The Lost Village of Seneca

Program Notes From The Composer

Seneca Village was a community located in what is now Western Central Park. It was established through land purchases in 1825 by African-Americans trying to escape the violent anti-Black riots, kidnappings, discrimination and poor living arrangements they faced in lower Manhattan. Spanning decades, the community grew to roughly 300 people of Black, Irish, and German heritage and featured interracial churches, Colored School No. 3, single family homes, and community cemeteries.

Seneca Village also included some of the rare Black landowners who satisfied New York’s property requirements to vote. In 1857, New York used eminent domain to acquire their land and evict them for the creation of Central Park. Many residents were offered questionable compensation which they protested through court petitions. Many others were uprooted with no compensation. In 1871, bodies were discovered that had not been removed during Central Park’s creation. Fifty years later, an entire graveyard was discovered that had not been relocated during Central Park’s creation.

Commissioned for the Composing Inclusion program by The Juilliard School Preparatory Division, in partnership with American Composers Forum and the New York Philharmonic, powered by the Sphinx Venture Fund

String Quartet

Thomas Flippin is an original and versatile voice in the world of contemporary classical music. An accomplished classical guitarist praised for his “sheer musicality” (Stereophile), Flippin has premiered dozens of works and performed at Carnegie Hall and as soloist with several orchestras. As a composer, his music focuses on American life, the African-American experience within it, and the historical and spiritual writings that inform the present. Flippin graduated with honors from the University of Chicago, where he was awarded the undergraduate composition prize. He then earned Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees in guitar performance from the Yale School of Music. He has given lectures on composition for Juilliard, the New York City Classical Guitar Society, the Université de Montréal with the Société de Guitare de Montréal, the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, and the Seattle Classical Guitar Society, among others. Recent commissions include: The Cleveland Orchestra in partnership with the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society; a joint commission between The Juilliard School, the New York Philharmonic, and the American Composers Forum; the Guitar Foundation of America; Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Conservatory; Benjamin Verdery and the Yale School of Music guitar department; and the New York City Classical Guitar Orchestra. Currently, Flippin is Guitar Department Head and composition faculty at the Diller-Quaile School of Music in Manhattan.

The Lost Village of Seneca was commissioned by ACF as part of the Composing Inclusion series. The premiere took place on April 2, 2023, at Mother AME Zion Church by members of Juilliard Pre-College, MAP, and the NY Philharmonic.

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