“The long overdue efforts by orchestras and other classical music presenters to diversify their programming often run into difficulties identifying appropriate repertoire,” writes Sarah Shay in Tuesday’s (7/27) Musical America (subscription required). “Many works by Black composers remain unpublished, so finding a score, much less a recording, can be a huge challenge. In September 2019 Dr. [Louise] Toppin, a soprano known for her operatic, orchestral, and oratorio performances, a trained archivist, and currently a professor of voice at the University of Michigan, launched the African Diaspora Music Project (ADMP) database. With her personal collection serving as its foundation, the ADMP now includes nearly 4,000 songs and, more recently, over 1,200 symphonic works and counting. A free resource for users, the database can search by ensemble size and length of work. ADMP enables access to repertoire in various languages and from across the globe…. ‘We hope that this [orchestral] iteration provides an even better user experience for those researching both vocal and orchestral repertoire,’ [says] Toppin. ‘I hope that we can help transform the experience of musicians interested in incorporating the work of African Diaspora composers.’ ” Visit the African Diaspora Music Project here.
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