Julian Joseph


	BRIDGETOWER - A FABLE OF 1807 (2007)			SHADOWBALL (2010)


Commissioned by the City of London Corporation for the 2007 City of London Festival to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the first parliamentary bill to abolish slavery, Bridgetower - A Fable of 1807, tells the remarkable story of Polish-born violin prodigy George Bridgetower.				Commissioned by the Hackney Music Development Trust, Shadowball is a jazz opera about the US Negro Baseball Leagues which involves young people in performance activities to promote interest in the game whilst addressing issues of racism and descrimination.

Born in 1778 to an Abyssinian ex-slave, Bridgetower came to London in 1789 to escape the French Revolution, where he performed to King George III and the Prince Regent, who in 1791 became his patron. Bridgetower studied with Haydn and was a great friend of Beethoven, with whom he gave the first performance of what was later to be named his Kreutzer Sonata. Acclaimed throughout Britain and Europe, Bridgetower gave over fifty concerts between 1789 and 1799, and was for fourteen years the star of the Prince Regent's Royal Pavilion Orchestra. He died in obscurity in 1860.				‘Shadow Ball’ refers to a common pre-game feature during which Negro League players warmed up by staging mock games with an imaginary ball. Though unintended, this pantomime was an apt metaphor for the exclusion of Blacks from Major League play in America for over 60 years. Using the stories of Black Baseball players in the 1930s-40s, and their jazz compatriots who often suffered similar racial prejudice, Shadowball is designed to inspire young people to achieve despite the odds.











Starring Cleveland Watkiss as George Bridgetower, Abigail Kelly as Mary Prince and Steve Williamson as Black Billy Waters.				Starring Cleveland Watkiss as Satchel Paige, the Julian Joseph Quintet and over 100 children from Hackney schools.

Music by Julian Joseph				Music by Julian Joseph
Libretto by Mike Phillips				Libretto by Mike Phillips
Directed by Helen Easterman				Directed by Jonathan Moore

Produced by the City of London Festival, English Touring Opera and James Joseph Music Management.				Click here for more details and here for BBC London feature.
Promoted by Passage of Music and Arts Council England.
				"If this multi-faceted production has a message, it was that youngsters given something exciting to do might discover enough talent and inspiration to face this tough world with a smile." Jack Massarik, Evening Standard
For more, go to the Bridgetower site.



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