Tuesday, November 17 · Facebook LIVE and YouTube · 7pm

As we get ready for our next televised concert on WQLN PBS, join Music Director Daniel Meyer and renowned special guests Jean Snyder and Eddie Pleasant for an amazing discussion, with live musical examples, on the life and times of Erie’s own Harry Burleigh.

Tune in to our Facebook page and YouTube Channel starting at 7pm!

Then, be sure to tune in Thursday night at 8pm to WQLN PBS for the world premiere of three Burleigh spirituals arranged for orchestra by the incredibly talented Christina Dolanc.

Jean Snyder

Tell us about your training as a historian. As an English teacher and a lover of literature, and as a singer and a lover of music, I have always been interested in the history of literature and music. Reading African and African American literature piqued my interest in African and African American history. As an ethnomusicologist, I learned the importance of studying how music functions in people’s lives. Studying Harry T.Burleigh’s life and music has taught me the critical importance of understanding and portraying the historical and social context of his life. Now I’m hooked—there is always more to learn!

How did you discover Burleigh as a subject you wanted to research and write about?
When a friend in Kenya told me, "I need some spirituals; I don't care what they are, just as long as they are arranged by H. T. Burleigh," I didn't realize I'd been listening to recordings of his spiritual arrangements by Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson for years. When I wrote my first graduate seminar paper on Burleigh's life and music, I was astounded to discover the depth and breadth of his contribution to the music of America and the world, and I realized that much of his story hadn’t been told. With the help of Burleigh’s family and the endlessly fascinating search in many primary sources, I have been privileged to help make that story more complete.

What were the most challenging aspects of your project on Burleigh? Were you able to overcome them?
I soon discovered that the "usual sources" would not take me very far; there were primary sources that had not been tapped by previous writers on Burleigh's life. For example, the time-consuming search in microfilms of black newspapers in Erie, PA (before there were online databases) yielded priceless information. Additionally, there were many errors and contradictions in published accounts of Burleigh’s life. I needed to learn the truth if at all possible, however long that might take. In some ways, not being on the "publish or perish" tenure track allowed me to take the years of research that were required to do Burleigh's story justice. It has been a deeply enriching journey. 

What are you curious about these days? What’s attracting your research attention?
While the search for more information and insight into Burleigh’s life and music continues, I’m also looking at the lives of some of Burleigh’s contemporaries whose stories need to be told. There is so much to learn about these African American musicians and their seminal contributions to the music and the musical theater of America: "The half has never yet been told!”

Dr. Jean Snyder is the author of Harry T. Burleigh: From the Spiritual to the Harlem Renaissance.

Eddie Pleasant

Edward Pleasant, baritone, is recognized as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. Critically acclaimed in both opera, musical theater and recordings, he has distinguished himself as a gifted actor with brilliant comic timing and a luscious baritone voice. Pleasant champions the proliferation of the artistic contributions of early 20th century African-American writers, singers and composers, through live performances and recordings, propelling their works into the 21st century for the education and enjoyment of today's global audience. He appears on no less than a dozen recordings and operatic compilations.

Mr. Pleasant appears in the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's recordings of Black Manhattan Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Both recordings for New World Records garnered praise for Pleasant's performances as being "marvelous" and "beautifully sung." He can also be heard in the definitive recording of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, also for New World Records. This historic recording was designated a BBC Music Magazine 'Opera Choice' and Gramophone Magazine 'Editor's Choice' in the year of its release. His discography also includes a recording of The Seven Last Words of Christ for Gothic Records, Kurt Weill's The Flight of Lindbergh for Voices International, and a special 250th Anniversary edition of The Music of Mozart for the Madacy label. Pleasant is also the demonstration voice on the popular Karaoke Opera Series recordings of baritone arias. His latest project is a recording of the music of Irving Berlin for New World Records, set for release in January, 2016.

A native of Midland, Texas, Pleasant gained national attention when he appeared with the New York City Opera as Jake in Porgy and Bess, which included an Emmy-nominated Live from Lincoln Center telecast on PBS. This historic telecast marked the first time a live performance of the Gershwin masterpiece had ever been televised. He reprises this role both nationally and abroad. Mr. Pleasant returned to New York City Opera in other productions, including the premiere of Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison and their annual Vox Series showcases. Additional roles include Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutee, Giuseppe Palmieri in The Gondoliers, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, Jacques in The New Moon, Zodzetrick in Joplin's Treemonisha, Harriet Tubman's father in a touring production of Freedom Train and Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime, the Musical. Recent career highlights include his being the first to realize the role of Sam Perry in a contemporary opera entitled Strange Fruit by Chandler Carter and Joan Ross Sorkin for Harlem School of the Arts, and his starring in a one man show about the life of Nat "King" Cole called Sincerely, Nat, which Pleasant also wrote and produced.

Pleasant performs on the world's most prestigious concert stages, including Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He appeared as a soloist with the world-renowned Moses Hogan Chorale and he has sung in other prominent venues such as the Texas State Capitol and the White House. His numerous oratorio and orchestral credits include Bach's St. John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Beethoven's Mass in C, Brahms' Requiem, Ellington's Sacred Selections, Handel's Messiah, Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs and Robert Ray's Gospel Mass. He is in high demand as a narrator/storyteller performing the perennial children's favorites Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, Tubby the Tuba, The Thrill of the Orchestra and most recently a new work, Uzu and Muzu from Kakaruzu.

In recent seasons, Mr. Pleasant has toured with the "Storytime Quartet with Eddie Pleasant" as narrator/storyteller. He is a co-founder and producer of this venture dedicated to classical music outreach. STQ is designed to introduce young audiences to great literature and the world's finest music. In February, he returns to the National Philharmonic in a concert version of Porgy and Bess at the Strathmore Arts Complex, North Bethesda, Maryland. He recently performed Antonin Dvorak's Hiawatha Melodrama in an innovative multimedia presentation. He eagerly anticipates the release of Black Manhattan III on the New World Records label due out in November.