The Trust Performing Arts Center

Thank you Hannah Joelle Photography for capturing our board room window so beautifully!

We are so pleased to be hosting the #lancasterinternationalpianofestival TONIGHT as they present UYEN HOANG NGUYEN - Pianist . Tune into the livestream at 7:00pm April 9 here: https://millersville.zoom.us/j/91855728769 . Vietnamese pianist Uyen Nguyen has been playing the piano since the age of five. Formerly a student of Dr. Amy Gustafson, she is now a student at Mannes School of Music under the guidance of Professor Pavlina Dokovska. ... . Recently she has won several prizes, including 2nd prize in the Marian Garcia International Piano Competition, 1st prize in the MTNA competition in the state of Pennsylvania, 1st prize in the Rondo Young Arts Vanguard Competition, 1st prize in the Golden Key Festival competition, 3rd prize in the International Grande Music Competition, and Honorable Mention in the Bradshaw and Buono. Previously, she won a Gold Medal at the Piano Competition and Asian Music Festival in Korea and Second Prize in the CEG Festival in Hanoi. She has attended The Stony Brook International Piano Festival, Porto Pianofest, Palmetto International Piano Festival, the Gijon International Piano Festival, and the PYPA Online Piano Festival. . She has performed in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Recital Hal, and she has played in master classes for world-renowned teachers such as Peter Takacs, Jean Saulnier, Douglas Humpherys, Jerome Lowenthal, Spencer Myer, Logan Skelton, James Giles, and José Ramón Méndez. See more

Today we highlight three legends of the stage and screen: James Hewlett (1821 1839) Hewlett was a stage actor and the co-creator of African Grove Theatre in New York City. He is best known for starring in African Grove's performance of Richard III (pictured). After the theatre closed, he toured and performed excerpts from plays, even traveling to the United Kingdom and performing in Liverpool (though evidence of this visit is limited). Historian Shane White suggests tha...t Hewlett was perhaps "the best-known black New Yorker" in 1831. Hattie McDaniel (1895 1952) McDaniel was an African-American actress, singer, songwriter, and comedian. She appeared in over 300 movies and was the first black woman to sing on the radio in the United States. She is most well known for playing Mammy in Gone with the Wind, and being the first African-American to win an Oscar! Despite her huge successes, McDaniel was not not allowed to attend the premier of Gone with the Wind, as it showed at White-only theaters, and had to get special permission to attend the Oscars Ceremony Where she was put at a segregated table at the far side of the room. At the time of her death in 1952, her wish to be laid to rest in the Hollywood Memorial was denied, as the cemetery was still segregated. In 1999, on the 47th anniversary of McDaniel's death, the cemetery dedicated a cenotaph in her honor. Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020) Boseman began his career as a playwright and theater director before transitioning to the big screen. He played important historical characters in several movies, but became internationally famous for his performance in Black Panther as Marvel’s first black superhero. Representation matters, and Chadwick’s legacy as T'Challa, King of Wakanda, will continue to inspire and lend strength to everyone who looked up to and saw themselves in him. May he rest in peace.

We wanted to take these next few days to highlight some influential individuals in the arts during this amazing month of recognizing and celebrating our black brothers and sisters. Their contributions and lives have helped make the arts what they are today! #celebrateblackhistory #BlackHistoryMonth Here we have two historic African-American musicians and one who is presently living and influencing. George Washington Johnson (1846 1914)... Johnson was born a slave. After being freed, he became the first African-American musician to make commercial records. In 2014, The Library of Congress added Johnson's "The Laughing Song" to the National Recording Registry, marking his contribution to the industry and his historical influence as a Black, musical pioneer. Marian Anderson (1897 1993) Anderson is an important figure in the ongoing African-American struggle to overcome racial prejudice in the arts. On April 9, 1939, when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow her to perform at Constitutional Hall because of the color of her skin, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Franklin D. Roosevelt arranged for Anderson to sing on the steps of the Lincoln memorial for an integrated crowd of more than 75,000 people plus the millions who listened on the radio. Anderson later became the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera (1955), as well as the White House. Stevie Wonder (1950present) Wonder has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling and most successful musical artists of all time. His use of synthesizers and electronic musical instruments during the 1970s challenged and reshaped the R&B genre. He has won 22 Grammy Awards and was the first Motown artist and second African-American musician to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

We wanted to share this lovely rendition of "Gabriel's Message" by the King's Singers. Happy Christmas week!