OnStage: Ceylon Mitchell

OnStage Concert Series

Ceylon Mitchell

Sunday March 6, 2022

2:00pm

McGuireWoods Gallery in Building W16

COVID PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES: For the safety and comfort of our valued guests, staff, and performers, all persons attending will be required to show proof of Covid vaccination or proof of a negative Covid test within 48 hours of event time, in order to be permitted entry to the venue. (A card, printed facsimile, or photo on mobile device will be acceptable). All Workhouse staff and performers are working under this same requirement. Masks are required, unless eating or drinking. Thank you for understanding.

Mr. Mitchell, a 2021 Strathmore Artist in Residence, says "the Brazilian Choro is an intriguing, imaginative, and beautiful music. This musical genre, birthed in Rio de Janeiro in the mid 19th century, represents the height of Brazilian nationalism. Like the national dish feijoada, where a lot of different ingredients are thrown in to make the stew, choro has its roots in African syncopated rhythms and European dance forms, including the lundú, the polka, and the habanera, creating a unique blend. Traditionally, the common instrumentation includes the flute playing ornamented melodies, the guitar and cavaquinho providing improvised harmonic and rhythmic accompaniment as well as the melodic counterpoint, and percussion, usually pandeiro, providing the rhythmic backbone aligned with the solo melody. The improvisatory nature of choro mirrors that of North American jazz and virtuosity is a hallmark of the style.

Ceylon Mitchell II is a contemporary classical flutist, educator, and entrepreneur on a mission to celebrate Black and Latinx voices in classical music. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, he now resides in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. After earning a Bachelor of Music (Woodwind Performance) and a Master of Music Education degree from Boston University, he went on to earn a Master of Music Performance degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. Ceylon is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate under the tutelage of Dr. Sarah Frisof, also at the University of Maryland, College Park. Recent achievements include the Strathmore Artist in Residence Class of 2021, a Prince George’s County Forty UNDER 40 Award in Arts & Humanities, and a 2021 Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council Artist Fellowship Grant. As a recipient of the same grant in 2019, Ceylon and an acclaimed ensemble presented a classical crossover series of music performances during National Hispanic Heritage Month 2019, exploring classical and popular flute music in the Latin American countries of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Brazil.

An active freelance flutist and chamber musician, Ceylon is committed to promoting traditionally marginalized communities. He is also the co-founder and flutist of Potomac Winds, a chamber music collective. Described by the University of Maryland as “magnificent, deeply moving, and a model of alumni pride,” the ensemble is committed to promoting woodwind chamber music as a virtuosic medium through engaging performances of the highest level of artistic expression. As a music educator, Ceylon serves as a regular sectional coach for numerous youth orchestras and festival adjudicator. He also maintains a private studio in the D.C. area. Previously he served as a teaching artist with the Boston Flute Academy and as the director of the Boston University Flute Ensemble.

Recently, Ceylon joined Washington Performing Arts as the Assistant Director of Communications and Creative Media. In this role, he supports WPA’s brand and mission of bringing inclusive and vibrant performing arts experiences to a wide-ranging and ever-growing community of arts lovers, practitioners, educators, and learners within the Washington D.C. area. For over 5+ years, Ceylon has supported performing artists, arts organizations, and beyond with multimedia production and digital marketing consulting as the founder and co-owner of M3 | Mitchell Media & Marketing, LLC. Tailored services include photography, videography, and digital media marketing. Clients include Americans for the Arts, International Contemporary Ensemble, The New School, Quinteto Latino, ARTSFAIRFAX, and numerous individual artists. Ceylon is also an active arts advocate in the D.C. area, serving as a National Flute Association Career and Artistic Development Committee member, a Umoja Flute Institute marketing committee member, a Recording Academy Washington D.C. Chapter Professional Member, and Arts Advocates Network of Maryland (AAMN) member with Maryland Citizens for the Arts.

Mentors, past and present, include Dr. Sarah Frisof, Dr. Saïs Kamalidiin, Ms. Janese Sampson, Professor Leah Arsenault, Dr. William Montgomery, Professor Linda Toote, Dr. Carmen Lemoine, Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper, and the late Sharon Nowak of Anchorage, Alaska, his first flute teacher. Additionally, Ceylon has performed in masterclasses for professional flutists such as Aaron Goldman, Marina Piccinini, Carol Wincenc, Sir James Galway, Paul Edmund-Davies, Trevor Wye, and Marianne Gedigian. He remains grateful to the entire Anchorage music community for preparing him for a promising career in the arts with encouragement and inspiration. Ceylon currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and two sons.

This performance will take place in the McGuireWoods Gallery in Building W16 on the campus of the Workhouse Arts Center. Tickets are available for purchase from $20 per person. Beer, wine, soft drinks, and snacks available for a la carte purchase in the venue.

Ceylon Mitchell

Sunday March 6, 2022 at 2:00pm

Tickets: $20

Advance purchase is highly recommended, rates may increase as ticket sales progress.

Venue will open 60 minutes prior to curtain, seating opens 30 minutes prior to curtain

SPECIAL THANKS

The 2021/22 Performing Arts Season is made possible in part with funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG)

Select performances in this series are partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts.