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NANM Inc. Remembrances Page
NANM mourns the passing of Marilyn Thompson.
Click here to get a printable obituary
The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc.
mourns the loss of our Public Relations Manager, Dr. Marilyn
Thompson, who passed away on January 10, 2009 after struggling with
heart failure. When Past President, Roland Carter brought her on
board in this position, along with her many duties, she created two
important publications for NANM: "Reverberations" (a quarterly
newsletter/on-line magazine) and "Tempo Prestissimo" (the daily
coverage of convention activities).
A Life Member of NANM, a
beautiful soprano, and a fine researcher and writer, her
contributions have made our organization significantly more
visible. She along with Dr. Barbara Wright Pryor Williams
coordinated our 90th Anniversary convention. We will miss her voice,
her hearty laugh, her organizational skills, her scholarship and her
constant manifestation of her love for African-American music and
for NANM. The funeral service will be on Saturday, January 23, 2010
at Jumping Run Free Will Baptist Church, 4308 Jumping Run Church
Road, LaGrange, North Carolina 28551. Marilyn's family is requesting
that donations be made to NANM to establish the Marilyn Thompson
Scholarship Fund. To God be the glory for a life well lived.
David Morrow, President
Raoul Abdul:
Music critic, author, singer, Raoul Abdul (November 7, 1929) died in
Manhattan on Friday, 15 January 2010, shortly after bypass surgery.
Abdul was a concert baritone and German lieder expert who studied
voice with renowned Russian baritone Alexander Kipnis from 1959 to
1962. It was under Kipnis' tutelage that Abdul earned a diploma from
Vienna Academy of Music. Abdul also studied at the Cleveland
Institute of Music and Harvard University.
At the time of his passing Abdul was the music critic for the New
York Amsterdam News. His column was titled "Reading the Score."
Abdul's books include Blacks in Classical Music; Famous Black
Entertainers of Today; and The Magic of Black Poetry. He also edited
Alan Lomax's 3000 Years of Black Poetry, following a journalism
career launched in his native Cleveland. Abdul's scholarly writings
were described by Eileen Southern as the result of "solid,intensive
research."
Abdul often shared a valuable lesson he learned from Howard Swanson,
'Be satisfied to serve art without regard for financial rewards-they
will come in time.
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