Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson was an American composer born on June 14, 1932. He was named after African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. He attended school in New York, studying at the High School of Music and Art. After graduating, he began his college studies at New York University, then later transferred to the Manhattan School of Music where he earned his bachelors and masters degree in composition. During this time, he had studied with many other great composers such as Vittorio Giannini, Charles Mills and Earl Kim. 

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson was a very versatile artist, expanding his work across many genres such as classical, pop, dance, film, television, and jazz. In 1965, he had co-founded the Symphony of the New World in New York, the first ever racially integrated orchestra in the United States, and had ultimately became the Musical Director. 

Perkinson had also made a name for himself in the dance world. He had worked with world renowned dancer Alvin Ailey, writing a ballet for him entitled For Bird, With Love. Perkinson would eventually work as the Music Director for three dance companies: Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Dance Theater of Harlem, and Jerome Robbin’s American Theater Lab. 

Perkinson had developed a rich discography of musical works across multiple genres. He had composed five symphonies, his most well known being Sinfonietta No. 1 for Strings and Fredome/Freedom for SATB Chorus and Piano (1970). Perkinson also has a large number of solo and instrumental works such as Blue/s Form for Solo Violin (1979) and Lamentations Black/Folk Song Suite for Solo Cello (1973).  In film, he composed works for A Warm December (1973), Thomasine & Bushrod (1972), The Education of Sonny Carson (1974), Montgomery to Memphis (1970), and many more. In popular music, Perkinson had written arrangements for major recording artists including Harry Belafonte and Marvin Gaye.

-Cristina Benn

This profile was created in 2021 as part of The Savvy Singer, an EXCEL Lab course at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and a collaboration with the Hampsong Foundation via the Classic Song Research Initiative.

Bibliography:

Keiser Southern Music. “Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson – Keiser Southern Music.” Www.keisersouthernmusic.com, Keiser Southern Music, www.keisersouthernmusic.com/composers/coleridge-taylor-perkinson. Accessed 10 Nov. 2021. 

Moore, Carman, and Anya Laurence. “Perkinson, Coleridge-Taylor.” Oxford Music Online, 6 Feb. 2012, 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2219404. Accessed 10 Nov. 2021.

The New York Public Library. “Archives.nypl.org — Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Papers.” Archives.nypl.org, archives.nypl.org/mus/20417. Accessed 2021.