Happy New Year!
The first 2021 meeting of AMTA will be held this Friday at 10AM on Zoom. The link (same as usual) will be provided in a mailing soon. Join us to find out about exciting new happenings!
Our program, provided by Solomon Chapman, will concern the Music Education of students in Black Communities.
A native of Denver, Solomon J. Chapman is a sought-after musician within the Gospel and Jazz communities of Colorado. At age nine, he began formal lessons with pianist Marie Clark. In the same year, he also began serving as lead pianist of his church, St. John Church of God in Christ, under the musical direction of his mother, Christeen Chapman. Through countless performances in concert and liturgical settings as a teenager, Solomon became an active gospel accompanist and collaborator in music-ministry projects in Colorado. He graduated from Overland High School in 2011, gaining such honors as the George Eastman Young Leaders Award and the John Philip Sousa Band.
Solomon received both academic and music talent scholarships to study at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. As a student at MSU Denver, he performed in many areas of the music program, including the MSU Denver Big Band, Jazz Combo, Vocal Accompanying, Classical Chamber Music, and Wind Ensemble. In the Spring of 2016, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from MSU Denver, earning a Bachelor Degree in Music Composition.
Currently, Solomon is active as a composer, arranger, and educator. His works have been featured in local ensembles like The Rhythm of Life Community Chorus and the MSU Denver Wind Ensemble as well as in Colombia, South America through ColomboAmerican Medellín’s 2015 Jazz Camp and Festival. Passionate about music education, Solomon is also the owner of MD Music LLC, a company dedicated to cultivating gospel musicians within the State of Colorado.
