Black conductors are musicians of
African,
Caribbean, African-American ancestry and other members of the
African diaspora who are
musical ensemble leaders who direct classical music performances, such as an
orchestral or
choral concerts, or
jazz ensemble
big band concerts by way of visible gestures with the hands, arms, face and head. Conductors of African descent are rare, as the vast majority are male and
Caucasian.
History
1900s
In the early 1930s, African-American conductor
Dean Dixon (1915–1976) found that his pursuit of conducting engagements was stifled because of
racial bias. As a result, he formed his own orchestra and choral society in 1931. In 1940, three conductors: African Americans
Everett Lee and Dean Dixon, and Jewish American
Benjamin Steinberg "...attempted to circumvent the institutionalised racism in American classical music by forming an orchestra of black musicians. But the project failed for financial reasons..." Steinberg established an orchestra of 36 black and 52 white musicians, when he formed the
Symphony of the New World in 1964. It was the first fully racially integrated orchestra in the US, and held its premiere concert at
Carnegie Hall on May 6, 1965.
In 1945, Everett Lee was the "first African American to conduct a major
Broadway production".
Leonard Bernstein asked Lee to conduct On the Town, which marked the "first time a black conductor led an all-white production".[1] In 1953, Lee was the "first black musician to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the south of the States...in Louisville, Kentucky".[1] In 1955, Lee was the "first musician of colour to conduct a major opera company in the US with a performance of La traviata at the
New York City Opera". In 1955
William Grant Still conducted the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra and became the first African American to conduct a major orchestra in the
Deep South of the US.
Henry Lewis (1932–1996) was the first African American to lead a major symphony orchestra. He made his
Metropolitan Opera debut in 1972. Lewis found it hard to "...take on the role of an authoritarian conductor, because such a role was unacceptable for a black man" at this time.[2]
According to a 2004 article in The Guardian, "black conductors are rare in the classical music world and even in symphony orchestras it is unusual to see more than one or two black musicians." Canadian-born black conductor
Kwamé Ryan, who studied music at
Cambridge University and in Germany, made his professional conducting debut in 2004. Ryan says the "...message given to young, black people, particularly in North America, was... that you can be a star athlete; you can be a pop star...[but the] possibility for black children [to become a conductor] is not encouraged in schools or in the media."[5] Ryan states that young blacks have a lack of "...exposure [to black conductor role models] and it is a deficit that is passed on from generation to generation". Ryan said he has "no optimism for the future".[5] In the United Kingdom, the research by
Scott Caizley argues how through the systemic removal of quality music education in UK
state schools, many young people are losing opportunities which is contributing to fewer
black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) young people participating in
classical music.[6]
Notable individuals
Classical music
Historically, the vast majority of classical music conductors have been Caucasian. However, there are a small number of notable conductors who are of African, Caribbean or African-American ancestry. Contemporary Black conductors still comprise a small percentage of the conductors working today and are often overlooked for positions as chief conductors of major orchestras.[citation needed]
Charles-Richard Lambert (died 1862) was a black American musician, conductor and music educator. He and his family were noted for talent in music and gained international acclaim.[7] He worked as a music teacher and was a conductor for the Philharmonic Society, the first non-theatrical orchestra in
New Orleans.[8] One of his notable students was
Edmond Dédé.[9]
William Grant Still (1895–1978) was one of the first African Americans to conduct a major American symphony orchestra in the
Deep South, the first to have a symphony (his first symphony) performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company, and the first to have an opera performed on national television. As a classical composer, he wrote more than 150 compositions. After finishing college, he won a scholarship to study at the
Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Between 1919 and 1921, he worked as an arranger for
W. C. Handy's band. In the 1930s, he arranged music for many films. In 1955 he conducted the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra and became the first African American to conduct a major orchestra in the Deep South.
Leonard De Paur (1914–1998) attended the
Juilliard School and
Columbia University. He was a student of the composer
Henry Cowell and the conductor
Pierre Monteux.[10] From 1932 to 1936 he was the assistant conductor of the Hall Johnson Choir. He served as music director with the Federal Negro Theatre from 1936 until 1939 while collaborating with a young
Orson Welles.[10][11] From 1947 to 1968, he conducted more than 2,000 performances with such groups as: the De Paur Infantry Chorus, the De Paur Opera Gala, the De Paur Gala and the De Paur Chorus[11] which toured in 18 African nations for the
United States Information Agency. He was also a regular conductor of Symphony of the New World and Opera South. In the realm of network television he was an arranger and conductor for such noted programs as The Bell Telephone Hour and the Hallmark Hall of Fame.[10] He is credited with establishing the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival and was the director of Community Relations at Lincoln Center for 17 years.[12] He received honorary doctorates from Lewis And Clark and Morehouse College.[10]
Everett Lee (1916–2022) "was [a]...violinist who led the orchestra in the original
Broadway production of Carmen Jones and played the oboe on stage in the country club scene".[1] In 1945, he was the "first African American to conduct a major Broadway production". Leonard Bernstein asked Lee to conduct On the Town, which marked the "first time a black conductor led an all-white production".[1] In 1946, Lee won a Koussevitzky Music Foundation Award to conduct at
Tanglewood.[1] In 1952, he was appointed director of the opera department at
Columbia University and was also awarded a
Fulbright scholarship that allowed him to travel to Europe.[1] In 1953, Lee was the "first black musician to conduct a white symphony orchestra in the south of the States...in Louisville, Kentucky".[1] In 1955, he was the "first musician of colour to conduct a major opera company in the US with a performance of La traviata at the
New York City Opera". He was appointed chief conductor of the
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden in 1962. In 1976, he conducted the
New York Philharmonic for the first time, and he performed a piece by African-American composer David Baker for
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. In 1979, he became music director of the
Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia.[1]
George Byrd (1926–2010) studied at Juilliard from 1947, but because of discrimination moved to the
Paris Conservatory in 1951. On recommendation from
Hans Knappertsbusch he got a guest spot with the
Munich Philharmonic and throughout Europe. His career was further enhanced after attending a
master class of
Herbert von Karajan. But due to discrimination in Europe, he sought and gained a position in Addis Abeba, Ethiopa, where he founded the Ethiopian Symphony Orchestra and a conservatory. In addition to the many European languages that he already spoke, he acquired some
Amharic there. Byrd conducted the
American Ballet Theatre in 1967 and the
Symphony of the New World in 1970. Through the
Fulbright Program, he was invited to the
Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil, where he taught conducting, gave master classes, led a
madrigal choir and an opera ensemble. Byrd stayed in Brazil until 1976. He returned to Europe and worked with many German and other European orchestras and German and Swedish radio and television. Byrd also appeared as actor in film and TV; he played an America soldier in
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1978 film The Marriage of Maria Braun opposite
Hanna Schygulla, and a lead role in the 1984 TV film Warten auf Beethoven.
Henry Lewis (1932–1996) attended the
University of Southern California and at the age of 16, joined the
Los Angeles Philharmonic, becoming the first black instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra. From 1955 to 1956 he conducted the
Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra and concertized throughout Europe in support of
cultural diplomacy after World War II.[13][14][15] Lewis founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He also became the conductor and musical director of the
New Jersey Symphony, transforming the group from a small community ensemble into a nationally recognized orchestra. He gained national recognition in 1961 when he was appointed assistant conductor of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic under
Zubin Mehta. He was the first African American to lead a major symphony orchestra. He made his
Metropolitan Opera debut in 1972.
Paul Freeman (1936–2015) was a conductor, composer, and founder of the
Chicago Sinfonietta and music director and chief conductor of the
Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague, a position he held simultaneously with his Chicago Sinfonietta post. Freeman earned bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees from the
Eastman School of Music. A
Fulbright Scholarship enabled him to study for two years at the Hochshule für Musik (University for Music) in Berlin, Germany with Ewald Lindemann. He later studied conducting with
Pierre Monteux at the
American Symphony Orchestra. He was the music director of the Opera Theatre of Rochester for six years. He then held posts as associate conductor of the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1968 to 1970,
Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1970 to 1979, music director of the
Victoria Symphony in Canada from 1979 to 1989 and he served as principal guest conductor of the
Helsinki Philharmonic in Finland. Paul Freeman's papers are held at the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College Chicago.
Calvin E. Simmons (1950–1982) was an American symphony orchestra conductor. He was one of the early African-American conductors of a major orchestra. By the age of 11, he was conducting the San Francisco Boys Chorus. After working as assistant conductor of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic under
Zubin Mehta, Simmons became musical director of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra at the age of 28; he led the orchestra for four years. He was the first African American to be named conductor of a major U.S. symphony orchestra and a frequent guest conductor with some of the nation's major opera companies and orchestras (such as the
Philadelphia Orchestra and others). In addition, he was the music director at the
Ojai Music Festival in 1978. He made his debut at the
Metropolitan Opera conducting
Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.
Dr
Anne "Georgianne" Lundy (born 1954) was the first African-American woman to conduct the
Houston Symphony Orchestra during the summer concerts of 1989 and '90 at the
Miller Outdoor Theatre.[19] Dr. Lundy received her Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977, Master of Music in Orchestra Conducting from the University of Houston in 1979, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Houston's Moores School of Music in 2015. She founded the William Grant Still String Quartet in 1981 and the Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra, an African-American community orchestra in 1983. The Scott Joplin Chamber Orchestra and the William Grant Still String Quartet specialize in researching and performing the music of black composers. She is the musical director of the Community Music Center of Houston.
Thomas Wilkins (born c.1956) is principal conductor of the
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He is also artistic advisor of Education and Community Engagement and the Germeshausen Youth and Family Concerts conductor of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra.[clarification needed] Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Wilkins earned a bachelor's degree in music education from
Shenandoah Conservatory and a master's degree in orchestral conducting from the
New England Conservatory of Music. His past appointments have included assistant director of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, resident director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Florida Orchestra, and music director of the Omaha Symphony, where he was appointed Music Director Laureate in June 2021.
John McLaughlin Williams (born 1957) is the first African American win a
Grammy Award for orchestral conducting. He came to conducting after a career as a violinist that saw him as a member of the Houston Symphony, Concertmaster of the Virginia Symphony, and a freelance concertmaster, soloist, and violinist who performed regularly with the Boston Symphony and as Assistant Concertmaster of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. He has conducted many orchestras in America, Ukraine, and Bulgaria, and is particularly known for his recording activity. Williams made many premiere recordings of American symphonic repertoire for the Naxos label's American Classics Series. He has had felicitous collaborations with such notable artists as Eliesha Nelson, Elmar Oliveira, Brian McKnight and The Winans. For Nelson's recording of TheComplete Viola Works of Quincy Porter, Williams achieved the unique distinction of performing as conductor, violinist, pianist, and harpsichordist, and that recording subsequently received two Grammy nominations.
Jeri Lynne Johnson is the founder and music director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, the first multi-ethnic professional orchestra in Philadelphia. A graduate of
Wellesley College and the
University of Chicago, she is a conductor, composer and pianist. From 2001 to 2004, she was the assistant conductor of the
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.[23] She has led orchestras around the world including the
Colorado Symphony Orchestra,
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (UK), and the
Weimar Staatskapelle (Germany). Alongside prominent woman conductors
Marin Alsop and
JoAnn Falletta, Johnson was heralded on the
NBCToday Show as one of the nation's leading female conductors. In 2005, Johnson made history as the first African-American woman to win an international conducting prize when she was awarded the Taki Alsop Concordia Conducting Fellowship.
Marlon Daniel is an American, Chicago-born conductor known as the foremost exponent of the music of
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and a champion of works by composers of African descent. He conducted the Russian premiere of
William Grant Still's iconic
Afro-American Symphony[24] and has become well known for his performances of works by
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
George Walker, who was one of his mentors.[25] A protégée of
Jorma Panula in Finland and
Jiří Bělohlávek in the Czech Republic, Daniel also received advice from
Simon Rattle at the
Berlin Philharmonic. Daniel is laureate of the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition[26] and has performed in halls that include Bulgaria Concert Hall (Sofia), Carnegie Hall (New York), Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Rudolfinum (Prague), and Severance Hall (Cleveland).[27] He is artistic and music director of the
Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges, music director and founder of Ensemble du Monde (chamber orchestra), principal guest conductor of the
National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, guest conductor of the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, and associate conductor of the
Florida Grand Opera.
^
abWoods, Timothy E., Leonard De Paur's Arrangement of
Spirituals,
Work Songs, and
African Songs as Contribution to Choral Music. Diss. University of Arizona, 1998.
^New Music New Allies Amy C. Beal, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2006, p. 49,
ISBN978-0-520-24755-0 "Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra (1952–1962) performing works by Roy Harris, Morton Gould and Leroy Anderson" and cultural diplomacy
Michael Bowles: The Art of Conducting (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1959); English edition as The Conductor: His Artistry and Craftsmanship (London: G. Bell & Sons, 1961).
Larry G. Curtis and David L. Kuehn: A Guide to Successful Instrumental Conducting (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992);
ISBN978-0697126948.
Antoinette D. Handy: Black Conductors. Scarecrow Press, 1995;
ISBN9780810829305.
Norman Lebrecht: The Maestro Myth: Great Conductors in Pursuit of Power (2nd revised and updated edition, New York: Citadel Press, 2001).
Brock McElheran: Conducting Technique for Beginners and Professionals (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989);
ISBN978-0193858305.
Ilya Musin: The Technique of Conducting (Техника дирижирования) (Moscow: Muzyka Publishing House, 1967).
Ennio Nicotra: Introduction to the Orchestral Conducting Technique in Accordance with the Orchestral Conducting School of Ilya Musin, book and DVD in English, German, Italian, Spanish (Milan: Edizioni Curci, 2007).