Celebrating Black History Month: Spirituals and Art Songs
Spirituals and Art Songs with Nina Phillips
I feel very fortunate to have crafted a life, wherein I can pursue both of my passions: music and fundraising. As a professional musician, I am a classically-trained lyric soprano, and I have performed nationally and internationally in opera, oratorio, concert, sacred, contemporary, chamber music and more.
It’s February, and so across many sectors, most of the United States is finding ways to celebrate the contributions of African Americans to our society. As many of you may know, I specialize in traditional Spirituals, with a particular nod to research related to the Underground Railroad. My concert-lecture, A Spirituals Experience is one of my proudest works and my accompanying album, Feel the Spirit was a labor of love. In addition to my work with women composers, I find it important to champion the work of black classical composers as well.
So I was especially pleased today, to give a performance of Spirituals and Art Songs with the Hudson Valley Music Club. It included classics, in addition to black women composers such as Nadine Shanti and Florence Price. Keep remembering the artistic - and other- contributions that African Americans have made. I encourage you to learn more about contributions in the areas that interest you most, or perhaps learn something new. Either way, it’s sure to help you remember, so that we don’t forget the struggles and hurdles these pioneers faced in order to gain equal recognition for their talents. Happy Black History Month!
Listen to Feel the Spirit if you’d like to experience it yourself!
