“Blind Tom” Wiggins

“Blind Tom” Wiggins

The song known as “Dixie” can be a grim, and even hurtful reminder of America’s dark past, but for one enslaved Afro-American, that tune was the source of inspiration, hope, and a musical career that few other enslaved individuals could ever experience. My...
Nobuo Uematsu

Nobuo Uematsu

Maybe you’ve heard an orchestral composition that really knows how to swing. Or, maybe you haven’t. Either way, that music does exist, and composers from the US, Europe, and even East Asia have taken on the task of fusing symphonic sounds with American...
Margaret Bonds

Margaret Bonds

Sometimes, composers write music that’s meant to sound like nature or busy, city streets. Others have written music that relays emotions or historical events. And then there’s one woman, who wrote a work with protest at it’s core. On this edition of...
Joan Tower

Joan Tower

In 1942, composer Aaron Copland gave the world a work called The Fanfare for the Common Man. This work would go on to inspire not only common men, but a few uncommon women. On this edition of NoteWorthy, Garrett McQueen introduces you to an uncommon woman named Joan...