Rhapsody in Black

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.

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.

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.

Randall Goosby has been playing violin since he was seven, including studying with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, and the trajectory of his career shows no signs of slowing down. Find out more in the latest episode of the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Whitney Houston’s musical legacy was recently celebrated in a concert tribute at the Kennedy Center. Her powerful voice soared through heart-rending pop ballads, and she could hold her own in an operatic aria, too. Find out more on the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Bass player Joseph Conyers made history in 2023 when he became principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra and is making strides to open the barriers of entry to the world of classical music so every kid has the opportunity to be on stage. Find out more in the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.

Conductor Kedrick Armstrong uses both archives and youth education to serve the longevity of classical music by working to represent everyone in the concert hall. Find out more on the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.