In Wednesday’s (5/20) Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Peter Harriman writes, “The Dakota Chamber Orchestra plays its part of ‘Black Hills Olowan’—horns, winds and strings playing short, sharp sounds, making dense music. How is this going to work, one wonders? Then, introduced by a flourish of jingling bells from the percussionist, Melvin D. Young Bear answers with a melodic wail, joined by the Porcupine Singers. … The Lakota Music Project, a collaboration four years in the making, will come to fruition this week when the Chamber Orchestra and Porcupine Singers tour South Dakota. The impetus for this occurred shortly after South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Maestro Delta David Gier came to Sioux Falls in 2004 and began inquiring about how the symphony could do outreach unique to South Dakota. … While Brent Michael David’s ‘Black Hills Olowan’ composition initially highlights distinctions between the two musical styles, there comes a point where they merge and follow the Lakota lead.”
Posted May 22, 2009
