Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Spring 2023 23 ACCORDION continued from page 16 for accordionists to work on stage or in a pit orchestra for musicals. One of my students was a professional actress who wanted to learn the accordion so she could audition for parts that used the accordion on-stage. Although their reasons for playing are varied, there is no doubt that our common ground is joining together to make music in our "accordion band." A few of my students have music education degrees and work in the Chicago Public School System. It is our hope to incorporate the accordion into their music education programs. In the meantime, these students are now accordion section leaders and bass and electronic accordion players in our group. We come together three Saturdays per month for two hours. The group prepares and presents programs outdoors twice per year and online during the winter. You can view some of our programs on our website under the Performance tab at: https:// chicagolandaccordionacademy.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We play each year at the ATG Festival, and this year, we have been invited to be on the main stage for an event at the Geneva Swedish Days in Geneva, IL. We are learning and growing together! Essentially, Chicagoland Accordion Academy has become a community of folks who love to create music together and care about each other. We encourage each other through an ongoing chat on WhatsApp. We celebrate birthdays, engagements, and weddings, and we support each other through COVID, hip replacements, and knee replacements. Chicagoland Accordion Academy has become an accordion community! Mary Ann Covone is the president of the Accordionists & Teachers Guild, International, the director of Chicagoland Accordion Academy, and she is still practicing law on a part-time basis. Mary Ann is currently a member of the Oak Park Alumnae Chapter and has previously served as president of the LaGrange Alumnae Chapter. BROWN continued from page 17 Sistah's Point of View, Angela founded Morning Brown, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to programming with multicultural role models to inspire and encourage the next generation of singers and audiences. She launched the nonprofit in her hometown of Indianapolis, but the reach extends far beyond Indiana. Angela has presented programs specifically targeted to historically excluded audiences with over 40 organizations in 20 states – from orchestras and opera companies to libraries, schools, and music clubs. e programs have been seen and heard by thousands of elementary, secondary, and university students. In addition to live performances, programs include inspirational speeches for high school students, university masterclasses, workshops on artist management, and diversity panel discussions. When an organization or school presents a Morning Brown program, they know Angela is there to draw the circle as wide as possible for their community. At Fairleigh Dickinson University, Angela has returned three times because the Director of Residence Life saw the positive impact of a Black role model in the performing arts for his students. At Elon University, that has one of the leading musical theater programs in our country, Angela's Opera...from a Sistah's Point of View: Generation Next was the first musical theater program mounted there to specifically champion Black vocal performance students. It was a watershed moment at that school and Music Chair Hallie Hogan went on record to say: "It was an amazing and life-changing experience for some of our students." ese partners are the kind Angela hopes for, especially for the newest version of her show – Opera…from a Sistah's Point of View: Generation Next. It showcases emerging multicultural opera stars alongside Angela. e young artists who participate in Opera...from a Sistah's Point of View: Generation Next are provided with the tools, guidance, and platform to practice their art at a very high level beside someone who is an expert. e young artists are affirmed and assured they belong in this field, providing the support they need to press forward. Morning Brown's mission is focused on disrupting the disparities in the arts that have been long neglected and not just due to a lack of funding. Even organizations with great financial resources need guidance in providing programs of inclusion and elevation of historically excluded populations. Presenters, viewers, and artists are thrilled with the positive energy and awareness Morning Brown programs provide, not to mention avenues to lead them toward inclusion. With the generous support of individual donors and grants, Angela's work continues toward intentional inclusion in the performing arts. Angela has been recognized nationally for her work through Morning Brown. In 2022, she received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts. In February 2023, she spent a week in residency at the University of Georgia as the prestigious Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding. Her impact extends alongside SAI National Arts Associate Joshua ompson. ey co-host Melanated Moments in Classical Music, an award-winning podcast from Classical Music Indy that shines a spotlight on music by, for, and about Black people. She appears in two PBS documentaries on the life of Marian Anderson: e Whole World in Her Hands from American Masters and Voice of Freedom from American Experience. Her vocal artistry is featured on the two-time Grammy Award® winning recording Ask Your Mama, a musical setting by Laura Karpman of Langston Hughes' poetry. Composer Richard Danielpour set the poetry of Dr. Maya Angelou to create A Woman's Life that Angela premiered with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra and recorded for the Naxos label with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. e opera roles of Addie Parker in Daniel Schnyder's Charlie Parker's Yardbird and Cilla in Richard Danielpour's Margaret Garner, based on the book Beloved by Toni Morrison, were written for, premiered by, and reprised many times by Angela. Angela Brown is truly a "voice for belonging" in a world ready to welcome her beautiful embrace. Janet Jarriel is founder of JEJ Artists, a boutique talent and consulting agency for internationally acclaimed artists and musical projects. She teaches Music Entrepreneurship at her undergraduate alma mater, Mercer University, and acts as administrator for Morning Brown, Inc. www.jejartists.com Musical Outreach

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