Season 3, Episode 2
The African-American pianist Hazel Harrison performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1904, and was promptly forgotten. But Kira Thurman remembers. Her incredible book Singing Like Germans tells the rich, textured stories of Black classical musicians who performed in Germany, which provided a safe haven from American segregation, even though they still faced racism. A conversation about the paradoxes of race and colorblindness in classical music, and much, much more.
Kira Thurman is associate professor of history, German studies, and musicology at University of Michigan.
If you’re interested in learning more about Professor Thurman’s scholarship, check out:
- The book Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms
- A 2021 New York Times article on Black composers in Europe
- A 2020 New Yorker article on Marian Anderson
- A 2018 essay in The Point on classical music and Black Lives Matter
Sound Expertise is hosted by Will Robin (@seatedovation), and produced by D. Edward Davis (@warmsilence). Please subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and/or Spotify. Questions or comments? Email williamlrobin@ gmail
A written transcript of this episode is available here; many thanks to Andrew Dell’Antonio for volunteering to prepare transcripts for the show!
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