For Good Measure, by Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) Episode 26: Dawn Norfleet (part 1)
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In this week’s episode, we talk to Dawn Norfleet about her musical family's influence on her. If you enjoyed today’s conversation and want to know more about Dawn Norfleet, check her out here: music.columbia.edu/bios/dawn-norfleet . Parts of this episode originally premiered on January 2022, found on Youtube, click here.
This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from the California Arts Council and generous donors, like you. Want to support For Good Measure and E4TT? Make a tax-deductible donation or sign up for our newsletter, and subscribe to the podcast!
Intro music: “Trifolium” by Gabriela Ortiz, performed by E4TT (Ilana Blumberg, violin; Abigail Monroe, cello; Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Below the Surface: Music by Women Composers,” January 29, 202 Outro music: “Lake Turkana” by Marcus Norris, performed by E4TT (Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Alchemy,” October 15, 2021
Transcription courtesy of Otter.ai.
Producer, Host, and E4TT co-founder: Nanette McGuinness Audio Engineer: Stephanie M. Neumann Podcast Cover Art: Brennan Stokes Interns: Roziht Edwards and Merve Tokar
[INTRO MUSIC] Welcome to For Good Measure, an interview series celebrating diverse composers and other creative artists sponsored by grant from the California Arts Council. I'm Nanette McGuinness, artistic executive director of Ensemble For These Times. In this week's episode, we're joined by Dawn Norfleet, who he spoke to in January 2022. [INTRO MUSIC ENDS]. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. You come from a musical family who is musical and what do they play? Any memories that were foundational to your musical life?
Dawn Norfleet:
Well, I come from a musical family. My brother is a keyboardist right now he's, he's playing with the temptations and playing and singing, not one of the dancers, but he's, he sings background and he plays keyboards. My mother was a professional singer, she, she was a music education major at Texas Southern University, where she met my father, who was a professional musician and entertainer. He played Organ, played piano and sang. So when they met in college, they were both music education majors, and they got married. And then they decided to go on the road as the MEL Dawn duo. So even though my mother's name is Joyce, Dawn was her stage name. And so she she named me after her stage name.
Nanette McGuinness:
That's so sweet!
Dawn Norfleet:
ha yeah! And so my mother very practical minded. She left the touring world behind. They had a very interesting life in the 60s touring at the time segregated clubs in the Midwest. So, you know, black duo.. they were kind of, I guess. Yeah. Anyway, yeah. They, so they toured towards segregated clubs, playing light jazz and stuff like that. And then settled in LA, and my mother, like I said, practical minded. She left the touring life behind and began teaching music in LA, at South LA. And so she actually produced an opera at a high school in Watts, California. And it was "Amahl and the night visitors" by by Gian Carlo Menotti right? And it was storing, you know, starring it featured. All faculty and students so and, and she played piano and there was one flutist, so together, they did the whole, you know, they were the accompaniment, entire opera, and my brother, who was nine at the time, played Amahl. So, so I was five. And, and I remember that, you know, it was it just had a profound impact on me. I used to walk to the library and check out the album, right. And I played it to death "Almal in the night visitors" so that that that album has, you know, just that recording that app that opera just has a very fond place in my heart. Yeah. And when I was in grad school, imagine how I felt when Gian Carlo Menotti was a guest came to speak as as a guest in my grad school. And so I was like, sitting in there fanning out and he was just so gracious. We have some photos of of from from that production where my brother is singing with one of the students who was one of the shepherds or something. And it turns out that the shepherd is now in a temptations tribute band. And my brother is now live with the temptations. It was kind of cool. But anyway, yeah, so my mother taught choir and so I heard a lot of choir music, and vocal music in general. She was a voice. She voiced voice and piano major, I think up Well, focus because her major was actually music education. So, so I heard a lot of local music. And I think that influenced me.
Nanette McGuinness:
How did this experience add to your compositional experience? Or is it just part of who you are?
Dawn Norfleet:
Both it's...it's.. I think vocals have a very important part of my, my musical voice in general, whether it's, you know, the instrumental music or what I choose to write, or in my, let's say, non classical writing, so, so yeah. I've written a choral piece that won an award. And and yeah, so, I've, I've written for soprattutto and piano, and Metso and violin. Yeah.
Nanette McGuinness:
[OUTRO MUSIC] Thank you for listening to For Good Measure, and a special thank you to our guest, Dawn Norfleet for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast by clicking on the subscribe button and support us by sharing it with your friends, posting about it on social media and leaving us a rating and a review. To learn more about E4TT Our concert season online and in the Bay Area where to make a tax deductible donation, please visit us at www.E4TT.org. This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from the California Arts Council and generous donors like you. "For Good Measure" is produced by Nanette McGuinness and Ensemble for These Times, and designed by Brennan Stokes. With special thanks to audio engineer extraordinaire Stephanie Neumann. Remember to keep supporting equity in the arts and tune in next week "for good measure." [OUTRO MUSIC ENDS]