - Ballade Op. 4 - Suites from “24 Negro Melodies” National Philharmonic, Curtis Stewart & Michael Repper

• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 - 1912): Toussaint L’Ouverture, Op. 46:
• 1 Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Op. 46 17:15
• Ballade in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 4:
• 2 Coleridge-Taylor: Ballade in D Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 4 12:53
• 3 Selections from “24 Negro Melodies”:
• 3 Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections from “24 Negro Melodies”: I. Deep River (America) [Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Curtis Stewart and Hamilton Berry] 05:26
• 4 Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections from “24 Negro Melodies”: II. They Will Not Lend Me a Child (Southeast Africa) [Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Curtis Stewart and Hamilton Berry] 05:02
• 5 Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections from “24 Negro Melodies”: III. The Angels Changed My Name (America) [Arr. for Violin and Orchestra by Curtis Stewart and Hamilton Berry] 04:45
• Suite from “24 Negro Melodies”:
• 6 Coleridge-Taylor: Suite from “24 Negro Melodies”: I. I’m Troubled in Mind (America) Op. 59 No. 14 [Orchestration by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; ed. Patrick Meadows, Lionel Harrison, 2012] 04:57
• 7 Coleridge-Taylor: Suite from “24 Negro Melodies”: II. Intermezzo – Don’t Be Weary, Traveler (America) Op. 59 No. 12 [Orchestration by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; ed. Patrick Meadows, Lionel Harrison, 2012] 03:10
• 8 Coleridge-Taylor: Suite from “24 Negro Melodies”: III. Scherzo – Ringendjé: Song of Conquest (South Africa) Op. 59 No. 5 [Orchestration by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; ed. Patrick Meadows, Lionel Harrison, 2012] 03:04
• 9 Coleridge-Taylor: Suite from “24 Negro Melodies”: IV. Lament – They Will Not Lend Me a Child (Southeast Africa) Op. 59 No. 4 [Orchestration by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; ed. Patrick Meadows, Lionel Harrison, 2012] 04:22
• 10 Coleridge-Taylor: Suite from “24 Negro Melodies”: V. Finale – Alla Marcia – Oloba (West Africa) Op. 59 No. 7 [Orchestration by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; ed. Patrick Meadows, Lionel Harrison, 2012] 05:42
• Total Runtime 01:06:36

Info for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Op. 46 - Ballade Op. 4 - Suites from “24 Negro Melodies”

Grammy Award winning conductor Michael Repper leads the Washington D.C. based National Philharmonic in a celebration of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – an album of world-premiere recordings commemorating the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Joining the party is Grammy nominated violinist Curtis Stewart who contributes his own arrangements of S C-T’s works. AVIE Records was at the forefront of resurrecting the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, with the world-premiere recording of his Violin Concerto released in 2004. This album features new performance editions of Toussaint L’Ouverture, Ballade Op. 4, and the Suite from ‘24 Negro Melodies'.

I was drawn to an approach of dealing with the history of slavery within one’s family, the ownership of a name and its ‘rebranding’ – reflecting on the American Slave and how Black Americans deal with creating a sense of pride, familial storytelling and lineage in contemporary America. This notion of ‘rebranding’ extends to the ‘Negro Melody’… My intent with these arrangements is to acknowledge the impact of those melodies on current popular culture, and reflect that influence onto the orchestral stage – to create moments where listeners may participate vocally, with movement, or rhythmically clapping along – to maintain a sense of belonging and recognition – to create community around this music in the classical concert hall – to embrace where all contemporary American Concert music extends from, in my belief – America’s mother-music: the Blues.’ – Curtis Stewart

Curtis Stewart, violin
National Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Repper, conductor

Curtis Stewart
Praised for ‘combining omnivory and brilliance’ (New York Times), six-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated violinist and composer Curtis Stewart translates stories of American self-determination to the concert stage. Stewart is the Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, and member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet and The Mighty Third Rail. He was awarded a 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence and nominated for GRAMMY® Awards in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. As a soloist, Curtis Stewart has been presented by Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cal Performances, Washington Performing Arts, Virginia Arts Festival, The Juilliard School, and the 2022 GRAMMY Awards®, among many others. He has been commissioned to compose new solo, chamber, and orchestral works for the Sphinx Virtuosi and Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW, Seattle Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, and members of the New York Philharmonic, The Knights, Sybarite5 and Royal Conservatory of Music, among others. An enthusiastic educator, Curtis Stewart currently teaches at The Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program, and for ten years led all levels of music theory and orchestra at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in NYC.

National Philharmonic Orchestra
Celebrated for showcasing world-renowned guest artists in time-honored symphonic masterpieces, National Philharmonic (NatPhil) continuously strives to create remarkable educational opportunities in the community while promoting diversity and representation in classical music.

NatPhil was formed in 1985 as the Montgomery Chamber Orchestra, later becoming the National Chamber Orchestra. In 2005, it merged with Masterworks Chorus to become National Philharmonic, and took up residence at The Music Center at Strathmore, where it still performs.

The National Philharmonic is an accessible, enriching component in the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan Area, believing that music has the power to spark imagination and shape the world around us. Over the years National Philharmonic has expanded its footprint, with year-round masterclasses along with Summer String Institutes for youth, a Youth Mentorship Program, and partnerships with other arts and community organizations. In addition to these programs, National Philharmonic fosters a love of music in young people across the region by offering free admission to all children between the ages 7 to 17 years old.

Michael Repper
GRAMMY® winning conductor Michael Repper enjoys an international reputation for his committed and deeply informed performances, energetic stage presence, and a remarkable ability to create an affinity between different ensembles and their audiences. As a music director, Repper aims to build meaningful, long-term projects, and to become embedded in the communities where he serves.

In 2023, Repper became the youngest North American conductor to win a GRAMMY® Award in the Best Orchestral Performance category, for the album Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman (Avie Records, AV2503). He is the only person to have led a youth orchestra to this achievement: the New York Youth Symphony, which Repper conducts on the album. The piano soloist is Michelle Cann.

Repper is currently the Music Director of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia, and appears around the world as a guest conductor. Alongside the standard repertoire, Repper is invested in programming new music and showcasing fresh talent. His ensembles have performed dozens of world premieres and pursued innovative commissions, including many Carnegie Hall premieres.

For his growing profile as a conductor, Repper was awarded a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Booklet for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Op. 46 - Ballade Op. 4 - Suites from “24 Negro Melodies”