The Colour of Music Festival returns to Charleston with a repertoire of performances February 6th-10th, at varied historic venues showcasing leading black classical artists from the U.S., Canada, France, and Colombia South America. The Library Society is pleased to host a composer spotlight with Dame Shirley J Thompson, OBE, a leading British composer, academic, and artistic director. Thompson is a celebrated visionary who has just completed a composition commissioned for King Charles’ inauguration and is thrilled to attend two performances here in Charleston where her compositions will be featured and performed by the all-female chamber orchestra of Colour of Music and the Colour of Music Festival Quintet.
Join us for a special conversation on our stage with Shirley, moderated by Dr. Christopher Brooks.
Tickets are $25 for Adults, $20 for Seniors, and $15 for Students with a school ID.
Tickets*: To purchase Click HERE to be redirected to the Colour of Music Festival website.
About Dame Shirley J. Thompson, OBE:
The music of composer Shirley J. Thompson is performed and screened worldwide and is often described as “beautiful and powerful” (Le Figaro). A visionary artist and cultural activist, Thompson is the first European woman to have composed and conducted a symphony within the last 40 years. New Nation Rising, A 21st Century Symphony performed and recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is an epic musical story celebrating London’s thousand-year history, and one in which the RPO is accompanied by two choirs, solo singers, a rapper and drummers, a total of nearly 200 performers. This extraordinary work was originally commissioned for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the concept was latterly assumed as a framework for the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. She has also composed extensively for TV/film, theatre, dance, and opera productions.