The not-for-profit Rachel Barton Pine Foundation has launched the Living Composers Directory, an online directory of living black composers as part of the foundation’s Music by Black Composers (MBC) project, which aims to bring greater diversity to classical music performers, composers, and audiences by making the music of black composers widely available. The directory includes information about each composer, including name, geographic region, gender, birth year, contact information, and website. The directory is designed for those seeking to commission new works; for performers, conductors, and concert programmers looking for existing music; and for researchers and scholars. Conceived as a constantly updated work in progress, the directory currently holds the names of 170 composers from North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The idea for MBC started when violinist Rachel Barton Pine made an album for Cedille Records in 1997 titled “Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries.” Soon after its release Pine found herself fielding questions from students, parents, teachers, and colleagues about where to find more works by black composers. For more information, visit https://www.musicbyblackcomposers.org/ and https://www.musicbyblackcomposers.org/resources/living-composers-directory/.
Posted July 10, 2018
