2023 Black History Month

Spotlight image for Black History Month 2023

Posted on February 1, 2023

All Classical Portland celebrates the music of Black composers and artists year-round, and during the month of February, we are shining a special spotlight on the extraordinary contributions to classical music by Black composers and performing artists.

Read on to learn about the special programming coming up this month on All Classical Portland.

Listen at 89.9 FM in Portland or worldwide from anywhere via the live player on our website.

PROGRAMMING & MORE

ON AIR – Throughout the month, All Classical Portland’s programming will include works written and performed by Black composers, musicians, and artists, including Florence Price, Undine Smith Moore, Damien Geter, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Adam Eccleston, William Grant Still, Margaret Bonds, Duke Ellington, and more.

ARTS BLOG – Learn more about some of the composers you will hear throughout the month on the All Classical Portland Arts Blog.

NOTEWORTHY – On Sunday, February 26, 2023, at 1:00 PM PT, host Lynnsay Maynard will honor Black History Month with a brand new program celebrating the work of American writers Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.

ON DEMAND

THE SCORE – On February 4, host Edmund Stone presented The Voice and Vision of Black Composers, focusing on the vibrant contributions to the film industry by Black composers. Edmund spoke to award-winning composers Terence Blanchard (Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman) and Michael Abels (Get Out, Us). He also featured music by Kathryn Bostic, the legendary Quincy Jones, and more. Stream this episode on demand at thescore.org until February 18, 2023.

CLUB MOD – On February 4, host Andrea Murray featured GRAMMY-nominated composer, curator, and activist Carlos Simon‘s multi-genre work Requiem for the Enslaved, a musical tribute to commemorate the lives and stories of 272 enslaved men, women, and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University. Hear this important work on demand in the All Classical Portland Audio Archive until February 18, 2023.

NOTEWORTHY – On February 5, host Lynnsay Maynard shared an encore broadcast of her Noteworthy episode focusing on literature and music based on the Harlem Renaissance. This episode features readings by Portland State University educator and activist Coty Raven-Morris. Listen on demand in the All Classical Portland Audio Archive until February 19, 2023.

AN AFRICAN AMERICAN REQUIEM – On February 16, 2023, All Classical Portland aired a special encore broadcast of Damien Geter’s historic An African American Requiem. Commissioned by Resonance Ensemble, performed by the Oregon Symphony, and conducted by William Eddins, performers include the African American Requiem Choir and renowned African American soloists Brandie Sutton, soprano; Karmesha Peake, mezzo-soprano; Bernard Holcomb, tenor; and Kenneth Overton, baritone. Listen on demand in the All Classical Portland Audio Archive until Thursday, March 2, 2023.

ICAN

AUDIO BOOK TOUR – On Monday, February 13, 2023, at 5:00 PM PT, the International Children’s Arts Network (ICAN) will air an Audio Book Tour of Who Is Florence Price? The book, written by students from the Kaufman Music Center in New York, outlines the life of a brilliant musician who prevailed against race and gender prejudices to become the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and be performed by a major American orchestra in 1933. Listen at ICANradio.org.

AUDIO BOOK TOUR – ICAN will feature Coty Raven Morris and her new book When I Grow Up on their Audio Book Tour on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 5:00 PM PT, with an encore broadcast on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 8:00 AM PT. Listen and learn more at ICANradio.org.

ICAN BLOG – Learn about five Black musicians who changed the world of music, including Hazel Scott, James DePreist, Wynton Marsalis, and more at ICANradio.org.

RECORDING INCLUSIVITY INITIATIVE

In 2021, All Classical Portland launched the Recording Inclusivity Initiative (RII), to address the gap of classical music composers and musicians from underrepresented communities in concert halls and radio airwaves.

In October 2022, GRAMMY^® award-winning Navona Records and RII released its first-ever album, AMPLIFY, featuring all-new recordings of works by All Classical Portland composers in residence Lauren McCall, Jasmine Barnes, and Keyla Orozco. AMPLIFY also includes two posthumous works by Mélanie Hélène Bonis (1858-1937) and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004). Listen to the album radio launch party on our Arts Blog.

AMPLIFY is now available for purchase in the All Classical Portland Gift Shop.

Learn more at recordinginclusivity.allclassical.org.

Cd Cover for Amplify — AMPLIFY’s album cover artwork was created by **Monica Obaga**, an illustrator and graphic designer focused on producing artwork in support of women, the environment, and positive African representation.

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