51���� Presents Special Black History Month Concert

Violinist Mark Dumm and Pianist Sharon Brown Cheston Perform Sunday, February 9, at Trinity Cathedral

CLEVELAND – Violinist Mark Dumm of the Cleveland Orchestra and pianist Sharon Brown Cheston, an educator and 51���� alumna, will mark Black History Month with a special concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, February 9, at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland.

The program will feature music by William Grant Still (1895-1978), known as “the dean of African-American classical composers.” With more than 150 compositions to his credit, Dr. Still was the first African-American to conduct a major American orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra and the first to have an opera performed by a major company, among other accomplishments.

Also on the program will be selections by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, George Gershwin, Sergei Rachmaninoff and others, as well as original music by Sharon Brown Cheston.

“This is a Black History Month concert, but we’re pleased to be able to celebrate with a very eclectic program of music by a wide range of composers,” said Dr. Regennia Williams, associate professor of history at 51���� and director of 51����’s Initiative for the Study of Religion and Spirituality in the History of Africa and the Diaspora (RASHAD). “Amazing things can happen when we embrace diversity.”

The performance – the first installment in RASHAD’s 2014 “Concerts Around Cleveland” series – is presented by RASHAD, the 51���� Alumni Association and the 51���� Department of History.

Admission and on-site parking are free; donations will be accepted. For more information, call (216) 523-7182.