Lettie Alston facts for kids

Lettie Beckon Alston (born 1953) is an American composer. She is well-known for her piano music and for a long-running concert series called "Lettie Alston and Friends."

About Lettie Alston

Lettie Alston was born in 1953 in Detroit, a big city in the United States.

She went to Wayne State University for her first two college degrees. Later, in 1983, she earned her highest degree, a doctorate in musical composition, from the University of Michigan (UM). She studied with famous composers like Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom, and Eugene Kurtz. Lettie Alston was the first African-American person to get this special degree from the University of Michigan.

Her Musical Creations

Lettie Alston's music uses both traditional instruments, like pianos and violins, and electronic instruments. She has written music for many different groups, including full orchestras, smaller chamber groups, and singers.

In 1995, Alston started a concert series at Oakland University. It was called "Lettie Alston and Friends." These concerts showed off modern classical music, often based on a main idea or theme. The last concert in this series took place in 2008.

In 2001, her music was put on a two-CD set called Keyboard Maniac. This collection featured her amazing work on both acoustic pianos and electric pianos.

Some of Her Compositions

Lettie Alston wrote many pieces for different instruments. Here are a few examples:

Music for Solo Instruments

For Violin

• Pulsations (for violin alone). She wrote this in 1974 and updated it in 1993.

For Oboe

• Three implied jesters (for oboe alone). This piece was written in 1975.

For Percussion

• Visions (for piano and marimba). She created this in 1979 and revised it in 1993. It has been performed by musicians like Larry Kaptein on marimba and Lettie Beckon Alston herself on piano.

For Piano

• Four moods for piano. This piece was composed in 1993. It has been played at important events, like the Unisys African-American Forum Chamber Music Concert in Detroit.
• Moods for piano. This earlier piano piece was written in 1975.

See also

In Spanish: Lettie Beckon Alston para niños