Celebrating Black History in Classical Music
Instructor: Judith Costello
Mon Feb 03 - 24, 20251:30PM - 3:00PM
While most of us can easily list the essential contributions of African American musicians to the popular genres of jazz, R&B, rock’n’roll, gospel music, hip-hop, and rap (to name a few), we may be less familiar with groundbreaking Black musicians in the Western Classical tradition.
In this course, offered during Black History Month 2025, we pay tribute to a few of the composers, conductors, and performers of African descent whose gifts have enriched American and world music since this country was young.
Over the four weeks of this course, we’ll hear a work by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who was Mozart's contemporary and friend; we’ll learn about the violin virtuoso George Bridgetower, the dedicatee of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata; and we’ll explore the abundant output of American works by formerly enslaved people and their descendants. Finally, we’ll sample a variety of performances by 20th and 21st century Black singers, instrumentalists, and conductors. Click here to register.
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vannah, GA, in late October to attend the renowned 
