#ClassicsaDay #BlackHistoryMonth Week 2, 2025
By Ralph Graves
February is Black History Month and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant — and not just in the past 50 years.
This month’s #ClassicsaDay challenge is to post musical examples of works by composers of color, or classical music recordings made by people of color. There is a lot to choose from.
Here are my social media posts for the second week of #BlackHistoryMonth.
02/10/25 Roque Cordero: Sinfonia No. 2
Panamanian composer Cordero did much to develop classical music in his country. He was director of the Panama Institute of Music, conductor of the country’s National Symphony, and assistant director of the Latin American Music Center.
02/11/25 Arthur Cunningham: Harlem Suite
Cunningham was a graduate of Fisk and Julliard. He often mixed pop genres with classical forms and is credited with creating the first rock opera in 1963.
02/12/25 Jessie Montgomery: Starburst
Montgomery was composer-in-residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2016. Her 2023 album “Contemporary American Composers” won a Grammy in 2023.
02/13/25 Philippa Schuyler: Voodoo Festival
Schuyler was a virtuoso pianist and composer. She concertized at the 1939 World’s Fair (age 8) and was the youngest member of the National Association for American Composers and Conductors.
02/14/25 Irene Britton Smith: Sinfonietta
Smith was of both Black and Native American descent. She was a pioneer of music education and a concert violinist. In 1958, she was able to study with Nadia Boulanger in France.
