Zenobia Powell Perry

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Zenobia Powell Perry (1908–2004) was an American composer born in Boley, Oklahoma who spent much of her life in Dayton, Ohio. She attended and taught in a number of historically black colleges and universities.

Biography

Early life and education

Zenobia Powell was born on October 3, 1908 to Physician Dr. Calvin B. Powell and Birdie Thompson Powell (who had some Creek Indian heritage) in the (at that time) predominantly African American town of Boley, Oklahoma. In 1925 she graduated from Boley High School and went on to study at Cecil Berryman Conservatory, Tuskegee Institute and Hampton Institute. Powell completed her Masters in Music in composition at Wyoming University in 1954, where she studied under Alan Willman, Darius Milhaud and Charles Jones.

Career

From 1941—1945 Perry taught at the Colorado State Teachers College. Two years later, she taught at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where she remained until 1955. From 1955-1982, she was a faculty member and composer-in-residence at Central State University, in Wilberforce, Ohio. In 1987, Perry's opera, Tawawa Housepremiered at Central State University.

Personal life

In 1932 she was married to violinist "King" Earl Gaynor. They had a son, Lemuel, who died in 1944, and they later divorced in 1933. In 1941 she married Jimmie Rogers Perry and they had a daughter Janis in 1943. In 1989 she was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, and her health deteriorated until her death.

Archival Collection

Zenobia Powell Perry's papers are held at the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago. The collection is titled Zenobia Powell Perry Scores and Music Manuscripts. The collection as a whole consists primarily of original compositions and manuscripts produced by Powell herself.

Honors

She studied with Robert Nathaniel Dett and Darius Milhaud [1]

Her most important honors include:

Awards from Ohio institutions for her life achievements and contributions to Ohio culture.

  • 1987 Honored with a Music Citation for distinguished service to Ohio in the field of music at the Ohioans Library Association.
  • 1988 Honored by Ohio National Organization of Women at the NOW Banquet in Columbus, as a part of their second annual women's history celebration.
  • 1991 Inducted into the Greene County [Ohio] Women's Hall of Fame
  • 1993 Inducted in Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame
  • 1998 Named as one of Top Ten women for 1998 by Dayton Daily News.
  • 1999 Woman of the Year Award, Paul Laurence Dunbar House State Memorial, Dayton, Ohio.
  • 2000 Named 2000 Outstanding Senior Citizen of Green County, Ohio.
  • 2002 Cultural Arts Award for outstanding contributions in the field of Music Education, National Afro-American Museum, Wilberforce, Ohio.

Academic and Education[3]

Performances[3]

  • August 22, 1915— She met Booker T. Washington who spoke at a city park in Boley. She sang the Tuskegee anthem for him and he declared she was a future Tuskegegian.
  • 1919— Won piano competition, at age 11
  • July 12, 1939— Performed movement of Grieg Piano Concerto at Langston University.
  • 1949-1955— Toured in piano duo with Kelton Lawrence to recruit students for Arkansas A.M. & N.
  • April 19, 1955— Performance of Symphonic Poem by Zenobia Perry on Founder's Day program at Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, by the College Band, Harold S. Strong, conductor, Caldwell Hall Auditorium.
  • September 29, 1963— Honored at San Francisco Concert along with Darius Milhaud and Dave Brubeck; performances by Emme Kemp Trio and pianist William Hollis.
  • June 1, 1970— New York premiere of Heritage and Life, A Cycle of Songs, Lincoln Center, at the Library and Museum of the Performing Arts. Janis-Rozena Peri, soprano and Judith Gels, piano.
  • October 25, 1974— Performance on Canada Council Arts Festival Concert at the University of Victoria in British Columbia of Choral Suite No. 1 for tape sounds, percussion, piano and mixed chorus.
  • May 22, 1977— Premiere of The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh at Carnegie Recital Hall, Janis-Rozena Peri, soprano; favorably reviewed in the New York Times.
  • March 8, 1980— Three Designs for Four Strings (1964) was read at the Conference/Workshop on Twentieth Century String Quartets by Women Composers, New York City.
  • May, 1987— Premiere of opera Tawawa House, Central State University.
  • February 20, 21, 1987— Works performed at "Symposium in Celebration of Black American Women in Music," California State University, Northridge
  • May 15, 1988— Four Mynyms for Three Players was presented at concert of Music of Black American Composers at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution, Hall of Musical Instruments, Washington, D.C.
  • January 31, 1989— Performance of Ships That Pass in the Night, premiered at West Virginia University, on graduate recital of James L. Tully.
  • February 17, 1991— Premiere of Echoes from the Journey with Cleveland Chamber Symphony, conducted by Edwin London with soloist Jo Ann Lanyé.
  • April 13, 1993— Concert at West Virginia State University including Tempo for Wind Symphony and Soprano and Ships That Pass in the Night, Don Wilcox conductor; Narrator Larry Christianson.
  • March 14, 1999— Performance of Echoes from the Journey by Leberta Clark, mezzo soprano, The Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra, conducted by Dwayne E. Smith, at Holman United Methodist Church, Los Angeles, California.

References in Media

  • The concert songs of Zenobia Powell Perry, by Jo Ann Lanier, Published in 1988 [6]
  • American Composer Zenobia Powell Perry By Jeannie Gayle Pool, 2008 [7]
  • In 1990 a publication of Perry's Homage to William Dawson on his 90th birthday, published by Hildegard Publishing Company.[3]

Sources

References

  1. ↑ From Spirituals to Symphonies, Exploding the assumption that black women's only important musical contributions have been in folk, jazz, and pop By Helen Walker-Hill
  2. ↑ Zenobia Powell Perry A&S Outstanding Alumna 1998 with brief biography
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Zenobia Powell Perry Official Website
  4. ↑ In Memorium Zenobia Powell Perry
  5. ↑ About the Dayton, Ohio Alumni Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon
  6. ↑ The concert songs of Zenobia Powell Perry, by Jo Ann Lanier, 1988
  7. ↑ American Composer Zenobia Powell Perry By Jeannie Gayle Pool

External links

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