Conversations in African American Music with Dr. Louise Toppin

Fridays at 7 p.m. starting February 3 through April

Touchstone Award Winner - Best Single Radio Report 2023

In collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, WGTE presents a new radio series focused on the many contributions made to classical music by composers and performers of color. 

Hosted by Dr. Louise Toppin of the University of Michigan, Conversations in African American Music covers a wide range of musicians and their accomplishments, and of course, their music. For our inaugural episode we focus on one of the pioneers of African American music, Florence Price (1887-1953). The first African-American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra in the U.S. (Chicago), Florence Beatrice Price was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Some of her works were only recently discovered and recorded, and we feature a sampling of that with contributions from pianist Lara Downes, the New Black Music Repertory Company, violinist Randall Goosby, and the Catalyst String Quartet.

Other composers featured this season include William Dawson, Hale Smith, David Baker, Margaret Bonds, Undine Smith Moore, N. Clark Smith, and Eva Jessye. We also focus on organizations such as NANM (the National Association of Negro Musicians), and geographical areas including Ohio and Michigan.