Less well known and often “invisible”, black and African heritage classical composers span three centuries and come from the continents of Europe, Africa, and the Americas .  In an effort to increase awareness, this effort is being undertaken to unveil and to acknowledge black composers and their creative output within the rich tapestry of classical music.

It may also be of interest to learn that in 1934 the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski, premiered William Levi Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony.   For the classical music world, this was significant and historic - but it was not a first.  Dawson was only one among many talented African heritage composers whose musical voices began to emerge in the early 1900s.

At this web site you will find varied information including a comprehensive Black composer discography.  It will ease the search for specific recorded works by these composers.  Currently, more than 130 black composers have been recorded on compact discs.

The 800 (+) listed works are primarily instrumental, ranging in format from solo to orchestral. This reference guide also includes the recording label and the catalog identification number.  ( Click Here for a complete listing of composers included in this publication. )

Overall, more than four hundred classical music composers of African heritage have been identified.  Recorded offerings, therefore, represent only a small subset of this total creative output.

It is now up to listeners to explore this output and to discover the many historic, varied and worthwhile musical voices which are available.