Rhapsody in Black

Pianist, composer and innovator Duke Ellington is famous today for his jazz and swing music. However, he had a few other visions kicking around in his toolbox, including some memorable suites such as ‘The Queen’s Suite.’ Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Meet Vernon Neal, the host of the podcast ‘Rhapsody in Black,’ where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music.

Sly5thAve is a multifaceted musician from Texas whose arrangements fuse his education in jazz saxophone, his classical arranging skills and his Nigerian roots to create a whole new musical experience. Find out more in the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.

From the first performance of ‘Porgy and Bess,’ George Gershwin stipulated the opera had to feature an all-Black cast, not white performers in blackface. This benefitted Black opera singers, but their fear was being typecast. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

When William Dawson was 12, he ran away from home to study music at the Tuskeegee Institute. In 1930, he returned to his roots as director of the Tuskeegee School of Music, a post he held for 25 years. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Pop artist Roberta Flack, who died Monday at 88, grew up classically trained and continued to love the music, even when revolutionizing the R&B scene. Find out more about her life in this episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.

Jazz singer Billie Holiday discovered “Strange Fruit,” Abel Meropol’s protest song against lynching In 1939. It became her closing number at all of her performances at Café Society and the best selling record of her career. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Paul Robeson was a star of stage and screen, but his passion was sharing spirituals. His goal was to elevate them to the same level as other musical forms. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Gil Scott-Heron was a self-described ‘bluesologist’ and a bold voice of social activism in music in the 1970s and ‘80s. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Violist Eliesha Nelson had the pleasure of meeting Pulitzer Prize winning composer George Walker a few times during her career. She developed a passion for his music and eventually performed it with the Cleveland Orchestra. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.