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 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 …

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 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 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 …

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 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 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 …

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 …

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 …