Our Voices on The Yard

In this episode I continue my conversation with violis Lisa Whitfield, who went to Juilliard in the 90s and was one of the first students I met who was not in the drama division. We bonded on so many levels because of our insecurities as artists, as women, as black women in that space. She was also the first person that I felt comfortable enough to talk to, not as a faculty member, but as a sister.  It could be because she was a graduate student and she was older than the students I taught, but I really got close to this woman and you'll see that. I get emotional because she is so vulnerable in this interview and she brought that out in me.  I think you're gonna get another slice of what it is to be black, to be female, to be exceptional in a classical space. She’ll talk about institutional racism, she’ll talk about sexism. she’ll talk about classism, she’ll talk about not having the support of her family, which was unusual because everyone has the support of their family, especially when they get into Juilliard, but not for Lisa. This woman had to fight for everything and she not only fought, but she landed on her feet.

What You Will Hear

• Freelancing while teaching at Juilliard. Conflicts and truths
• Racism, sexism and misogyny at Juilliard
• Parenthood
• Long lasting connections
• Drinking and drug culture
• Advice for a young Lisa
• Clean and sober
• Lisa’s one regret

Quotes

“I'll say what I have to say, but I don't feel like I need to shout now.”

“I was the first African-American faculty in the drama department and I never felt that my voice really mattered.” - DW

“Juilliard name that you talked about….everybody knows that name It's an institution that is steeped in elitism, classism, racism and so breaking down those walls it's a lot.” - DW

“I may have been born at night, but I wasn't born last night.”

“You don't like me, you don't wanna sit with me, you go sit somewhere else.  I earned this chair and I'm gonna sit my black ass in it.”

“Artists are the first ones to feel a recession coming.”

“I am a creative person by nature. It is what I am.”

“That was hilarious to me that in all of my struggles, I had managed to create a child who saw Juilliard as just another place.”

“if you can survive being a black woman at Julliard in the early nineties, there's very little in the world you can't do.”

“I graduated from Juilliard in 1979. I did not step foot back in there until 1992, I couldn't.” - DW

“ I think that part of who I am was always going to give a voice to people of color in any community, no matter what community that was.”

“I had to fight for myself , as a little kid of color playing the violin.”

“I wasn't the first black woman to go to Juilliard to play , a stringed instrument. I know I'm not, because once I graduated, there was this whole community of people who had gone. To major conservator. Some of them Julliard, who knew who I was before I knew they existed and they're the ones that carried me into a new realm musically and professionally, and started to hire me for things.”

“The black community embraced me at Juilliard and continued to embrace me.”

“Juilliard was definitely a huge factor in the amount I drank. It became that, that social lubricant that helped me get past those anxieties and feelings of not belonging…..it also allowed me to just behave badly and have an excuse, and that is a sad thing that I felt I needed to do that.”

“It's a blessing to know that somebody hears you.  that somebody sees you, that somebody believes you when you have been through so many experiences that people today just go,”that doesn't happen. stop complaining, shut up and write, shut up and play your instrument, shut up and dribble.”

“It's important that we be seen and...

Lisa Whitfield, a viola player that went to Julliard in the nineties was one of the first students I met who was not in the drama division, and we bonded on so many levels because of our insecurities as artists, as women, as black women in that space. She was also the first person that I felt comfortable enough to talk to, not as a faculty member, but as a sister.  It could be because she was a graduate student and she was older than the students I taught, but I really got close to this woman and you'll see that. I get emotional because she is so vulnerable in this interview and she brought that out in me.  I think you're gonna get another slice of what it is to be black, to be female, to be exceptional in a classical space. She’ll talk about institutional racism. she’ll talk about sexism. she’ll talk about classism, she’ll talk about not having the support of her family, which was unusual because everyone has the support of their family, especially when they get into Juilliard, but not for Lisa. This woman had to fight for everything and she not only fought, but she landed on her feet.

What You Will Hear

• How the viola found Lisa
• Getting to Juilliard
• Coming into her own as a musician and supportive teachers
• Lisa’s parents and imposter syndrome
• Being invited back to Juilliard as faculty
• Racism and how Lisa got around its consistency
• Challenges, long-lasting trauma from racist events, and finding her tribe
• Becoming a teaching fellow and the Music Advancement Program
• Settlement Schools and its impact on Lisa’s trajectory
• Juilliard Pre-College
• Teaching at Juilliard

Quotes

“It was really important to me to make sure my family was proud of me, to make sure that felt like I carried the burden of dashed expectations.”

“Violists can be married to each other, violinists not so much, but violists can actually be married to each other. “

“Juilliard was never on my radar. It was never something I expected, It was never, it was never something I thought would be part of my story. “

“Everybody knows the name (Juilliard) throughout the entire world, so it's definitely hard for me because I'm not a person who likes to brag like that.”

“I was used to being one of the only women of color, I was used to that that wasn't a problem. What I was not used to was being doubted. I was not used to somebody looking at me and doubting that I could be the thing I presented myself as….I played a string instrument and I played a string instrument well enough to get me into Juilliard. And that did not compute with a lot of people.”

“It was very difficult. I had to work several jobs to support myself because my parents cut me off when they found out I was going to Juilliard.”

“I was a black girl from a working class background who did not have financial access to the things that they did and I felt very isolated and alone. It was difficult.”

“At Juilliard I was the black girl with no money.  At Oberlin I was the black girl everybody assumed had money, and that was hilarious because my financial situation did not change between those two things but the perception of me changed.”

Mentioned

Karen Tuttle

Robin Willams

Joe Webster

Audra McDonald

Chris McKinney

Edward Lawrence

Lori Carter (Associate President of Juilliard)

Mary Anthony Cox

Music Advancement Program

Music Settlement School

Denise continues her conversation with Richard Alston. A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Richard Alston received his first lessons from the late Dorothy Early at the tender age of eight. He was playing organ and piano for the first Baptist church of Vauxhall, New Jersey. He continued his studies with Sylvia Ravenoff in New York and received his bachelor of music degree from the Juilliard School. He later was awarded the highly prestigious Maria Guerrera ju scholarship in piano to return to Juilliard for his master's degree. Alston has drawn the attention of the musical world, educators and college and university students in recent years for bringing to like the great contributions to classical music by the composers of African descent. Alston not only performs exquisite words of these composers that remain to this day, relatively unknown to the larger public, but he also delights audiences with lectures and master classes on the colors of music, classically black composers of African descent, Under his direction as associate professor of music and the coordinator of performing arts Sten crafted a degree program in the music department at Essex county college that has flourished into a full fledged performing arts department of music, dance and drama. Alston has also served as a faculty advisor for Westminster College Choir, Education Opportunity Program, and formerly a member of the Juilliard school's music advancement program faculty. In the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Porgy and Bess Alston brought an unforgettable sense of well researched authenticity to the role of jazz Bo Brown, the man after whom jazz genre is believed to be named. He repeated his portrayal of Jazz Bo Brown in the historic production presented by the New Jersey State Opera at Symphony Hall in Newark, New Jersey. As a special guest artist with the New Jersey Symphony Alston performed in a special concert in commemoration of the birth of William Grant Still.  Alston  also enjoys performing chamber music as a guest artist with the Harlem Chamber Players, Alston performs in two separate concerts.  Richard Alston's video Troubled Waters by Margaret Bonds was selected as the alumni video of the month in January  2015. Professor Alston, now retired professor Alston is the minister of music at St.Mark's Episcopal church in Plainfield, New Jersey.

What You Will Hear

• What Richard would tell his younger self
• The White Peacock, early teachings and artistic styling and musicality
• How Richards roots affect his artistry
• Troubled Waters by Margaret Bonds
• Mentors
• Richard’s connection to other artist at Juilliard
• Composers of African descent
• Porgy and Bess, Jazz Bo Brown
• Working with actors and singers

Quotes

“As pianists, we should make the piano sing like a singer.”

“I always look beyond the black and white on the page.”

Mentioned

Alstonpianist.com

Youtube

Margaret Bonds

Chevalier de Saint-George

Billy Strayhorn

William Grant Still

Carmen de Lavallade

Denise sits down with concert pianist Richard Alston who was, perhaps, the most extraordinary pianist that Denise knew at Juilliard because he hung out with the actors.  A deep connection to the black church was a conversation, thread and a thru line for the interdisciplinary connection of the black students at Juilliard.  Connecting the dots and the lineage, this interview is fun, revealing and extremely intimate. Richard Alston is a masterful pianist, having appeared as a soloist and in recitals with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe. After earning both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School of Music, Richard was poised for a career in both classical piano performance as well as performing arts education. His performance credits range from recitals, guest soloist with orchestras, live opera to radio and television broadcasts as well as CD recordings.

What You Will Hear

• Dorothy Early and Daisy Johnson, Richard’s first teachers
• What motivated and confirmed Richard’s pursuit of a career in music
• The Juilliard audition process
• Extraordinary experiences, relationships and love
• Richard’s mother
• The church and Richards music ministry
• Classically Black
• Family tree and musical lineage

Denise is joined by Tony nominated and OB award-wining actor Stephen McKinley Henderson and up and coming star Elijah Jones. So we see an actor who we all know and an actor who we're just getting ready to know share the same space and it's extraordinary.  Most people know Stephen from the multi Oscar nominated film Dune.  Did you know that he has also appeared in five other Oscar nominated films? Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2011, Lincoln 2012, Fences 2016, Manchester By the Sea 2016 and Ladybird 2017. He's the recipient of a Drama Desk award and Obie award and an AUDELCO award. He really is best known for his August Wilson work in the century cycle of plays. It's been said that audiences who watch August Wilson plays have grown first accustomed to, and then pendant on Stephen McKinley Henderson. He's also been deemed one of the 32 greatest character actors working today. I wonder where they came up with that number 32, but I am sure glad that Stephen McKinley Henderson made the list because he is an exceptional character actor. Stephen says, “It's not about getting it right. It's about getting it true”.  Elijah Jones was elected by the Juilliard drama division faculty to receive a prize for outstanding achievement and exceptional professional promise. He's the MFA Class of 2021.  He recently starred in  Dominique Morisseau’s  Confederates at the Signature Theater in New York.  Elijah says, “What sets me apart is me.”. 

Sit back and enjoy this extraordinarily exceptional interview.

What You Will Hear

• How Stephen learned about Juilliard and what informed his decision to enroll
• Stephen’s audition in 1968 and his first experience with the KKK
• Elijah’s journey to Juilliard
• The Juilliard experience during Martin Luther King Jr and George Floyd assassinations
• Kent State and Jackson State killings
• Cut system and policy.  James Houghton
• The inception and struggles of drama divisions early years
• Politics
• Representation and opportunity

Quotes

“The initial incarnation of the drama division, The Julliard School did not see drama as a fine art they did not see it as, as a performance art form….It began as a music school…..the drama division was hard won. It couldn’t be an american theatrical traditions say like The Actors Studio or something like that, it had to be the classical training.”

“Another thing about our people, you know, we can read between the lines, we can see the look that you don't think we see.” 

“We had to talk about the politics. You remember, we had to discuss whether having a black man playing Richard the Second, and whether doing Shakespeare at all was really addressing this thing? Are we still lifting another culture by giving our strengths to it?” 

“That's where I'd like to take this conversation, just how we represent ourselves in that classical space. How do we bring our tones in richness and rhythms, vocal rhythms, and physical rhythms into the classical space and be proud of it.” 

Mentioned

James Moody

Wendell B. Franklin

Steve Broadnax

Stori Ayers 

Jim Wise

Actors Theater of Louisville

Denise is joined by Tony nominated and OB award-wining actor Stephen McKinley Henderson and rising star Elijah Jones. We see an actor who we all know and an actor who we're just getting ready to know share the same space and it's extraordinary.  Most people know Stephen from the multi Oscar nominated film Dune.  Did you know that he has also appeared in five other Oscar nominated films? Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2011, Lincoln 2012, Fences 2016, Manchester By the Sea 2016 and Ladybird 2017. He's the recipient of a Drama Desk award and Obie award and an AUDELCO award. He really is best known for his August Wilson work in the century cycle of plays. It's been said that audiences who watch August Wilson plays have grown first accustomed to, and then pendant on Stephen McKinley Henderson. He's also been deemed one of the 32 greatest character actors working today. I wonder where they came up with that number 32, but I am sure glad that Stephen McKinley Henderson made the list because he is an exceptional character actor. Stephen says, “It's not about getting it right. It's about getting it true”.  Elijah Jones was elected by the Juilliard drama division faculty to receive a prize for outstanding achievement and exceptional professional promise. He's the MFA Class of 2021.  He recently starred in  Dominique Morisseau’s  Confederates at the Signature Theater in New York.  Elijah says, “What sets me apart is me.”. 

Sit back and enjoy this extraordinarily exceptional interview.

What You Will Hear

• How Stephen learned about Juilliard and what informed his decision to enroll
• Stephen’s audition in 1968 and his first experience with the KKK
• Elijah’s journey to Juilliard
• The Juilliard experience during Martin Luther King Jr and George Floyd assassinations
• Kent State and Jackson State killings
• Cut system and policy.  James Houghton
• The inception and struggles of drama divisions early years
• Politics
• Representation and opportunity

Quotes

“The initial incarnation of the drama division, The Julliard School did not see drama as a fine art they did not see it as, as a performance art form….It began as a music school…..the drama division was hard won. It couldn’t be an american theatrical traditions say like The Actors Studio or something like that, it had to be the classical training.”

“Another thing about our people, you know, we can read between the lines, we can see the look that you don't think we see.” 

“We had to talk about the politics. You remember, we had to discuss whether having a black man playing Richard the Second, and whether doing Shakespeare at all was really addressing this thing? Are we still lifting another culture by giving our strengths to it?” 

“That's where I'd like to take this conversation, just how we represent ourselves in that classical space. How do we bring our tones in richness and rhythms, vocal rhythms, and physical rhythms into the classical space and be proud of it.” 

Mentioned

James Moody

Wendell B. Franklin

Steve Broadnax

Stori Ayers 

Jim Wise

Actors Theater of Louisville

Denise continues her intimate conversation with actress, director and producer Lisa Gay Hamilton.  A graduate of the Juilliard School’s 18th class Lisa Gay Hamilton is known for her film about the life and work of Beah Richards, Beah: A Black Woman Speaks as well as her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved. Her theater credits include Measure for Measure (Isabella), Henry IV Parts I & II (Lady Hotspur), Athol Fugard’s, Valley Song and The Ohio State Murders. Hamilton was also an original cast member in the Broadway productions of August Wilson’s, The Piano Lesson and Gem of the Ocean.

What You Will Hear

• Lisa’s connection with Beah Richards
• Choosing projects and setting limits
• Aaron Sorkin
• Depth, truth and meter in script
• Beah Richards
• Beah: A Black Woman Speaks
• What Beah wanted for young people
• Being a student at Juilliard

Quotes

“This connection you have with people sometimes, it's because of your age, it's because of your journey and it's because of the experience that you've had. It's also how you see the world and what you want from the world and what you want as an artist and how you want to tell that story and what stories you don't want to tell and what stories you do want to tell.

“Deep investigation, that is so necessary because iambic pentameter and poetry is just fluff and words if you don't start from that place.”

“I think it's so important to have a sense of the world and to have an opinion about it and

not be afraid of it.”

“Speak it into existence” - Beah Richards

“Giving voice to the truth is all that we have and it's the most powerful thing we have as artists.”

“Our greatest political being in the theater community, the film community next to Harry Belafonte is Danny Glover”.

Mentioned

LisaGayHamilton.com

Beah Richards

Marie Louise and William Patterson

Paul Robeson

Alice Childress

Francis Williams

Watch Beah: A Black Woman Speaks

Harry Belafonte

Danny Glover

Robert Williams

Edith Skinner 

Liz Smith

Tim Monick

Lisa Gay Hamilton is that soul, that spirit that when she walks in a room, she changes the energy of the room. She's so authentic, so committed to excellence, so committed to cultural viability and cultural awareness. Lisa Gay produced and directed a wonderful documentary about a soldier, Hollywood theater Beah Richards. Lisa Gay was group 18, of 55 at Juilliard and in the time that we've known each other every single time we see each other, we just connect. We go in, we open up, we tell each other, not just how we're doing, but how our families are doing, what our families are doing, the significance of what it's like being a working mom in Hollywood. We go very deeply and that is very special and highly appreciated in a town where people are transient because you work with people, you become a family, and then the next job comes and you get a new family and the next job comes and you get a new family,but every time I see Lisa Gay Hamilton, she is that cousin, that sister, that friend who will always be family, so enjoy.

What You Will Hear

• Experiences and opportunities attending and graduating from Juilliard
• Being the only black student in her graduating class
• Working with Lloyd Richards and moments of awe inspiring artistry
• Evolution of arts 
• Athol Fugard and LisaGay’s first OBI
• Beah Richards

Quotes

“I've always based my work on emotion.”

“What is it to be?” - Beah Richards

"I don't care if you play a prostitute, I don't care if you play a maid. Whatever the role is you must bring the truth to that." - Beah Richards

Mentioned

Juilliard

NYU

Yale

The Public Theater

12th Night

Lloyd Richards

August Wilson

The Piano Lesson

Kennedy Center

Eugene O’Neill

Audra McDonald

Manhattan Theater Club

Lady Hotspur

Joseph Papp

Our Voices on the Yard is a podcast where black artistic excellence meets every day life. Host Denise Woods will take you from the black church to the bright lights of Broadway, from tiny music studios to the mega stages of International Opera houses, from rustic dance studios to ornate Vaudeville theaters. Exploring and celebrating the achievements of the black artist that conservatories and fine arts institutions all around the world.

Social Media

Instagram @ourvoices_ontheyard