DJ Session: African-American Classical Musicians

Published June 10, 2015 at 1:40 PM EDT

Jason Moran performs at the Souillac en Jazz Festival in France in 2008. Moran currently serves as artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (mpix46/Flickr)

For this week’s installment of DJ Sessions, on Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Terrance McKnight, a DJ at WQXR, New York’s Classical Music Radio Station. He shares pieces by African-American musicians and composers who are making an impact in classical music.

Songs In This Segment

Jeff Scott, “Startin Sumthin”

Jeff Scott, “The Gift of Life”

[Youtube]

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, “Lamentations” performed by Tahirah Whittington

Jason Moran, “Improvisation” live at MoMA’s “Migration Rhapsody”

Guest

Terrance McKnight, DJ at WQXR in New York City. He tweets @mcknight3000.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

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