BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Not long ago my book club chose to read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb ‒ himself a black classical violinist ‒ about a young black boy, Ray MacMillian who falls in love with classical music and playing the violin. However, Ray is a black kid with a beat-up, cheap school rental. Teachers won’t give him attention because he’s black, and they don’t believe that he can possibly master classical music.
Not long ago my book club chose to read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb ‒ himself a black classical violinist ‒ about a young black boy, Ray MacMillian who falls in love with classical music and playing the violin. However, Ray is a black kid with a beat-up, cheap school rental. Teachers won’t give him attention because he’s black, and they don’t believe that he can possibly master classical music.
In an interview, Slocumb states that only 1.8% of the classical music performers, directors, and composers are black and about 25% are other people of color. That intrigued me. Statistics can be deceiving, and I wondered how that number compared with other professional endeavors.
After all, 67% of all players in the NFL are black. That fact by itself says one thing. If you add on other pieces of the picture – the facts that there are no black owners, and there was only one general manager, Ozzie Newsome, who became an NFL team's first black General Manager in 2002, one gets a different impression. Now add on the fact the Newsome is now an Executive Vice President. What does that mean?
A different perspective, indeed.
After all, 67% of all players in the NFL are black. That fact by itself says one thing. If you add on other pieces of the picture – the facts that there are no black owners, and there was only one general manager, Ozzie Newsome, who became an NFL team's first black General Manager in 2002, one gets a different impression. Now add on the fact the Newsome is now an Executive Vice President. What does that mean?
A different perspective, indeed.
CLAWING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP
Studies show that only about 2% of practitioners of any profession manage to claw their way to the top of the hierarchical heap. Being someone who scrambled to reach a higher level in my own profession, I can attest that women have to work harder, longer, and be twice as good as any man to have the same position. I’m white, so I can only imagine how much harder it is for blacks and other people of color.
Another part of the equation is the size of the heap we’re talking about. When it comes to just classical musicians, conductors, and composers – that is, excluding all the support and other staff involved in classical music – the total number of people is, undoubtedly, smaller number than the total number of people in some other professions, such as scientific researchers… which one survey puts at six million. Granted, there are many fields of research, but there are also various fields of classical music to pursue… but I doubt the total is anywhere near six million. Unfortunately ‒ or maybe fortunately, since my math is more than rusty ‒ I do not have the numbers to do the math.
But there is no doubt that prejudice is still alive and well and still making it much harder for people of color to break the chromium [the hardest know metal] ceilings. Yet there are those who are doing in anyway, despite the odds. Meet the top players in today’s classical music, taken primarily from: https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2022/02/22/top-black-classical-musicians/ .
CONDUCTORS
Studies show that only about 2% of practitioners of any profession manage to claw their way to the top of the hierarchical heap. Being someone who scrambled to reach a higher level in my own profession, I can attest that women have to work harder, longer, and be twice as good as any man to have the same position. I’m white, so I can only imagine how much harder it is for blacks and other people of color.
Another part of the equation is the size of the heap we’re talking about. When it comes to just classical musicians, conductors, and composers – that is, excluding all the support and other staff involved in classical music – the total number of people is, undoubtedly, smaller number than the total number of people in some other professions, such as scientific researchers… which one survey puts at six million. Granted, there are many fields of research, but there are also various fields of classical music to pursue… but I doubt the total is anywhere near six million. Unfortunately ‒ or maybe fortunately, since my math is more than rusty ‒ I do not have the numbers to do the math.
But there is no doubt that prejudice is still alive and well and still making it much harder for people of color to break the chromium [the hardest know metal] ceilings. Yet there are those who are doing in anyway, despite the odds. Meet the top players in today’s classical music, taken primarily from: https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2022/02/22/top-black-classical-musicians/ .
CONDUCTORS
Roderick Cox
The 2018 recipient of the Sir George Solti Conducting Award, Roderick Cox, is at the very top of the list of classical musicians today. Originally from Macon, Georgia, he has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and many other musical groups.
The 2018 recipient of the Sir George Solti Conducting Award, Roderick Cox, is at the very top of the list of classical musicians today. Originally from Macon, Georgia, he has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and many other musical groups.
Image Credit: Roderick Cox. Courtesy Photo.
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2022 includes debuts with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Seattle and New World Symphonies, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Malmo, Kristiansand and Lahti Symphony Orchestras. He is also the founder of the Roderick Cox Music Initiative. It is an organization that provides young musicians of color with the funding necessary to provide instruments and instruction on their paths to success.
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2022 includes debuts with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Seattle and New World Symphonies, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Malmo, Kristiansand and Lahti Symphony Orchestras. He is also the founder of the Roderick Cox Music Initiative. It is an organization that provides young musicians of color with the funding necessary to provide instruments and instruction on their paths to success.
Tania Leόn
A composer and conductor of considerable acclaim, Tania León and her signature sound can be found throughout the world of classical music. As a conductor, she has performed with the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus de Marseille, and the Symphony Orchestra of Johannesburg – among many others.
Tania León speaks at the premiere of her piece “Stride,” commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
Image Credit: Chris Lee/Courtesy New York Philharmonic
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Her work has been commissioned and performed by groups such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Symphony. Her opera Scourge of Hyacinths, based on a play by Wole Soyinka, has been performed twenty times across multiple continents.
A composer and conductor of considerable acclaim, Tania León and her signature sound can be found throughout the world of classical music. As a conductor, she has performed with the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus de Marseille, and the Symphony Orchestra of Johannesburg – among many others.
Tania León speaks at the premiere of her piece “Stride,” commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
Image Credit: Chris Lee/Courtesy New York Philharmonic
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Her work has been commissioned and performed by groups such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Symphony. Her opera Scourge of Hyacinths, based on a play by Wole Soyinka, has been performed twenty times across multiple continents.
Jonathon Heyward
The 2020 recipient of the Sir George Solti Career Assistant Award, Jonathon Heyward is a conductor to watch. Originally trained as a cellist and chamber musician, Heyward has gone on to appear as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Dudamel Coducting Fellow.
Image credit: Jonathon Heyward. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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CELLISTS
The 2020 recipient of the Sir George Solti Career Assistant Award, Jonathon Heyward is a conductor to watch. Originally trained as a cellist and chamber musician, Heyward has gone on to appear as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Dudamel Coducting Fellow.
Image credit: Jonathon Heyward. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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CELLISTS
Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Though only twenty-one years old, Kanneh-Mason garnered global acclaim when he performed a cello piece and the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Susses. After winning the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competiton, Kanneh-Mason went on to release two albums, and to play with many of the most renowned orchestras around the world. He is currently a full-time student at the Royal Academy of Music.
Image Credit: Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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He comes from a talented family and all of his six siblings share his exceptional musical talents. In December 2019 they all played as a family on stage at the Royal Variety Performance, amazing the audience with Vittorio Monti’s Czárdás. Sheku made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall that same month in a program he shared with his sister Isata.
VIOLINISTS
Though only twenty-one years old, Kanneh-Mason garnered global acclaim when he performed a cello piece and the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Susses. After winning the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competiton, Kanneh-Mason went on to release two albums, and to play with many of the most renowned orchestras around the world. He is currently a full-time student at the Royal Academy of Music.
Image Credit: Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
Image Source: dandelionchandelier.com/top-black-classical-musicians/
He comes from a talented family and all of his six siblings share his exceptional musical talents. In December 2019 they all played as a family on stage at the Royal Variety Performance, amazing the audience with Vittorio Monti’s Czárdás. Sheku made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall that same month in a program he shared with his sister Isata.
VIOLINISTS
Daniel Bernard Roumain
Both a composer and a violinist, Daniel Bernard Roumain is a household name in the world of classical music, having appeared everywhere from American Idol to the Sydney Opera House. He is known both for his prowess as a musician, and also his work as an activist.
Image Credit: Daniel Bernard Roumain. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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Not only has he composed countless award-winning pieces, receiving recognition for his artistry across genres, but he has also made his mark by serving on the Board of Directors for the American League of Orchestras, and the advisory committee for the Sphinx Organization.
Both a composer and a violinist, Daniel Bernard Roumain is a household name in the world of classical music, having appeared everywhere from American Idol to the Sydney Opera House. He is known both for his prowess as a musician, and also his work as an activist.
Image Credit: Daniel Bernard Roumain. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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Not only has he composed countless award-winning pieces, receiving recognition for his artistry across genres, but he has also made his mark by serving on the Board of Directors for the American League of Orchestras, and the advisory committee for the Sphinx Organization.
Jessie Montgomery
A violinist and composer, Jessie Montgomery was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the child of a musician. A recipient of the Leonard Bernstein award, she is a chamber musician and an educator, as well as a former composer-in-residence for Sphinx Virtuosi, the touring company of the Sphinx Organization.
Image Credit: Jessie Montgomery. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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Her work has been commissioned by prestigious orchestras across the country, including the New York Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. In 2021, she was named the Mead Composer-in-Residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
A violinist and composer, Jessie Montgomery was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the child of a musician. A recipient of the Leonard Bernstein award, she is a chamber musician and an educator, as well as a former composer-in-residence for Sphinx Virtuosi, the touring company of the Sphinx Organization.
Image Credit: Jessie Montgomery. Courtesy Photo. (cropped)
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Her work has been commissioned by prestigious orchestras across the country, including the New York Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. In 2021, she was named the Mead Composer-in-Residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Ashleigh Gordon
As well as being an internationally regarded violist, Ashleigh Gordon is also the co-founder of Castle of Our Skins. It is an organization devoted to supporting and celebrating black artists, past and present, through both education and performance.
Image Credit: Ashleigh Gordon. Courtesy Photo. (Cropped)
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Based out of Boston, they are a major voice in classical music, and Gordon is the leading force behind them. She herself has performed in festivals throughout the United States and Europe, making her recognized equally as a talented musician and as a voice for social change.
As well as being an internationally regarded violist, Ashleigh Gordon is also the co-founder of Castle of Our Skins. It is an organization devoted to supporting and celebrating black artists, past and present, through both education and performance.
Image Credit: Ashleigh Gordon. Courtesy Photo. (Cropped)
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Based out of Boston, they are a major voice in classical music, and Gordon is the leading force behind them. She herself has performed in festivals throughout the United States and Europe, making her recognized equally as a talented musician and as a voice for social change.
Aaron Dworkin
A giant in the world of classical music, President Barack Obama made Aaron Dworkin his first appointment to the National Council on the Arts. A MacArthur Fellow, Dworkin is an author, artist, and violinist, and an educator and a dean for the University of Michigan’s School of Music.
Image Credit: Aaron Dworkin. Courtesy Photo (cropped)
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He is also the founder of the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based group that aims to use diversity in art as a method of transforming people’s lives.
COMPOSERS
A giant in the world of classical music, President Barack Obama made Aaron Dworkin his first appointment to the National Council on the Arts. A MacArthur Fellow, Dworkin is an author, artist, and violinist, and an educator and a dean for the University of Michigan’s School of Music.
Image Credit: Aaron Dworkin. Courtesy Photo (cropped)
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He is also the founder of the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based group that aims to use diversity in art as a method of transforming people’s lives.
COMPOSERS
Jonathan Bailey Holland
Perhaps one of the best-known composers in the classical world, Jonathan Bailey Holland's legendary music has been commissioned by ensembles across the United States, including by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Image Credit: Jonathan Bailey Holland. Courtesy Photo.
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A native of Flint, Michigan, Holland was awarded a commission by the Isabells Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston to compose a piece inspired by John Singer Sargent’s dance-inspired painting, “El Jaleo.”
Notably, he served as the first composer-in-residence with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, from 2018 to 2019. His pieces draw inspiration from many genres, including jazz, hip hop, and other classical works.
PIANISTS
Perhaps one of the best-known composers in the classical world, Jonathan Bailey Holland's legendary music has been commissioned by ensembles across the United States, including by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Image Credit: Jonathan Bailey Holland. Courtesy Photo.
Image Source: dandelionchandelier.com/top-black-classical-musicians/
A native of Flint, Michigan, Holland was awarded a commission by the Isabells Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston to compose a piece inspired by John Singer Sargent’s dance-inspired painting, “El Jaleo.”
Notably, he served as the first composer-in-residence with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, from 2018 to 2019. His pieces draw inspiration from many genres, including jazz, hip hop, and other classical works.
PIANISTS
Damien Sneed
From piano and vocals, to composition and conducting, to working with icons like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder – it seems like Damien Sneed has done it all. Winner of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, he’s also known as the founder of the Chorale Le Chateau – a group that performs vocal interpretations of Renaissance literature.
Image Credit: Damien Sneed. Courtesy Photo (cropped).
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Most recently, Sneed embarked on a 36-city North American tour titled, “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The tour coincided with the 35th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
VOCALISTS AND OPERA SINGERS
From piano and vocals, to composition and conducting, to working with icons like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder – it seems like Damien Sneed has done it all. Winner of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, he’s also known as the founder of the Chorale Le Chateau – a group that performs vocal interpretations of Renaissance literature.
Image Credit: Damien Sneed. Courtesy Photo (cropped).
Image Source: dandelionchandelier.com/top-black-classical-musicians/
Most recently, Sneed embarked on a 36-city North American tour titled, “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The tour coincided with the 35th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
VOCALISTS AND OPERA SINGERS
Julia Bullock
A classical singer originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Julia Bullock has completed residencies with the San Francisco Symphony and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Image Credit: Julia Bullock. Courtesy Photo
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A soprano, Bullock is a founding member of the American Modern Opera Company and has also starred in numerous operas herself, including Le Nozze di Figaro and The Magic Flute. Alongside Joyce DiDonato and Jakub Józef Orliński, Bullock starred in a new production of Handel’s Theodora at Royal Opera House in the beginning of 2022. She also released a debut solo album later that year.
A classical singer originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Julia Bullock has completed residencies with the San Francisco Symphony and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Image Credit: Julia Bullock. Courtesy Photo
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A soprano, Bullock is a founding member of the American Modern Opera Company and has also starred in numerous operas herself, including Le Nozze di Figaro and The Magic Flute. Alongside Joyce DiDonato and Jakub Józef Orliński, Bullock starred in a new production of Handel’s Theodora at Royal Opera House in the beginning of 2022. She also released a debut solo album later that year.
Lawrence Brownlee
Tenor Lawrence Brownlee has been universally praised as one of the stars of the current opera scene. He has starred in numerous performances, including The Barber of Seville, La Cenerentola, and Donizetti’s La Favorite.
Image Credit: Lawrence Brownlee. Courtesy Photo
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You can regularly find him performing with the most prominent opera houses all over the world. For the 2021-22 season, he debuted as Platée in Rameau’s opera “Platée” with the Opera National de Paris.
JUST SAYIN'
Sources:
https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2022/02/22/top-black-classical-musicians/
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/black-musicians-pioneering-in-classical-music/#:~:text
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/black-composers-who-made-classical-music-history/
https://www.nateholdermusic.com/post/12-black-female-classical-composers-you-need-to-know
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:African-American_classical_musicians
https://www.nateholdermusic.com/post/12-black-male-classical-musicians-you-need-to-know
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_women_in_classical_music
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/people-global-african-history/black-composers-and-musicians-classical-music-history/
Tenor Lawrence Brownlee has been universally praised as one of the stars of the current opera scene. He has starred in numerous performances, including The Barber of Seville, La Cenerentola, and Donizetti’s La Favorite.
Image Credit: Lawrence Brownlee. Courtesy Photo
Image Source: dandelionchandelier.com/top-black-classical-musicians/
You can regularly find him performing with the most prominent opera houses all over the world. For the 2021-22 season, he debuted as Platée in Rameau’s opera “Platée” with the Opera National de Paris.
JUST SAYIN'
Sources:
https://www.dandelionchandelier.com/2022/02/22/top-black-classical-musicians/
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/black-musicians-pioneering-in-classical-music/#:~:text
https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/black-composers-who-made-classical-music-history/
https://www.nateholdermusic.com/post/12-black-female-classical-composers-you-need-to-know
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:African-American_classical_musicians
https://www.nateholdermusic.com/post/12-black-male-classical-musicians-you-need-to-know
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_women_in_classical_music
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/people-global-african-history/black-composers-and-musicians-classical-music-history/
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