“An audience of roughly 125 people—predominantly white and over the age of 50—filled the pews of the Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church in Greencastle, Ind., gathered to hear ‘Black Keys: The Evolution of the Black Classical Arts,’ by [pianist] Joshua Thompson, on June 30,” writes Brandon Drenon in Thursday’s (7/15) Indianapolis Star. “Thompson has been working [to shift] the focus to Black composers since 2018, with the premiere of his … ‘Village Voices: Notes from the Griot,’ [program] at … the Indianapolis Museum of Art. He considers his performances musical TED Talks…. Thompson also co-hosts [the] podcast ‘Melanated Moments’ with opera singer Angela Brown, [showcasing] … works by Black composers…. Thompson [says] his exposure to classical works by Black composers was non-existent prior to his own research… [Speaking to] a group of at-risk children, ages 6-12 [in Greencastle], … Thompson asked, …‘Who can name for me any classical music artists?’ ‘Beethoven.’ ‘Mozart.’ ‘Bach.’ He then asked if they knew of any Black composers. Not a single hand moved. Educating the next generation of musicians is important for Thompson, who recalls feeling lost in the classical music scene as a child without the presence of others that looked like him.”
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