February is Black History Month! Learn about these visionary Black musicians and composers who have brought us the music we know and love.
Florence Price
Florence Price was the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and the first to have her work played by a major orchestra. Price was a Chicago-based musician who fled her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas in the Jim Crow south. A part of the Chicago Black Renaissance, Price’s impact on the city’s arts and culture in the 1930s and 1940s was monumental. She worked with renowned Black artists; Chicago pianist Margaret Bonds, writer Langston Hughes, and contralto Marian Anderson all aided her success as a composer.
Sonny Rollins
American jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins is widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians. With roots in New York’s jazz scene in the 1950s, Rollins performed in the Miles Davis quartet and recorded with Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. His works “St. Thomas”, “Oleo “, “Doxy “, and “Airegin” have all become jazz standards. In 1956, Rollins released the album Tenor Madness, whose title track is the only recording of he and John Coltrane performing together. SLAM saxophone students Titobioluwa and Michal and TPMS alum and professional mariachi musician Marco Villela performed “Tenor Madness” arranged by teaching artist Jamaal Crowder at Big Night 2023.
Jessie Montgomery
Jessie Montgomery is a composer, violinist, and music educator who is pushing the boundaries of classical music. In 2023, Montgomery was named the Chicagoan of the Year for Classical Music by the Chicago Tribune. In 2021, Montgomery became the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in-Residence and is the second Black woman to have her music performed by the Orchestra. In her compositions, Montgomery intertwines classical elements with improvisations and sounds from pop and folk music. Watch the excerpt above of Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone, and head over to our Instagram to read about when we were lucky enough to enjoy a master class with Montgomery at our Albany Park program!
Dev Hynes (Blood Orange)
Press by Devonté Hynes arr. Third Coast Percussion, performed by TPMS percussion ensemble
Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, is an English musician who has produced and written songs with many famous pop musicians. He’s a “polymath” artist: his work spans many genres and mediums, be it R&B, jazz improvisation, classical, dance, or film. His collaboration with Third Coast Percussion on their album Fields received rave reviews for its energetic and imaginative sounds, and TPMS had the honor and joy of performing a piece from it. Enjoy TPMS percussion ensemble’s performance of Press.
Margaret Bonds
Margaret Bonds was an influential American composer, pianist, and educator whose work blended classical traditions with Black spirituals, jazz, and blues. Born on the South Side of Chicago in 1913, she became part of the city’s vibrant Black arts community and studied at Northwestern University. Bonds collaborated closely with writer Langston Hughes, setting many of his poems to music and helping bring Black cultural expression into concert halls. In 1933, she became the first Black soloist to appear with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She also mentored and supported younger artists, including advocating for greater representation of Black composers.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George
Joseph Bologne (Chevalier de Saint-George), was an 18th-century composer and violinist of Afro-Caribbean descent. Born in Guadeloupe and educated in France, he became one of the most celebrated musicians in Paris during the Classical era. Saint-George composed symphonies, violin concertos, chamber works, and operas, earning admiration for his elegance and technical brilliance. His opera L’Amant Anonime showcases his lyrical style and dramatic flair, especially in the “Overture” which features graceful melodies and vibrant orchestration. Enjoy the SLAM String Ensemble’s 2025 performance of this energetic piece.
Marian Anderson
Legendary contralto Marian Anderson broke barriers when she became the first Black woman to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955, though her career began long before that. Anderson grew up in Philadelphia and began singing in the church choir at age six. Soon, she was performing onstage with the New York Philharmonic and at Carnegie Hall. In 1939, Anderson faced discrimination when she was banned from performing at a Daughters of the American Revolution concert. Outraged, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the organization and came to Anderson’s defense. She wasn’t the only one–people all over the country, including the press, condemned the DAR’s actions. To show their support, President Roosevelt and NAACP President Walter White instead invited Anderson to perform on Easter Sunday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Throughout her life, Anderson was awarded a number of prestigious honors, including the Congressional Gold Medal and the Kennedy Center Honors. Her memory lives on as a groundbreaking musician and civil rights advocate. Watch Anderson’s moving Lincoln Memorial performance here.
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield was an African-American singer, songwriter, and producer whose music helped shape soul, R&B, and funk in the 1960s and 1970s. He rose to fame as a member of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, a group known for blending smooth harmonies with powerful messages about social justice. One of their most influential songs, “People Get Ready,” became an anthem of hope and the Civil Rights Movement. Enjoy the Greater South Side Discover Choir’s performance of “People Get Ready”.
Tia Fuller
Jazz musician Tia Fuller is a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. Her career has taken her all across the globe, teaching as a full time professor at Berklee College of Music and touring as a member of Beyoncé’s all-female band. Fuller is the saxophonist behind the music of Dorothea Willams, a character in the Pixar movie Soul. She then became the inspiration behind the character, too, as the studios shaped Williams to emulate Fuller and the way she played alto sax. In 2023, Fuller visited The People’s Music School for a masterclass, where she performed for students at our Greater South Side site and spoke about her experience as a Black woman in jazz.
William Grant Still
William Grant Still, Jr. was a pioneering composer of symphonies, ballets, operas, and solo pieces. Known as the “Dean of African-American Composers,” Still became the first Black man to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. when he led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1936. His compositions encompass a wide range of styles, including symphonies, ballets, operas, and chamber music. Notable works include the “Afro-American Symphony,” which premiered in 1931 and was a groundbreaking piece that combined elements of jazz and classical music. Still’s music often reflects his diverse cultural heritage and drew inspiration from African American, blues, and spiritual traditions.
Esperanza Spalding
Four-time Grammy Award winner Esperanza Spalding is a bassist, vocalist, composer, bandleader, and educator. Spalding taught herself violin, after being inspired by Yo-Yo Ma, and began playing chamber music at the age of 5. A role model for young music students, her original compositions and virtuosic live performances have captivated audiences worldwide since her 2011 Grammy Award for “Best New Artist,” the first jazz musician to receive the award. In 2021, Spalding headlined The People’s Music School’s Big Night gala, singing and performing on bass.
Xavier Dubois Foley
Xavier Dubois Foley is an award-winning double bassist who has performed with Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Sphinx Symphony, and Sphinx Virtuosi. In 2014, Foley became the First Prize winner of the Sphinx Competition. More recently, his work “For Justice and Peace” was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall and the Sphinx Organization. This composition, a double concerto for violin and bass, was written in 2019 to mark 400 years since the arrival of the White Lion, the first ship that brought enslaved Africans to Jamestown, Virginia. This year, Chicago Sinfonietta’s annual MLK tribute concert featured Foley performing his piece, “‘Victory’ Concerto.”