Black Music Month

Juneteenth honors Freedom Day, a 19th century landmark for Black Americans across the country. WRTI has prepared special programming in that spirit, featuring music from John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Lionel Loueke and more.

Kevin Day has composed well-received works for orchestra and jazz combo, but nothing has stretched his horizons quite like Lalovavi: An Afrofuturist Opera in Three Acts — his debut opera, which will premiere at the Cincinnati Opera in the summer of 2026. During a recent visit to WRTI, Day talked about this epic work, and played some of its themes at the piano.

The Grammy-winning artist brings powerful cuts from her forthcoming album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, as well as fan favorites, to this performance.

In her stunning Tiny Desk, the artist demonstrates her ability to showcase all sides of the harp, from an instrument in classical music to contemporary pop.

On 'Ennanga,' harpist Ashley Jackson explores music by William Grant Still, Alice Coltrane, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Brandee Younger. It's "a gemlike offering," says Nate Chinen in our Album of the Week review.

Adolphus Hailstork is one of the most prolific American composers today. In this interview, he discusses his stature of "historical curiosity," and his wariness about being identified as a Black composer.

Saxophonist Ikechi Onyenaka sees his music as a message to anyone on their path toward success. He'll bring that energy to the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, at the Johnson House Historic Site in Germantown.

Saxophonist Ornette Coleman infused his symphony 'Skies of America' with portents and patriotism. It's the perfect soundtrack to Juneteenth, as Shaun Brady explains in his review for WRTI's Album of the Week.

The 30 grantees in Black Music City's 2023 class, spanning a range of creative disciplines, will be celebrated in a free showcase this Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at World Cafe Live.

June 7, 2021. If you have any questions about where vocalist Allan Harris grew up or for whom he sings, you haven’t heard Kate’s Soulfood yet. One listen…