Featuring some of the world's most talented and innovative Black composers and musicians from seasons 4 through 7, Melanated Moments in Classical Music wraps up its comprehensive recap. Joshua and Angela discuss the themes and trends that emerged in these seasons and reflect on Melanated Moments' impact on the classical music world. Both retrospective episodes encourage reflection on the progress that has been made in promoting diversity and inclusion in classical music while acknowledging chall...
Nov 15, 2023•58 min•Season 7Ep. 9
Join us for a recap of the first three seasons of the Melanated Moments in Classical Music podcast, featuring some of the world's most influential Black composers and musicians. From William Grant Still to Rosephanye Powell , these artists have made significant contributions to the world of classical music, and their work continues to inspire and amaze. Whether you're a longtime fan of the podcast or you're just getting started, we invite you to listen in on this retrospective celebration of the...
Nov 08, 2023•40 min•Season 7Ep. 8
Joshua and Angela examine the remarkable oratorio The Ordering of Moses by African-American composer Robert Nathaniel Dett . This powerful and moving work tells the biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and is considered one of the most important works of African-American classical music. Scored for chorus, orchestra, and soloists, Dett's oratorio features a variety of musical styles, including spirituals, folk music, and classical forms. It is a powerful work th...
Nov 01, 2023•36 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Pianist, music sociologist, and occasional trumpeter, Joshua Thompson , is an active change agent in the classical music world. Learn more about our host’s passionate advocacy for diversity and inclusion, his work to promote social justice through music, and his unique perspective on the role of music in society. Listen in as Angela teases out how Joshua got to where he is today and where he might be going next. Featured Music: "Summerland" - William Grant Still Joshua Thompson, piano "Just A Li...
Oct 25, 2023•41 min•Season 7Ep. 6
The international impact of pianist/composer, Oswald Russell , wows Joshua and Angela as they discuss his beginnings in Jamaica and a globe-trotting classical music career that followed. Oswald serves as an example of the highest level of musicality, life-long learning, and global citizenship. Featured Music: "Papillons" - Oswald Russell Joseph Talleda, piano Three Jamaican Dances : No. 1 & 2 - Oswald Russell William Chapman Nyaho, piano "Thème Du Générique" - Les Vieilles Lunes - Oswald Rus...
Oct 18, 2023•23 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Angela and Joshua welcome opera superstar, arts administrator, and 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence winner, Karen Slack , to the Melanated Moments in Classical Music family. Bringing her dynamic, down to earth vibe and perspective, Slack details her beginnings in music and an illustrious career that keeps her in demand with leading artists and stages the world over. Equally devoted to music education and meaningful community engagement, Karen Slack reminds us of the personal power found in showin...
Oct 11, 2023•43 min•Season 7Ep. 4
Joshua and Angela discuss the foresight and impact of composer, musicologist, arranger, and premier torchbearer of Negro spirituals, William Levi Dawson . A protege of Booker T. Washington, the life and works of Dawson score an accurate narrative of Black people during the Great Migration. His symphony illustrates the cultural links that were lost and then found as a result of the colonial world’s Global Slave Trade. Revered internationally, Dawson’s tenure and role as an educator and choral dir...
Oct 04, 2023•28 min•Season 7Ep. 3
In this episode, Angela and Joshua introduce our listening audience to 2021 Guggenheim Fellow, composer, and lyricist, Nkeiru Okoye . As one of the most sought after composers and creative minds of the 21st century, Okoye provides an exuberant account into her musical influences, training, and invaluable approach to scoring Black history as a way to engage, educate, and entertain audiences of the future. Featured Music: "Nothing but the Grave," Harriet Tubman - Nkeiru Okoye, composer - Janinah B...
Sep 27, 2023•41 min•Season 7Ep. 2
Angela and Joshua open Season Seven with an exposé on pianist, musicologist, and The First Lady of Jazz; Mary Lou Williams . This stunning artist’s impact crosses multiple genres from jazz to classical and sacred to bebop. She navigates compositional shifts seamlessly all while providing the world of classical music with a much-needed approach to archival, analysis, and expansion to welcome those previously left out of the industry. An undisputed artistic prodigy, Williams’ expansive influence o...
Sep 20, 2023•34 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Season Six wraps with a high-energy conversation with Grammy Award-winning baritone Kenneth Overton . Known for his rich and booming voice, Overton is booked and busy across the U.S. and around the world, yet still finds time to intentionally dedicate part of his career to the mentorship of the next generation of young Black vocalists in classical music. Featured Music: "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," arranged by George Crumb "There's A Man Goin' Round Taking Names" "Look to the Rain...
Apr 26, 2023•42 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Joshua and Angela delve into the many facets of Paul Robeson, the man behind the voice that made him a household name on stage and screen. An academic scholar, bass-baritone concert artist, and stage and film actor, Robeson was as well-known for his artistic prowess as he was for his outspoken commitment to disrupting the hypocritical political strategies of the American government in the 1940s. Featured Music: "Scandalize My Name," arranged by Harry T. Burleigh, performed by Paul Robeson live f...
Apr 19, 2023•25 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Dr. Portia Maultsby , ethnomusicologist and curator of the inaugural exhibition of the National Museum of African American Music , talks with Angela and Joshua about her influential work on throughlines between classical and popular Black music. An esteemed professor emeritus at Indiana University, her work is regarded as an integral component of research and study in ethnomusicology. She is the founder of the popular I.U. Soul Revue and the Archives of African American Music and Culture at Indi...
Apr 12, 2023•48 min•Season 6Ep. 6
British-born composer, opera singer, and teacher Amanda Ira Aldridge is the topic of conversation for Joshua and Angela on this episode. A promising operatic contralto, Aldridge studied and performed the vocal works of compatriot Samuel Coleridge Taylor. A severe case of laryngitis ended her singing career but provided the catalyst for her to mold and teach vocal legends Roland Hayes, Paul Robeson, and Marian Anderson. Adaptable, resourceful, and musically imaginative, Aldridge created a lineage...
Apr 03, 2023•20 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Angela and Joshua welcome Maestro Marlon Daniel , a dynamic up-and-coming conductor and one of the leading scholars on the life of Joseph Bologne. Daniel discusses the life of the mixed-race aristocrat who single-handedly put French classical music of the 18th century on the map and helps our audience reframe and properly reposition the virtuosic composer and violinist as the leading influencer of some of classical music’s most recognized contributors. Featured Music: "String Quartet No. 1 in C-...
Mar 29, 2023•26 min•Season 6Ep. 4
This week’s episode features Hazel Scott, a child prodigy, piano virtuoso, and one of the most outspoken civil rights activists of the mid-20th century in the entertainment industry. Whether playing the classics on the nose or employing her fiery fingers to fuse jazz and classical music, Hazel Scott was as unapologetic in her talents as she was in her commitment to changing the way Black actors were portrayed on film and television which ultimately led to the demise of her short but illustrious ...
Mar 22, 2023•23 min•Season 6Ep. 3
In this episode, Angela and Joshua welcome Portia Dunkley, founder of the New Canon Chamber Collective . Sharing her all too familiar experience of young Black classical musicians being few and far between in the industry, Dunkley found her passion and motivation to create and cultivate an ensemble that identifies, elevates, and celebrates the contributions of the African diaspora within the genre in Miami, FL. Dunkley features "Symphony No. 5" by William Grant Still and "The Oaks" by Florence P...
Mar 15, 2023•48 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Season Six debuts with a feature of Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime. Bridging the gap between the Reconstruction era and the early 20th century, Scott Joplin and his ragtime music became a genre-defining cultural phenomenon. In this episode, our co-hosts trace Joplin’s musical cultivation, which led him to position ragtime as an extension of the romantic stylings of classical music, as evidenced through the storyline and compositional makeup of his opera, Treemonisha. Featured Music: Houston G...
Mar 08, 2023•26 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Angela and Joshua cap Season Five with Terri Allen, Executive Director of the Coalition for African-Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA) . From humble origins to a nationally respected model, Terri details the 20-year journey of CAAPA's intentional strategies for leveling the playing field in the world of classical music. CAAPA's dedication to providing scholarships for burgeoning Black classical musicians and unwavering commitment to arts education at all talent levels exemplify the power o...
Dec 07, 2022•46 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Joshua and Angela discuss the life and times of Europe's most renowned virtuoso violinist of the 18th and 19th centuries, George Bridgetower. In the age of the global slave trade, competing empires, and revolution, Bridgetower exemplified the refinement, sophistication, and mastery of the classical era while rubbing elbows with the European elite. Featured Music: "Henry, A Ballade," by George Bridgetower, feat. soprano Benita Borbonus "Violin Sonata No. 9, Mvt. 3: Finale," by Ludwig Van Beethove...
Nov 30, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Angela and Joshua welcome dramatic soprano and Artistic Director of the Fort Worth Opera, Afton Battle. Known for her tenacity, vision, and unapologetic commitment to programming operatic works that are a true reflection of the communities they serve, Ms. Battle outlines the importance of intentionality in a field that continues to push Black and brown artists to the margins. Featured Music: "Fruhling," by Richard Strauss, feat. Jessye Norman "Agnus Dei," from An African-American Requiem by Dami...
Nov 21, 2022•53 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Joshua and Angela welcome clarinetist and co-founder of The Harlem Chamber Players, Liz Player . Detailing her return to music from a career in computer science, Liz Player traces the origins of The Harlem Chamber Players and the organization's evolution from programming mostly Mozart to performances filled with melanated masterpieces, most notably from composer Dr. Adolphus Hailstork . Featured Music: "Tulsa 1921," by Adolphus Hailstork, feat. J'Nai Bridges and The Harlem Chamber Players "Nobod...
Nov 16, 2022•40 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Joshua and Angela sit down with Musical America's Composer of the Year, Jessie Montgomery . Violinist, educator, and one of the 21st-century's premier composers, Montgomery sheds light on her musical upbringing and her social awakening as a composer of color in a field that is still all too reticent to uplift and highlight the contributions in classical music from the African diaspora. Featured Music: "Starburst" by Jessie Montgomery, feat. Minnesota Orchestra "Smoke" from Break Away by Jessie M...
Nov 08, 2022•46 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Angela and Joshua introduce listeners to extraordinary baritone Robert McFerrin Sr. Tracing McFerrin's performance journey from Broadway to The Metropolitan Opera to Hollywood, Joshua and Angela discuss McFerrin's vocal prowess, his ability to take advantage of the evolving entertainment industry, and the influential vocal model he set that generations of successful vocalists have followed. Featured Music: "I Got Plenty of Nothin’" from Porgy and Bess "Pari Siamo" from Rigoletto Support the show...
Nov 02, 2022•20 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Joshua and Angela share the rich musical and cultural legacy of composer, pianist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Kennedy Center Honors Inductee Tania León . A self-professed ‘citizen of the world,' Leon defies classification while elevating the significant contributions from her Afro-Cuban, Nigerian, Chinese, and French heritage. Featured Music: "Prelude No. 1: Sorpressa" "Alegre" by Tania León "Stride," featuring the New York Philharmonic Support the show...
Oct 26, 2022•19 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Angela and Joshua interview Adam Eccleston , internationally renowned flutist and Chair of All Classical Portland’s "Recording Inclusivity Initiative (RII)." Drawing upon his Caribbean heritage and desire to program and perform works by composers of African descent, Eccleston details the origins and process of the RII, a collection of never-before recorded compositions from the African diaspora now made available to radio stations and media outlets the world over in October 2022 via All Classica...
Oct 19, 2022•40 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Season Four culminates with violist, entrepreneur, and podcaster Drew Forde , known to over 100,000 Instagram followers as ThatViolaKid . Angela and Joshua spend time with Forde, who shares remarkable insights into the power of classical music. He explains how the viola serves as a window into his soul and shapes his trajectory within the classical genre and outside of it by collaborating with mainstream artists Alicia Keys, Adele, and others. Through it all, Drew Forde is a champion for artisti...
Apr 20, 2022•35 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Joshua introduces us to pianist and composer Dr. Mikhail Johnson . Born and raised in Jamaica, Dr. Johnson traces his musical influences from the region's choral composers to his foray into instrumental and 21st-century composition. Angela and Joshua listen to three contrasting works as Dr. Johnson provides compelling insights into the origins of their inception. Relying heavily on the lineage and language of an island and a people who continue to impact nearly every aspect of global and musical...
Apr 13, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Joshua familiarizes us with the short but exceptional life of composer Julia Perry. He and Angela explore the meaning of postmodernism in connection with Perry's compositional evolution from traditional to postmodern stylings. A two-time recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, Perry studied with the renowned Madame Nadia Boulanger in France, composed despite multiple strokes and significant health challenges, and had her music recorded by the New York Philharmonic in 1965. Featured M...
Apr 06, 2022•24 min•Season 4Ep. 6
In this episode, Angela and Joshua welcome scholar, author, and renowned vocalist Robert Sims to discuss the life and legacy of Roland Hayes. An in-depth discussion reveals Sims' great care in charting Hayes' pioneering career pathway for Black male vocalists at the turn of the 20th century. Sims' research also highlights Hayes' influence on subsequent generations of celebrated singers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, including himself. Featured Music: "Du bist die ruh," sung by Roland Ha...
Mar 30, 2022•52 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Joshua and Angela salute the illustrious career of opera soprano Leontyne Price. We hear three signature selections by Ms. Price and learn of her journey from Laurel, Mississippi, to capturing the attention and admiration of the world for her unparalleled vocal prowess and artistry. She remains a standard-bearer for opera singers globally. Featured Music: "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess , performed by Leontyne Price "O patria mia" from Aida , performed by Leontyne Price and The Metropolitan Ope...
Mar 23, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 4
