Lettie Beckon Alston

Lettie Beckon Alston (1953 – March 31, 2014) was an American composer known for her piano work and a longstanding series of concerts, "Lettie Alston and Friends".

Biography Alston was born in 1953 in Detroit, Michigan, United States.

Alston attended Wayne State University for her undergraduate and masters degrees. In 1983, she earned her doctorate in musical composition from the University of Michigan (UM), where she had studied with Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom and Eugene Kurtz. She composed for orchestra, chamber and vocal groups. The concerts featured contemporary classical music usually based around a central theme. The set highlighted both her work on acoustic and electric piano.

Oboe Three implied jesters (unaccompanied). 1975. Available from: Alston.

Percussion Visions (piano, marimba). 1979, revised 1993. Duration: 7:00. Performances include Larry Kaptein, marimba, Lettie Beckon Allston, piano, University of Michigan Symposium on Black Women Composers, August 1985. Library: AMRC. Available from: Alston.

Piano Four moods for piano. 1993. Duration: 12:00. Performances include the Unisys African-American Forum Chamber Music Concert, Orchestra Hall, Detroit, April 1993. Library: AMRC, IU-USM. Available from Alston.

Moods for piano. 1975. Duration: 5:00. Library: AMRC, Available from Alston.