Unsurprisingly, classical music content from around the web took on an extra dose of gravity this week. Here are a few of those posts, like a professor's viral musicology lecture, the #TakeTwoKnees challenge, and thoughts on how artists can respond to injustice.
1. Pianist Lara Downes's recent Tiny Desk Concert highlights freedom songs and spirituals by Black composers:
2. Clarinetist Anthony McGill invites musicians to #TakeTwoKnees for Black lives:
This “normal” isn’t new. For Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. Now’s the time to protest. This time let’s take #TakeTwoKnees in the struggle for justice and decency. Film yourself taking two knees. Let’s put a spotlight on this evil. #TakeTwoKnees #icareaboutblacklives #howaboutnow pic.twitter.com/errKPoyjsP
— Anthony McGill (@mcgillab) May 28, 2020
3. Two fantastic roundups from our friends at ClassicFM: Black composers who made classical music history, and Black musicians who have shaped the classical music world.
4. And then, there's this -- a playlist I found that highlights great Black classical artists and composers:
5. An important read: James Bennett, II, for WQXR, "On Taking Lip [Service]."
6. The New World Symphony Fellows give live online concerts every Friday evening. Last week, they dedicated their performance to Black victims of racism and police brutality:
7. Turn the Spotlight, an organization focused on "building a network of inspiring arts leaders among women and people of color," built an app for yoga for musicians! It's called "Intermission," and it's free for Apple users.
8. The Violin Channel recently hosted an online open roundtable discussion called "Learning to Listen: Black Experience within the Classical Music Community."
9. For NewMusicBox, Will Robin asked seven musicians how artists can respond to injustice.
10. Tufts University professor Dr. Stephan Pennington moonlights as a video game streamer. Last week, he gave a late-night livestreamed musicology lecture instead, and raised $10,000 for bail assistance nonprofit The Bail Project.
11. Interested in more musicology after that? There's an online colloquium called "Music Scholarship at a Distance" taking place every weekday at 4pm over Zoom. Here's the schedule.
