Introducing: Melanated Moments in Classical Music Podcast Series
Classical Music Indy invites you to subscribe to a show that takes a fresh look at classical music. Join us as we shine a spotlight on musical works composed by, for, and about people of Black people. Hosts Angela Brown and Joshua Thompson take you inside the music and tell the stories behind the pieces with a perfect blend of lively conversation and no-nonsense straight talk. Full episodes coming March 18, 2020.
MMCM Theme (00:10):
[inaudible]
Joshua Thompson (00:10):
Hey there. My name is Joshua Thompson, pianist and music sociologist. I am so excited to introduce to you Melanated Moments in Classical Music, a new podcast, celebrating the masterworks of Black composers and musicians brought to you by Classical Music Indy. If you’re curious who this podcast is for, well, the answer is everyone.
Angela Brown (00:35):
Because I was singing on stages of the world, looking out in the audience- I saw very few people that looked like me. Found out, Oh, white folks don’t like opera either. It’s about being exposed, it’s about knowing. And if you know, then you can grow.
MMCM Theme (00:53):
[inaudible]
Joshua Thompson (00:53):
Join me and my world renowned, co-host Angela Brown, as we take you inside the music and explain the stories behind the pieces. This composer, his name is Thomas Wiggins.
Angela Brown (01:06):
Okay.
Joshua Thompson (01:06):
Born into slavery.
Angela Brown (01:08):
Yes.
Joshua Thompson (01:08):
And at a very, very young age, his slave owners noticed that Thomas wasn’t quite like everyone else. And if you get Angela and I in a room together, you already know we gon’ to have a fun time.
Angela Brown (01:22):
It was not an easy win, but when you are too stupid to stop, you don’t know how hard work. You have to enjoy this!
Joshua Thompson (01:29):
What you’re saying, so be stupid and have fun.
Angela Brown (01:33):
Be stupid and have fun! Exactly!
Joshua Thompson (01:33):
That’s a motto I can definitely get behind.
Angela Brown (01:35):
But be prepared! It’s about being prepared with no opportunity.
Joshua Thompson (01:39):
Our first episodes will be coming up in March of 2020. Make sure you don’t miss a single Melanated Moment by subscribing now on your favorite podcast app. See you all soon.
LOCAL CLASSICAL – BLACK MUSIC MONTH
In this week’s playlist, we celebrate Black Music Month which takes place in June. It was created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 to honor and celebrate Black artists’ contributions to music. We’ll be honoring the late Herman Whitfield III, an Indianapolis native who was a gifted pianist and composer. We’ll also hear performances of artists who have been featured in season four of Classical Music Indy’s podcast, Melanated Moments in Classical Music.
Poetry: The Composer’s Muse
Poetry: The Composer’s Muse Words by Okara Imani The first utterance of this art song just barely makes the statement “He had a dream…” before reaching, clamoring in upward intervals and sudden crestfallen descents unraveling into the statement’s con …
Burleigh the Builder
Burleigh the Builder Words by Okara Imani Erecting pillars, paving the way, laying the foundation: all acts of a builder, concepts mastered by an architect. Cultivating cultural crossover that broadens the span of a creative realm; not only for the cul …
Castle of Our Skins
Castle of Our Skins Words by Okara Imani The ancestors poured much strength into Ashleigh Gordon’s lineage: disciplined music heritage of lessons and mastery of craft, Jamaican blood upbringing that prides itself in hard, skilled work, and wise intenti …
LOCAL CLASSICAL – MELANATED MOMENTS
In this week’s Black History Month playlist, we bring you recordings by composers, performers, and artists who have been highlighted in our podcast, Melanated Moments in Classical Music. Melanated Moments is the ward-winning podcast from Classical Music Indy that shines a spotlight on musical works composed by, for, and about Black people.
Moses Hogan: A Bridge That Can Never Be Built Again
Moses Hogan: A Bridge That Can Never Be Built Again Words by Okara Imani Just as Moses parted the Red Sea and ushered his people across treacherous terrain, so too did Moses Hogan usher into the unforgiving world of classical music, a Blackness so auth …
Margaret Bonds – Mastering The Movement
Margaret Bonds – Mastering The Movement Words by Okara Imani The concept of arts activism can be a bit ambiguous and vast. Being the child of a talented teaching artist and a contemporary of the Harlem Renaissance, Margaret Bonds took a more anthropolo …
#BlackGirlMusic
#BlackGirlMusic Words by Okara Imani Just five minutes on Reverend Dr. Alisha L. Jones’ website and suddenly I’m in an assembly hall, the rich air wafting the warm, effervescent cocoa butter and essential oils through a room of creators and makers, eye …
LOCAL CLASSICAL – HOST OKARA IMANI
Hey, Starshine! This is Okara Imani, Media Production Fellow for Classical Music Indy, and your guide to The “I” in Classical Music. I’m here to highlight the cultural and social intersections of the classical art form, beyond the Classical Period and beyond the constructs of Euro-centric high society origins.
Marian Anderson: Validating Her Existence
Marian Anderson: Validating Her Existence Words by Okara Imani Joshua and Angela’s discussion of Marian Anderson’s career, in Melanated Moments in Classical Music podcast’s Season Two, Episode 5 “Accidental Activist” primes your mind’s canvas for this …
Ric’key Pageot: Inspiring a Moment to Learn, Acknowledge, and Respect
Ric’key Pageot: Inspiring a Moment to Learn, Acknowledge, and Respect Words by Okara Imani How about that five hundred dollar word, eh? Diaspora. Oxford Language generally defines it as “ The dispersion of any people from their original homeland, but s …
Nathaniel Dett: Painting Words in Music
Nathaniel Dett: Painting Words in Music Words by Okara Imani A mere thirty seconds into Nathaniel Dett’s In the Bottoms Suite, the “Night” prelude has you ambling along the road home from work after the sun’s set. There’s a rich and full darkness expre …
Ignatius Sancho: Composing the Hypocrisy of Colonialism & Convention
Ignatius Sancho: Composing the Hypocrisy of Colonialism & Convention Words by Joshua Thompson Episode 3 from Season 2 of Melanated Moments in Classical Music is sure to go down as one of my favorite episodes of this podcast thus far. I distinctly r …
Laura Karpman: Catch the Fire of Storytelling in Stereo
Laura Karpman: Catch the Fire of Storytelling in Stereo Words by Joshua Thompson The second episode of Melanated Moments in Classical Music highlights the expansive career of one of the most prolific and impactful musical storytellers of her time, Laur …
Instrumental Interrogation
Instrumental Interrogation: How a Clarinet Concerto Could Possibly Change How We Listen to New Music and to Each Other Words by Joshua Thompson The second season of Melanated Moments in Classical Music opens with a set of guests who are as groundbreaki …
NEW CLASSICAL – DR. BILL BANFIELD
This week we bring you the music of Dr. Bill Banfield. Dr. Banfield is an award-winning composer whose symphonies, operas, chamber works have been performed and recorded by major symphonies across the country. Few have a wider, performed professional composing output, that has had public concert performances, reviews, radio, recordings of some 12 symphonies, 7 opera, 9 concerti, chamber, jazz, and popular forms. This alone making Dr. Banfield one of the most performed, recorded composers of his generation. In 2010 and 2016, Dr. Banfield served as a Pulitzer Prize judge in American music.
Angela Brown: The Making of a Mentor
Angela Brown: The Making of a Mentor Melanated Moments in Classical Music Podcast, Season One, Episode Six Words by Joshua Thompson It comes as no surprise that one of the most popular episodes of Season One was Episode Six titled, Opera… from a Sist …
The Life of Margaret Garner and These United States
This is not a story to pass on: The Life of Margaret Garner and These United States. Words by Joshua Thompson Perhaps the most tragic and culturally traumatic feature of the first season of Melanated Moments in Classical Music is Episode 3, Laureate Li …
Recognizing the Remarkable: Thomas Wiggins
Recognizing the Remarkable: Thomas Wiggins Words by Joshua Thompson Of all the featured artists in Season One of Melanated Moments in Classical Music, I find Thomas Wiggins to be the most compelling and truly remarkable. Whether one analyzes the struct …
#AmplifyMelanatedVoices
Classical Music Indy stands with our Black community. We are here to listen, learn, and lend our support. We believe that classical music is powerful; that it evokes a range of human emotions and creative expression.
Angela Brown Brings her Unbridled Zeal to a New Podcast.
Angela Brown brings her unbridled zeal for classical music to a new podcast. Words by: Crystal Hammon If megawatt opera singer Angela Brown has her way, she’ll lead a life of few regrets. There will be no woulda, shoulda or couldas for this Indianapoli …
Meet New Podcast Host Joshua Thompson
In a new podcast, co-host Joshua Thompson wants to share something that may surprise you: Black people contribute to classical music — and we always have. Words by Crystal Hammon Explore the archives of Joshua Thompson’s Facebook page and you’ll find t …
A Good Morning
Traveling the world as an international opera star, Angela Brown noticed something about audiences. “I would see very few people who looked like me,” says Brown. On the surface, it looked like a racial divide, but when Brown performed at school outreac …
Joshua Thompson: Opening Indy’s Eyes
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Joshua Thompson is known for his tremendous skill as a pianist and for spearheading unique programs that highlight works by composers of African descent. Joshua Thompson: Opening Indy’s Eyes Joshua Thompson is a classic …
