04
February 2025

Joseph Boulogne, The Chevalier de St Georges – the African Mozart

The Arts Society Richmond
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - 19:30
Duke Street Church Richmond TW9 1DH
Online Event

Born the son of a plantation owner and his Senegalese-born slave, St Georges gained fame in France, and was called “the most accomplished man in Europe” by US President John Adams. His skills at horse-riding and fencing earned the admiration of his peers, but it was his skill as a musician and the first recognized black composer which have preserved his name and reputation. He taught Queen Marie Antoinette to play the harpsichord, and met Mozart in the court of Versailles, but after the Revolution, fought in the army as the Colonel of the first regiment made entirely from men of African ancestry.   

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

The Revd Canon Christopher Newlands

Canon Chris Newlands is a retired Anglican priest, having ministered across England from Portsmouth to Durham, and from Essex to Lancashire. Before ordination, he worked for the British Council in Algeria, and after ordination was posted to Romania and Bulgaria as Embassy Chaplain and Envoy of the Anglican Communion to the Orthodox Churches of Eastern Europe. Chris is a guest lecturer on cruise ships where his lectures relate to the destinations in the Baltic, Black Sea, and Mediterranean regions.