Dr. Philip Ewell Music and Culture Lecture: Blacksplaining Classical Music in the Twenty-First Century

Thursday, March 12, 7:30-9 p.m.

Arts and Culture Centre, second floor, MMaP Gallery

As part of his residency at the Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place (MMaP), Dr. Philip Ewell (Hunter College, City University of New York) will present his Music & Culture lecture, “Blacksplaining Classical Music in the Twenty-First Century.” His lecture will be followed by a question period and a small reception. This event is free and open to the public.

Abstract

“Blacksplaining Classical Music in the Twenty-First Century” gives an unvarnished black perspective on European classical music as it’s practiced in the United States and Canada. I’m black, I’ve played the cello for over 50 years, and I’m a citizen of both countries, so I’m well equipped to give this perspective. Much has been made recently of the unrelenting whiteness of this music and, for even longer, its unrelenting maleness. Less prominent are classical music’s anti-Asianness, Christian roots, Germanism, pianism, and elitism. To top this all off, it’s worth pointing out that classical music is absolutely [insert expletive here] awesome!

In this talk I’ll blacksplain—yes, that means to explain from a black perspective—these seemingly contradictory aspects of classical music. Ultimately, I argue that in order for us to move beyond the baked-in negative aspects of this music we must let go of some of its most intractable beliefs, like the belief that Johannes Brahms’s music is better than Nathaniel Dett’s, that Igor Stravinsky’s music is better than Julia Perry’s, or that classical music writ large is better than, say, bluegrass music. I call this “letting go” my musical re-education, and, notably, when I come back to classical music after having spent time away from it, I enjoy it even more than I did beforehand. This is not because it’s superior to other musics of the world, but precisely because it is not, which has been one of the most unexpected and exhilarating aspects of my work in reframing classical music. Won’t you join me?

Presented by Dr Harris Berger

Event Listing 2026-03-12 19:30:00 2026-03-12 21:00:00 America/St_Johns Dr. Philip Ewell Music and Culture Lecture: Blacksplaining Classical Music in the Twenty-First Century As part of his residency at the Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place (MMaP), Dr. Philip Ewell (Hunter College, City University of New York) will present his Music & Culture lecture, “Blacksplaining Classical Music in the Twenty-First Century.” His lecture will be followed by a question period and a small reception. This event is free and open to the public. Abstract “Blacksplaining Classical Music in the Twenty-First Century” gives an unvarnished black perspective on European classical music as it’s practiced in the United States and Canada. I’m black, I’ve played the cello for over 50 years, and I’m a citizen of both countries, so I’m well equipped to give this perspective. Much has been made recently of the unrelenting whiteness of this music and, for even longer, its unrelenting maleness. Less prominent are classical music’s anti-Asianness, Christian roots, Germanism, pianism, and elitism. To top this all off, it’s worth pointing out that classical music is absolutely [insert expletive here] awesome! In this talk I’ll blacksplain—yes, that means to explain from a black perspective—these seemingly contradictory aspects of classical music. Ultimately, I argue that in order for us to move beyond the baked-in negative aspects of this music we must let go of some of its most intractable beliefs, like the belief that Johannes Brahms’s music is better than Nathaniel Dett’s, that Igor Stravinsky’s music is better than Julia Perry’s, or that classical music writ large is better than, say, bluegrass music. I call this “letting go” my musical re-education, and, notably, when I come back to classical music after having spent time away from it, I enjoy it even more than I did beforehand. This is not because it’s superior to other musics of the world, but precisely because it is not, which has been one of the most unexpected and exhilarating aspects of my work in reframing classical music. Won’t you join me? Arts and Culture Centre, second floor, MMaP Gallery Dr Harris Berger