Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Recognised in 2014

In 2012, there were numerous events to commemorate a century since the death of the African British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Although the numbers later fell, the events nevertheless continued into 2013, with the SC-T Collective being part of the consortium which managed to get SC-T's image unveiled in the boardroom of the Performing Right Society during British Black Music Month 2013.

Come 2014, we are heartened to announce that recognition of SC-T's work and his place in British history continues.

As part of marking a centenary of its formation, royalty collection organisation Performing Right Society For Music (PRS), notes in its commemorative brochure that SC-T's 'Song Of Hiawatha' is the top performed composition of the 1920s! Having been first performed at the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) in 1900, it experienced renewed interest in the 1920s/30s when it became an annual two-week programme performed in June at the RAH, produced as a fundraiser for the Royal Choral Society mainly conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.

Hopefully, this story isn't finished, as we're working on a SC-T related proposal with the PRS family!

Having voted SC-T Croydon's favourite Croydonite in a poll organised by Croydon Council in 2013, it's no surprise that SC-T has ended up representing Croydon in the 32 Londoners event on May 1 2014, 8-11pm, which marks London's 32 boroughs by highlighting the life of one person per borough. The event takes place on the London Eye pods and lounge, with a talk on each of the personalities. Charles Elford, author of the fact-fiction biography 'Black Mahler' (it actually should read 'African Mahler') will give the SC-T talk.

Tickets, priced at £35, can be bought for the individual presentations, by clicking here.

The chosen personalities represent nearly 1000 years of London's history - from the likes of Thomas Becket, the saint born in Cheapside in 1118, Samuel Pepys, the diarist born in Fleet Street in 1633, Queen Victoria, the monarch born in Kensington in 1819, WS Gilbert, the dramatist in The Strand in 1836, through to Charlie Chaplin, the comic born in Walworth in 1889, David Bowie, the pop star born in Brixton in 1947, Jazzie B, the Soul II Soul head honcho born in Hornsey in 1963, Lennox Lewis, the champion boxer born in West Ham in 1965, Ozwald Boateng, the fashion designer born in Muswell Hill in 1967, Naomi Campbell, the supermodel born in Streatham in 1970, and Zadie Smith, the author born in my home borough Brent in 1975!