The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra performed the world premiere of Sumi Tonooka’s Sketch At Seven this past December with conductor Jory Fankuchen.

“The inspiration for Sketch at Seven is a sketch book of drawings and musical journals that I made when I was very young that was sent back to me after some forty years. When I opened the sketchbook it was like a doorway into the past and future, mysterious and profound.”

“Pew Fellows Sumi Tonooka, a composer and musician, and Phillip B. Williams, a poet and author, work in different mediums. Yet, through their one-on-one conversation, they discovered commonalities in the ways they “channel” their compositions and how they’ve experienced shifts in their artistic identities.” Read full conversation

My new orchestral work, Only The Midnight Sky And Silent Stars was made possible by the Emerging Black Composers Project. I was one of four winning composer finalists in 2022. The work was premiered by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra in February 2023 under the direction of conductor Edwin Outwater at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

The music is inspired by a poem called ‘Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman’ by the brilliant, Philadelphia poet laureate, Sonia Sanchez. I love the way this poem brings Harriet Tubman to life, you can feel her spirit, strength and courage. There  is a fierceness and clarity of image and rhythm in the poem which I tried to capture in the music.  I could literally see her running and emerging from a southern country road with the morning mist in her hair. I based each movement on three stanza’s that were most evocative for me.

Movement I. Running (0-1’00”) II. Picture Her (1’00-2’04”) III. Turning South ( 2’05-5:05)

Sumi Tonooka and fellow artists, Karen Smith and Samantha Rise are among The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage’s 2023 grantees. The Fellowships program provides direct support to the Philadelphia region’s most talented artists, working in all disciplines.

Over the past 31 years, Pew Fellows have made an impact regionally, nationally, and internationally. They have been recognized with numerous prestigious grants and awards, and have had their work presented in 49 US states and more than 60 countries.

In becoming a Pew Fellow, Tonooka said “This gives me the opportunity to reassess what it is that I hold, and make some decisions about how to move forward in the most authentic and joyful way.”

In June, M³ presented its Third Annual M³ Lifetime Achievement Award to saxophonist-composer Erica Lindsay at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem in recognition of her contributions to the community through her prolific musical accomplishments, leadership, and educational work. To celebrate, Erica and Sumi performed a short set before the award presentation. Congratulations Erica!