KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Speaking of Music: Olly Wilson, 1987, 1 of 2

Analog Audio

Event Type

Interview and Music

Origin

KPFA

Identifier

SOM.1987.11.05.A

Program Series

Speaking of Music

Program Length

115 min

Part

1 of 2

Dates

| broadcast
| 1987-11-05 | created

Description

Recorded on November 5, 1987 as part of the San Francisco Exploratorium’s Speaking of Music series, Charles Amirkhanian interviews Olly Wilson about his life growing up in St. Louis and the influence that the music of the African American churches of his childhood had on his work as a composer. We hear his reworking of the African American spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", his "Sinfonia" which had recently been performed by the Boston Symphony, and his work "No More" which was inspired by the political situation in South Africa during the apartheid years.

Genres

Electro-Acoustic / Electronic
20th century classical

Musical Selections

Sometimes (1976) -- Sinfonia [1st movement] (1983) -- Sinfonia [2nd movement] (1983) -- Sinfonia [3rd movement] (1983)

Performers

William Brown, vocals (Sometimes)

Subjects

Electro-acoustic
Electronic music
20th century classical
African American composers
Spirituals (Songs)
Songs (High voice) with electronics
Orchestral music
Symphonies

Related places

San Francisco (Calif.) (was recorded at)
Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)

Related Entities

Amirkhanian, Charles
Wilson, Olly, 1937-
Brown, William, 1938-2004