Black Musicians' Guild to Present Concert in Honor of Black History Month by Scott Skiba, '03
			In celebration of Black History Month, the Oberlin Conservatory Black Musicians’ Guild (OCBMG) will present a concert in Warner Concert Hall Saturday, February 23, at 7:00 P.M. This is the first concert to be produced by the OCBMG, an organization co-founded by Martha Newland and Ivy Newman in fall 2001. The concert is free and open to the public. In correlation with this concert, the OCBMG has created a panoramic display honoring black musicians that can be viewed in the Oberlin Conservatory Library. The concert will feature selections from many genres of African American musical traditions, including spirituals, hymns, rhythm & blues, and jazz, and will be performed by a string quartet, a jazz ensemble and several soloists. Several original student compositions will be performed, including excerpts from “Wherever He Leads Me,” a work composed by Conservatory student Courtney Bryan ’04. “The purpose OCBMG is to create a base of academic, social, musical, and cultural support and guidance for the Oberlin Conservatory’s black students,” says Newland. Newland and Newman serve as OCBMG's co-presidents. Together with Frederick Jackson, the group's treasurer, and Shinnerie Jackson, the group's secretary, they meet regularly with faculty advisors Wendell Logan, Jeffrey Mumford, and Kwame Willingham, to plan future OCBMG sponsored events. To date, the group has hosted prospective black students during their campus visits and has coordinated listening sessions that focus on the music of black composers. OCBMG's first official event, Black Student Orientation, was held in fall 2001. Future plans for the OCBMG include establishing a fund offering financial support to black students enrolled in summer programs or traveling to graduate school auditions, and creating a broad alumni base in the musical world that will offer support to Oberlin graduates.
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