STRINGS OF COLOR ORCHESTRA PRESENTS “THE SOUNDS OF BLACK HISTORY”
UP and COMING TALENT, SPECIAL GUESTS HIGHLIGHT INAUGURAL PERFORMANCE
PLANO (February 11, 2008) – Timeless pieces by Scott Joplin, Billie Holiday and Motown will be presented in “The Sounds of Black History” concert, the inaugural performance of the Strings of Color Orchestra, on Sunday, February 24 at The Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. Showtime is 1:30 p.m. Six of the musicians are from Plano.
Adding their fabulous music to the evening are guest vocalist Andrea Williams and flutist Donald Bohanon-Williams. The show opens with the jazzy sounds of local band Mike Whitley Project.
Designed for up and coming young musicians, Strings of Color Orchestra members range from middle school to college-level experience, said SOC Founder and Conductor Ron Planks. Hopeful students from across north Texas auditioned for the orchestra last summer; nineteen are in the orchestra. Tajette Travenia is Associate Conductor of Strings of Color and a member of the Appassionato String Quartet.
“We’re really excited about our first concert,” Planks said. “Strings of Color Orchestra – and ‘The Sounds of Black History’ performance – is the realization of a dream I’ve had for years. The musicians have worked day and night to perfect the music, but we’ve had a lot of fun too, because the music is familiar and lively. How can you not be upbeat when you’re playing Scott Joplin or Motown? We’ve worked hard to make this a reality – it’s still hard to believe it’s really going to happen!”
Planks, director of the award-winning Plano ISD Williams High School Orchestra and member of the north Dallas-based Appassionato String Quartet, founded SOC in 2007.
“Strings of Color was born out of a desire to provide young string players of all racial backgrounds a venue to showcase their talent, with our target audience being string players within the African American community,” Planks said. “I remember coming through my public school orchestra program and being one of maybe two African-Americans in my string program. But times have changed and you see so much diversity in all music classes, but especially the orchestra room.”
Jazz, Pop and Rhythm and Blues may not be the usual fare for orchestras, but to Planks, it’s all great music.
“We want to provide an opportunity for young musicians to perform in a traditional orchestral setting and to expose our young musicians to the traditional orchestral literature as well as the best of music from musical genres such as Jazz, Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel,” he said. “Those may be seen as non-traditional orchestral music but it is great music nonetheless. And quite simply, people love to hear music they recognize. There is so much wonderful music out there that hasn’t been scored for string or full orchestra and Ms. Travenia and I would love to be able to do more arrangements of mainstream music.”
SOC members have been working and practicing long and hard in anticipation of their first performance Feb. 24. Members are: Ariel Bowman (violin, Murphy), Xavier Degrate (violin, Murphy), Bree’Anna Farlough (cello, Richardson), Andrew Hodge (cello, Murphy), Xavier Hubbard (violin, Richardson), Mickala Johnson-Gomez (cello, Carrollton), Stephanie Jones (cello, Carrollton), Daniel Lattimore (violin, Murphy), Kimberlee Manora (cello, Plano), Curlita Meshack (violin, Dallas), Qoice Sanders (violin, Dallas), Jasmine Scott (violin, Plano), Eden Sirak (violin, Richardson), Alexis Smith (violin, Richardson), Alex Robinson (viola, Plano), Ramfis Swoopes (cello, Plano), Savannah Thigpen (cello, Plano) and Sedrick Wall (bass, Plano).
Tickets for “The Sounds of Black History” are on sale now at The Eisemann Center website, or by phone at 972-744-4650. Ticket prices range from $8 to $25. Students and seniors receive 20 percent off tickets $15 or higher. Group ticket purchases of 10 or more also receive a 20 percent discount. The Eisemann Center is located at 2351 Performance Drive in Richardson, Texas 75082.
About Strings of Color Orchestra
The Strings of Color Orchestra was founded in 2007 by Ron Planks to provide an orchestral experience for all young musicians. This unique orchestra is designed for people of all colors, ranging from middle school to college level experience. SOC performs a variety of works including literature from the traditional repertoire as well as the best of new music, such as Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Gospel. Visit www.stringsofcolor.com for more information.
About Ron Planks
Strings of Color Orchestra Founder and Conductor Ronald Planks is in his tenth year as director of orchestral studies at Williams High School in Plano, TX. Mr. Planks received his Bachelor of Music Education and Masters of Music degrees from Sam Houston State University where he studied conducting with Dr. Carol Smith. While at Sam Houston, he studied violin and viola with Dr. James Gardner and Joy Plesner respectively. Prior to his present position, Mr. Planks taught in the Bryan and Spring Branch Independent School Districts. His orchestras have consistently won Sweepstakes awards at the UIL Concert and Sight-reading Contests. Mr. Planks also has had several students selected for region and all-state orchestras. Mr. Planks resides in Plano, Texas and performs extensively as a freelance musician and is a member of the north Dallas-based Appassionato String Quartet.
About Tajette Travenia
Strings of Color Orchestra Associate Conductor Tajette Travenia began her advanced musical studies at Sam Houston State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in December 2000. While attending SHSU she studied violin with Joy Plesner, conducting with Dr. Wayne Barrett, and served as concertmistress of the SHSU Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Travenia cultivated her love for education by teaching private lessons in the Klien and Woodlands Independent School Districts. She began her formal teaching career as the Assistant Orchestra Director at Creek View High School in Carrollton, Texas and served as Head Orchestra Director at Vines High School in Plano, Texas. Ms. Travenia presently performs with the "Appassionato String Quartet" in Dallas, along with teaching private lessons to many young string players in the Mesquite ISD.
About Andrea Williams
Andrea Williams, a native of Fort Worth, was first introduced to music in church, where she sang her first solo at the age of three. At 16 she helped form a local gospel group and began traveling throughout Texas. Along with her sister-in-law Carla Williams, Andrea and Carla began singing duet as the dynamic duo “ReVeal,” traveling cross-country and releasing two CDs under the U-Turn Music Group label, along with JR productions. God has blessed Andrea to share the stage with such names as John P. Kee, Kirk Franklin, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Karen Clark Sheard, The Canton Spirituals, Sherrie Shephard (from TV’s “The View”) and many others. Andrea and her husband Dr. Roderick Williams Sr. reside in Dallas and have three beautiful children who continue to be Andrea’s greatest inspiration.
About Donald Bohanon-Williams
Donald L. Bohanon-Williams is a Dallas-area freelance flutist, as well as, a private flute instructor. He attended the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., where we studied with Dr. Ronda Mains. Donald then moved to Dallas, Texas and began private studies with Dr. Mary Karen Clardy, flute professor at the University of North Texas. In 2005, Donald was invited to attend Southern Methodist University as an Artist Certificate student in Flute Performance, and graduated May 2007. Donald was recently invited to perform with the critically acclaimed flutist Gary Schocker in spring 2008. Donald is currently a private student of Claire Johnson, former flute professor at Southern Methodist University.
About Mike Whitley Project
Mike Whitley is a jazz artist residing in north Texas. Encouraged by his parents to pursue music, Mike began playing drums at age nine and the guitar at age 13. In high school and college, he played guitar in several R&B and blues bands before settling on jazz. Mike received formal guitar instruction during his undergraduate studies at the University of Arkansas. After arriving in north Texas, he joined a smooth jazz band and continued studying the music of guitarists Lee Ritenour, Norman Brown, and Peter White. Mike continues to pursue his passion for jazz as seen in the songs he wrote for his album Smooth Ride (available at www.CDbaby.com). Mike leads the Dallas-area Mike Whitley Project quartet, playing guitar with drummer Carlton Dean, keyboardist Warren Patrick, Percussionist Mike Franklin, and bassist Mike Carter.
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