Summertime News
Where words leave off, music begins.
Heinrich Heine
We have a lovely mix of CJO news this week - we are celebrating the newest additions to our Board, and one of our members has helped launch a new organization. Enjoy!
Welcome to the CJO!
George Blake
Dr. George Blake is on the faculty at Case Western Reserve where he is a Postdoctoral Scholar, Virginia and Walter Nord Fellow in the Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the hidden musical histories of Black Cleveland, while examining how performers throughout the region negotiate the racialized borders of urban space.
An award winning teacher, Dr. Blake has taught university courses on improvisation, Black film, jazz, music of the African diaspora, gender and sexuality, hip-hop, world music, and popular music. His work includes research on blackface minstrelsy, and his ongoing research on Robert Lockwood Jr. is supported by a grant from the UCSB Center for Black Studies Research.
Steven Williams
Steven Williams is the CEO and President of Packaging Tech LLC, a Cleveland based packaging distributor. Previously, Steven was the past board chair Cuyahoga County Port Authority and was the former owner of International Container Systems LLC./Elsons International LLC). He has also served on over 22 boards. His hobbies include jazz music, travel, sports and his two children.
Introducing the Chromatic Brass Collective!
Recently, CJO trumpeter Theresa May joined forces with seven other Black women brass players to establish the Chromatic Brass Collective.
The Chromatic Brass Collective, founded by Black women, is an organization for brass musicians that celebrates, performs, mentors, and educates to increase visibility for racially/ethnically underrepresented women & gender non-conforming people throughout the brass world.
On June 30th, they held their debut concert.