Performance showcases work of Black composers

The result was the African American Composer Initiative, a dedication to present the works of living and historical Black composers in concert, publish videos of the performances and commission new compositions by modern musicians. 

The organization, led by Cordell and Gandolfi, hosts an annual concert that not only presents and performs concert pieces worthy of being in the canon, but also raises money for local students in East Palo Alto. 

Returning for the 15th year on Jan. 31 and Feb.1, the concert’s theme will be “Hold Out for Joy.” The theme is particularly timely, Gandolfi and Cordell said, and will feature works curated to tell a story of hope and resilience by Black composers. 

“With so much going on, and most of it negative, it’s easy for people to become paralyzed with fear or to just become overwhelmed,” Cordell said. “All of the music in this program is tailored to the theme.”

The concert will open with a spiritual rendition of “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” and end with Earth Wind and Fire’s “Shining Star,” Those, with each piece in between, will share the message that people should be resilient and fight for joy, Cordell said. 

“The music of African American composers, I don’t care from how far back in the day, it’s always relevant. It’s relevant,” Cordell said. 

All money raised by tickets to the annual concert go directly to the Eastside College Preparatory School, a 100% scholarship based private school largely serving Latino and Black students. 

For Cordell, supporting the East Palo Alto community is meaningful. After graduating from Stanford Law, Cordell opened her own practice in EPA, and in 1983 she swore in the first East Palo Alto City Council after the city became incorporated. 

“It’s a community that’s dear to my heart,” Cordell said. “Our concerts have become a part of the life there.” 

The annual concert began with a single program of music by William Grant Still, one of the first Black composers Cordell and Gandolfi studied closely, and has since transformed into a beloved event featuring the work of over 40 Black composers. 

“This was the first time I played a piano concert to a diverse audience,” Gandolfi said, reflecting on the first concert held for the East Palo Alto school. “Classical piano concerts were also played to exclusively white audiences.” 

While performing the annual concert strictly honoring Black composers is a critical component of the initiative’s goals — “Composers write music to be performed,” Cordell said — just as important is the research, archiving and preservation of the compositions. 

Traveling around the country to meet with musicians similarly dedicated to the initiative’s mission, and ensuring that the music is protected and preserved, is the “joy of my working life,” Gandolfi said. 

Cordell’s question many years ago invited Gandolfi, who has a doctorate in piano, to reflect on the fact that while she received “the best training you could get,” not once did she learn a piece from a Black composer. 

Since beginning the initiative, Gandolfi nearly exclusively teaches those works she never had the opportunity to learn during her studies. 

Fighting against the limits of music history and making sure that all composers are recognized and celebrated through performance will be an ongoing effort, Cordell and Gandolfi said. The hope is that the African American Composer Initiative, and its website, will chip away at the endeavor. 

It is no small feat to revisit hundreds of years of musical work, and to share history once untold, but the work is worthwhile, they said. 

“All these composers had battles to fight to be respected and to be heard,” Cordell said. “Our mission is making sure they’re being heard, even posthumously.” 

Tickets for the concert, held at Eastside College Preparatory School Performing Arts Center, can be purchased online. Visit www.purplepass.com/AACI to purchase tickets for either Saturday, Jan. 31, or Sunday, Feb. 1.