Melanated Moments in Classical Music

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 challenges and barriers that remain.

What a journey it has been...as always, we thank you for your support all along the way!

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 diverse and vibrant world of classical music.

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 that explores themes of freedom, oppression, and hope while serving as an allegory of the Black experience of the 18th-19th centuries.

Featured Music:

• The Ordering of Moses, No.1: "Introduction"
  May Festival Chorus
  Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
  James Conlon, conductor
• The Ordering of Moses, No.3: "Oh Lord, Behold My Affliction"
• The Ordering of Moses, No.9: "And When Moses Smote the Water"
• The Ordering of Moses, No.15: "He is King of Kings"

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 Lil' Bit" - Kim Kenny, songwriter/vocals
  Richard Sleepy Floyd, drums
  Jared Thompson, saxophone
  Amanda Gardnier, flute
  Joshua Thompson, trumpet
  Will Rob, bass/keyboard
• "Troubled Water" - Margaret Bonds
  Joshua Thompson, piano

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 Russell
  Daniele Patucchi, arranger
  
  

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 showing up and being your truest self both on and off stage.

Featured Music:

• "Pace, Pace Mio Dio" - from La Forza Del Destino - Verdi
  Karen Slack, soprano
  MDR Symphony, California
  Frank Fetta, conductor
• “Tu che di gel" - Turendot - Giacomo Puccini
  Karen Slack, soprano
  Mark Morash, pianist
• You Can Tell The World - Five Creek-Freedman Spirituals - Margaret Bonds
  Karen Slack, Soprano
  Miro Quartet

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 director at the historic Tuskegee University cemented his legacy as a champion of Black music.

Featured Music:

• "Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit" - arranged William L. Dawson - performed by the Tuskegee Institute Choir
• "The Bond of Africa," 1st movement, Negro Folk Symphony - composed by William Levi Dawson - performed by The American Symphony Orchestra - Leopold Stokowski, conductor
• " Ain’ -A That Good News" - arranged by William L. Dawson - performed by the Tuskegee Institute Choir

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 Burnett, vocalist - Briana Hunter, vocalist - Harlem Chamber Players, string quintet
• "Tribute 1: Shout," Black Bottom Symphony - Nkeiru Okoye, composer - Sumayya Ali, soprano - Charlotte Small-Chestnut, mezzo-soprano - Vincent Davis, tenor - Markel Reed, baritone - Detroit Symphony Orchestra - Thomas Wilkins, conductor
• "A Kiss on the Forehead," Home of My Ancestors - Nkeiru Okoye, composer - Issachah Savage, tenor - Howard Watkins, pianist - Tulsa Opera

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 on Black music positions her as one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary musicologists.

Featured Music:

• “Night Life” - Mary Lou Williams, composer/performer
• “Sagittarius” and “Aquarius” from Zodiac Suite - Mary Lou Williams, composer
• “People in Trouble” and "One" from Mary Lou’s Mass - Mary Lou Williams, composer

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 Rainbow," from the album A Bright Tomorrow