(2022) Bohemian Queen

Abercrombie was profoundly involved in the jazz scene at a time when the divide between blacks and whites was a massive taboo in the United States. A liberal woman is often in conflict with her sense of self.

Abercrombie’s paintings are characterized by their use of dreamlike symbolism and careful attention to detail. Her work often featured animals and plants in surreal, otherworldly settings. In addition to her role as a painter, Abercrombie was also a musician and poet. She was an active member of the Chicago jazz scene — a bold move for a white woman when racial tensions were high in the United States.

COMMISSIONING CONSORTIUM

• Akron Symphony Orchestra – Christopher Wilkins, Music Director
• Albany Symphony Orchestra – Claire Fox Hillard, Music Director and Conductor
• Austin Symphony Orchestra – Peter Bay, Music Director and Conductor
• Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
• Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra at Chautauqua Institution
• Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras – Allen Tinkham, Music Director
• Lexington Philharmonic – Mélisse Brunet, Music Director
• Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra – Geoffrey Larson, Music Director
• Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra – Matthew Aubin, Music Director
• The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle – Niccoló Muti
• Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra – Fouad Fakhouri, Music Director and Conductor
• Wintergreen Music – Erin Freeman, Artistic Director

Concerto For Trumpet & Strings

Duration: 16 Minutes | World Premiere: November 20, 2022 — Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet, with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Allen Tinkham conducting — Chicago, IL

Movement Titles:

I. Girl Searching

II. The Stroll

III. Hyde Park Jam

A Surrealist Painter Ahead of Her Time

Bohemian Queen is a concerto for Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet and string orchestra, and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. The subject of the piece is the surrealist art of Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), an American painter based in Chicago who was called “the queen of the bohemian artists.” She was profoundly involved in the jazz scene and friends with musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan and used to throw some amazing parties for them.

The piece is in three movements. Inspired by two of her paintings (I. Girl Searching, 1945), (II. The Stroll, 1943) and III. Hyde Park Jam is an imaginary depiction of her memorable parties where she used to sit in as a pianist herself and play with jazz’s greatest masters.