– Clinton Community College is pleased to offer more performances for the 2017-18 Visiting Artist season. This is the 44TH year that CCC has offered these performances for the community as part of the Quad Cities Arts, a program that strives to make the program accessible to people of all walks of life, including students, seniors, and working people. Performances will be held in both Clinton and in Maquoketa throughout the year.
Charlotte Blake Alston, Storyteller – Tuesday, February 13 — 7:00 PM
Clinton Community College Technology Center, 1951 Manufacturing Blvd., Clinton, Iowa.
Charlotte Blake Alston is a nationally acclaimed storyteller, narrator, instrumentalis, librettist and singer who performs in venues throughout North America and abroad.
Charlotte Blake Alston breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from African and African American traditions. He performances are often enhanced with traditional instruments such as sjembe, mbira, shekere or the 21-string kora. The tradition may be the strongest in the West African countries of Senegal, Cambia Guinea and Mali where history was preserved and is still passed down orally through the words and music of the griots or jalis. Stories were the way the beliefs, mythology, cultural identity, history, and shared community values of a people were taught and preserved.
Charlotte’s narrative voice can be heard on documentaries including Plenty of Good Women Dancers, The Peddie School, and Crosstown. Ms. Alston has produced several commissioned works for orchestras and opera companies including original narrative tests for Carnival of the Animals and Scherezade. She has received many honors, holds two honorary PhD’s, and received the “Circle of Excellence” Award from the National Storytelling Association.
