Brochure - First African Foundation

William E. Thomas
Was born 1950 in
Lexington, Kentucky. He
played cello in his school’s
orchestras and with the
Central Kentucky Youth
Symphony Orchestra.
William earned his B.A.
in music at Oberlin
Conservatory of Music and a M.F.A. at
Pennsylvania State University. He held the
positions of Chair of the music department and
Director of Performance at Phillips Academy in
Andover, Massachusetts for thirty-six years.
Following his retirement in 2008, William
returned to Lexington and threw himself into an
effort to save his childhood church, a significant
landmark building constructed and paid for by
enslaved persons in the 1850s. His vision for the
project included converting the old building into
a multi-purpose cultural center that would
contain a concert hall and museum devoted to
spotlighting the work of black artists. William
served as First African Foundation board
president until his untimely death in April 2013.
www.firstafricanfoundation.org
First African Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 21808
Lexington, KY 40522-1808
859/367-0525
ID#27-4681174
Concert Sponsorship
$2000 Grand Piano
Logo placement on promotional materials
Public acknowledgement during the concert
Logo and name on event signage and program
Ten (10) free tickets for the concert
$1000 Drum Set
Logo placement on promotional materials
Public acknowledgment during the concert
Logo and name on event signage and program
Five (5) free tickets for the concert
$500 Saxophone
Logo placement on promotional materials
Public acknowledgement during the concert
Logo and name on event signage and program
Three (3) free tickets for the concert
$300 Trumpet
Logo placement on promotional materials
Public acknowledgement during the concert
Logo on event signage and program
Two (2) free tickets for the concert
$100 Flute
Log and name in event program
One (1) free ticket for the concert
In-Kind Sponsorship
Providing materials and or services that serve
the concert
Logo and name in event program
Friends of First African Foundation Outreach
Our goal is to provide 50 tickets to underserved
youth and their chaperones so they can enjoy
and experience this professional music concert.
Sponsors will receive recognition in the
program and during the concert.
First African Foundation
Invites You To Join Us In
Concert
Friday August 8, 2014
7pm to 9pm
Lyric Theatre
Lexington, KY
As we celebrate and recognize the Deep
Roots of Lexington’s music legacy which
continues to produce the Tall Trees of
today’s very talented jazz and classical
music artists.
All tickets available at: www.lexingtonlyric.com
or box office at (859)280-2218
$30 priority seating rows CDEFGH
$20 seating rows JKLMNOP
$10 seating rows QRSTUVW
Theatre processing fee for box office
purchase is $1.50 and for on-line purchase is $3
This jazz concert is a benefit fundraiser for
First African Foundation’s capital campaign to
purchase the 1850s historic building located at
Short and Dewees streets in Lexington. It was
once the meetinghouse of the African Church
established in 1790. After purchase and renovation of the building the plan is to develop a
center that will house a concert hall, rehearsal
rooms, art galleries, community meeting space,
café, gift shop and administrative offices.
William E. Thomas Music Awards
This concert will also serve as the inaugural
presentation of the William E. Thomas Music
Awards given to individuals from Lexington
who have distinguished themselves in music.
This year’s recipients will be the late jazz
saxophonist, Clarence “Duke” Madison and
opera singer, William B. Ray. The awardees
will receive a commissioned art piece by LaVon
Van Williams, Jr., Kentucky’s preeminent wood
sculptor, and recognition in First African
Foundation’s Music Hall of Fame.
CONCERT PERFORMERS
Charlette’s Web
Charlette Thompson, Lisa Persley, Cathy
Rawlings and Danielle Easley have been
singing together for decades. This gifted and
popular vocal group participates in and often
originates projects to benefit community organizations, their local churches and anyone in need.
They have performed widely, including with
The Four Tops, The Trendells, Three Dog Night,
The Troy/Montgomery Band, The Drifters, The
Platters, The Spinners, The Delfonics, The
Dramatics, “Rock Around the Pops” Benefit
Concert Series in Lexington and at several
Kentucky Governor’s Inauguration Balls.
and Morehead State University where he earned
a degree in music. He earned his master’s
degree in jazz performance at the New England
Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. He
presently instructs both junior high school and
college music students at the Berklee School of
Music in Boston. www.KevinHarrisProject.com
Michael Cruse Quintet
Kevin Harris
Kevin plays a distinctive combination of
traditional and contemporary music that seeks to
explore a crossroad that intersects the
unmistakable influences of Thelonious Monk,
Wynton Kelly and Charlie Parker with J.S.
Bach, Scott Joplin and the folkloric rhythms of
Cuba. Downbeat Magazine writes that
“Harris’ compositions deal with themes of
strength, love, courage and self awareness. It’s a
heavy task he’s set up for himself and he meets
the challenge gracefully.”
Kevin has produced five CDs.
He is a graduate of Bryan Station High School
The quintet, known as MCQ, consists of
Michael Cruse, trumpet/flugelhorn; Jackson
Steiger, piano; Darren Benton, drums; Chris
Gemechak, sax and Jon Lattier, bass. They are
students and a former graduate of the College
Conservatory of Music at the University of
Cincinnati who started performing together in
the spring of 2012. They can be heard at many
venues and festivals in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Michael is the son of Ponice and the late Eric M.
Cruse and great-nephew of Mr. Charles
Quillings, legendary master musician and the
original Dunbar High School band director in
Lexington, Kentucky. Michael has won
competitions, including the New York Star
Search, in both piano and trumpet. Following
his graduation from Paul Laurence Dunbar High
School in 2012 he was accepted at the College
Conservatory of Music at the University of
Cincinnati as a Jazz Studies and Commercial
Music Production student.
For more information please visit
www.michaelcrusemusic.com