The Poem Heard Round the F-Train

When we hear about an 8 year old composing classical music, our minds probably fly to stereotypical images–those brilliant child violinists who gave their parents crib-side concerts on their violas at eighteen months old.

The types who would for sure make the Philharmonic if they were just tall enough to read off the music stand without sitting on phone books.

But I like this example even better.

Samori Covington was just eight years old when she penned the poem, “When Randa Wears Red” during a writing workshop at the Brooklyn Public library.

Then get what happened next.

Because of their work there, the girls were selected to be part of the “I Hear America Singing” initiative. And Gilda Lyons, a seriously for-real composer, wrote the music to accompany the poem (she says she felt the tango in the poem the first time she read it).

Eventually, When Randa Wears Red was published as sheet music in a collection of pieces called “Songs from the F Train.” And her piece was performed as an opera song at Carnegie Hall among many other high-falutin’ places. Samori was even recognized by the New York Senate.

Not too shabby, ay?

And the best part in my book?

A small community of people–a librarian, a writing workshop teacher (Angelia Rasbury), a composer (Lyons), and two idea-makers, Charles Jarden of American Opera Projects and Greg Trupiano from the Walt Whitman Project— came together to heap success on Samori.

Now that’s collaboration.

[You can watch some of the F-train music in action here. ]