In light of the Black Lives Matter movement gaining traction over the past few weeks and months, I've been re-examining my own teaching as it relates to diversity, and as a result have been expanding my own knowledge of Black musical composers. While I was lucky to receive an undergraduate & graduate musical education which included discussions of some Black and Latinx classical musical composers, the information I received was still limited.
Thankfully, there are organizations emerging in the United States that are seeking to expose more of the public to Black classical musicians and composers. One of these organizations, D-Composed, is a Chicago based chamber music experience that honors Black composers through events, music lessons, and educational resources. Learn more about their organization here.
Of all of D-Composed's offerings, one of my favorites are their playlists on Spotify (also available on Apple Music). In my opinion, one of the easiest ways to appreciate classical music is to listen to it, so I invite you to listen to these playlists and discover some of your new favorite artists!
Below is one of my favorite songs from one of the composers on the playlists, Nina Simone! This is her recording of "Love Me or Leave Me".