The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra rehearses the October concert at which its “Harmony in Black” program was recorded. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.
In Thursday’s (3/14) Madison Magazine, Jess Miller writes, “What will orchestras be playing 10, 50 or 100 years from now? It’s a question the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra hopes to answer through a new album, ‘Harmony in Black,’ released today, which celebrates the lives of storied Black figures through the work of living Black composers. The album is the first of five the orchestra plans to release over the next five years as part of the ‘Musical Landscapes in Color’ project. The project was fueled by a three-year [Catalyst Fund Incubator] grant from the League of American Orchestras—which the WCO received in 2022—that tasked the orchestra with improving diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives throughout the organization.” Read about the League’s Catalyst Fund Incubator here. “ ‘Musical Landscapes in Color’ was inspired in part by the work of Dr. William Banfield, the WCO’s Composer in Residence since 2021, two of whose compositions appear on ‘Harmony in Black.’ Dr. Banfield’s 2002 book ‘Landscapes in Color: Conversations With Black American Composers’ brought much-needed recognition to [their] work … ‘There’s a lot of great music out there that has not yet been played,’ said Andrew Sewell, the WCO’s music director.”
