Sandra Seaton
Sally Hemings
The following are links to pages within Sandra Seaton's web site:
About Sandra Seaton | Sally
Hemings | Plays | Performances
|
Reviews
Publications | Archival
Research |
Audio | Links
Sandra
Seaton’s recent work, From
The Diary Of Sally Hemings, is a collaboration
with composer William
Bolcom, who set Seaton’s text to music.
A song cycle, the work
recreates the thoughts and feelings of
Sally Hemings throughout her long relationship with
Thomas Jefferson by
means of fictional diary entries. From The Diary Of
Sally Hemings
is scheduled to be performed by mezzo-soprano Florence
Quivar throughout the United
States during 2001 and 2002.
Coolidge Auditorium,
Library of Congress,
District of Columbia
"In the world premiere of a
new song cycle by William Bolcom with text by playwright
Sandra Seaton,
mezzo-soprano Florence Quivar's "burnished, seductive voice"
(Houston
Voice) brings to life this imaginative recreation of a complex,
vital Sally Hemings who
refuses to be identified merely as Jefferson's
mistress."
Library of Congress 2000 - 01 Concert Series web site.
Link to Library of Congress site for more information.
Library of Congress Press Release
Photos from the World Premiere of
From the Diary of Sally Hemings,
March 16, 2001
The files are large and may take a few seconds to open.
Photo of William Bolcom and Sandra Seaton outside the Library of Congress
Photo of pre-performance reception in the Great Hall, Library of Congress
Photo
of Hemings-Jefferson descendants with William Bolcom, Sandra Seaton,
CMU
President Rao, Monica Rao, and Hattye Harris (Sandra Seaton's mother)
Photo Sandra Seaton and CMU President Rao
Photo
of Hemings-Jefferson descendants, including Shay Banks and Julia
Westiren
Jefferson, with Sandra Seaton
Photo of Shay Banks (Madison Hemings descendant) and Sandra Seaton
Photo
of J.J. Penna (accompanist), Sandra Seaton, William Bolcom, and Florence
Quivar take curtain calls after the performance
Photo of J.J.Penna and Florence Quivar take curtain call
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
"Renowned for her
vibrantly rich tone and dramatic versatility, Florence Quivar is
equally
home on the opera, concert, and recital stages. This
made her a natural choice for a Music
Accord commission, and she has
made a particularly fascinating choice for the subject of her
song
cycle: the story of Sally Hemings, slave and mistress of Thomas
Jefferson. With music
by noted American composer, William Bolcom and a
wonderful libretto by playwright Sandra
Seaton, this promises to be a
memorable evening."
Clifford Orent
Trustee,
San Francisco Performances
From Stagebill April, 2001
Read Program Notes for San Francisco Performances for more information.
Florence
Quivar and Harolyn Blackwell perform together at venues listed below:
Two
of America ’s finest and most respected artists, Florence Quivar and
Harolyn Blackwell,
appear in recital together for the first time,
performing song cycles by two acclaimed composers.
Florence Quivar sings
From the Diary of Sally Hemings, an imaginative recreation of a
complex,
vital Sally Hemings who refuses to be identified merely as
Thomas Jefferson's mistress. The song
cycle was composed especially for
her by William Bolcom to a text by Sandra Seaton. Blackwell
offers
Honey and Rue, composed by Andre Previn to a text by Toni
Morrison. The program is
supplemented by duets, songs, operatic
selections and spirituals.
For
more information on joint performances by Florence Quivar and Harolyn
Blackwell visit
the following sites:
Lied Center Series, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
University Musical Society, University of Michigan
Van Wezel Performing Arts Society, Sarasota, Florida
