Black History Spotlight

Nora Holt was the first black woman to earn a Masters degree in the United States. She was an accomplished composer, respected music critic, and famed singer.

Will Marion Cook was a bold and uncompromising composer and violinist who was instrumental in nearly every aspect of the black music of his time.

William Grant Still was a composer, arranger and conductor. He created over 150 musical works, including five symphonies, four ballets, and nine operas.

Dr. Adolphus C. Hailstork is an African American composer and professor who got his musical start in the public school system.

Scott Joplin was dubbed the "King of Ragtime" in the early 20th century. His "Maple Leaf Rag" became the first piece of instrumental music to sell a million copies in the United States.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a composer, teacher, conductor and Pan-Africanist, devoted to strengthening bonds between people of African descent.

Helen Eugenia Hagan was the first African American woman to graduate from Yale School of Music in 1912.

Richard Alston is an American Classical Pianist who leads an illustrious career in both classical performance and performing arts education.

R. Nathaniel Dett was a writer, teacher, choral director and pianist. He published more than 200 works and dedicated his life to preserving Negro spirituals.

Philippa Schuyler achieved national acclaim as a child prodigy on the piano, and was known as Harlem's Mozart and the Shirley Temple of American Negroes.