“Kevin Gwinn is a model candidate,” stated Frank Ragsdale, DMA Chair Department of Vocal Performance and Associate Professor of Music. “He is already an effective teacher, beautiful singer, and brilliant researcher. It has been inspiring to work with him this last year-and-a-half and I look forward to reading his research and listening to the recital he will present of this amazing music.”
Kevin intends to use the funds to promote the vocal works of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a British composer descended from black slaves in the American colonies. “I have been lucky to be able to pursue my research interests here at Frost with the help of great faculty and mentors,” states Kevin Guinn. “They have been very supportive of my work to bring this diverse composer's music back into relevancy. A descendant of African slaves in Britain's American colonies, British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s (1875 – 1912) works have largely been forgotten. Recordings are few and far between, and much of his music has fallen out of printed publication. I will use the Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award to begin in earnest the work of reviving this lost treasure trove.”
