“Being a composer is a solitary gig, even in the best of times. And that feeling of isolation can be exacerbated for people of color working in classical music’s predominantly white spaces. But amid the peak seclusion of 2020, a group of hugely talented emerging Black artists found radical support in one another.

This cohort of Black classical composers has been pushing the genre forward, both as individuals and as a collective. Now known as the Blacknificent 7, their work will come together this week at Ravinia in the world premiere of African Queens, a recital curated by soprano Karen Slack.”