Email: "Patterson’s opera to be on stage here March 26"
*To:		<--TO Email REQUIRED!
*From:		<--FROM Email REQUIRED!

TOLEDO CHRONICLE - Toledo native Michael Patterson has joined his music composition talents with Iowa’s agriculture education heritage and brought to life on stage the story of George Washington Carver. A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver was commissioned by the DesMoines Metro Opera and the Iowa Commission of Cultural Affairs. It is scheduled to be performed by OPERA Iowa at the Wieting Theatre Opera House in Toledo on March 26 sponsored by Toledo P.E.O. Chapter DF. All proceeds from the performance will benefit the Wieting Theatre Restoration fund, a $1.2 million drive underway aimed at preserving the historic building for another 100 years. Michael Patterson, Ph. D.. is a graduate of Simpson College and has advanced degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Oklahoma. He is the son of Charles and the late Lois Patterson of Toledo. His brother, Mark Patterson, lives in Tama. George Washington Carver Born in 1864 in Missouri, the child of slaves, George Washington Carver pursued a formal education but met racial barriers at many schools and institutions. In 1890 he was accepted as a student at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, to study music and art. He was the first black student at that school. Seeking more scientific education in 1891, he transferred to Iowa State Agricultural College, now Iowa State University, where he received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in bacterial botany and agriculture. In 1894 he became the first the first black faculty member at Iowa State. While Carver’s name is usually associated with peanuts, he devoted his life to understanding nature and the many uses for the simplest of plant life. He is best known for developing crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in soil. He discovered new uses for many crops including peanuts and soybeans. One of his goals was to release the South’s dependence on cotton. His work transformed agricultural practices and opened new fields of farming and food production internationally. Patterson has been an instructor and accompanist for the Simpson College Orpheus Festival for 23 years, has worked for 33 seasons with the Des Moines Metro Opera in various capacities, and has served for 19 years as instructor for the Simpson College Elderhostel. Patterson, currently a Professor of Music Education at Simpson College, teaches elementary music education classes, ear training and sight singing, music survey, symphonic and chamber literature, piano lessons, piano literature and supervises elementary student teachers. He founded and administrates the Music Education Workshop series at Simpson, which for 15 years has featured nationally recognized clinicians in workshops each semester. In addition to A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver Dr. Patterson has composed numerous songs for solo voice and piano, choral works and in 2002 completed a commissioned opera, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which toured with Opera Iowa during the 2003 - 2004 season. Following a competition sponsored by ICDA and the Iowa Choral Directors, Patterson composed a commissioned work for treble voices entitled The Wind.

Subscribe to Toledo Chronicle, Tama News-Herald

Share:

You must first login before you can comment.

Existing Member Login
Not a Member?	Create a Member Account
*Your email address:		<--Email REQUIRED!
*Password:	Forgot Password?	<--Password REQUIRED!
	Remember my email address.