First Anniversary of Myrtle Hart Society, Promoting Classical Musicians of Color

The Myrtle Hart Society is one year old this month. Its Founder/Executive Director is Rashida N. Black, an African American harpist and music researcher. The Society is named for an early harpist of African descent, and is dedicated to promoting all classical musicians of color. The MHS website is http://www.MyrtleHart.org/ The E-mail address for subscriptions to the free, fact-filled monthly MHS eNewsletter is: eNewsletter@myrtlehart.org

Here is an excerpt from a Letter to Readers in the current issue of the MHS eNewsletter, which was published today, February 1, 2008:

“Last February, I was overwhelmed with the reality that I had no idea what my musical friends and colleagues were doing throughout the year, that there was a huge age differential between myself and the seasoned researchers of black classical music (where's the next generation?) and that the music of black classical composers was not being performed often enough to educate the masses about their legacy. As an outlet for my frustrations, I built a web site and drafted a plan. On February 21, 2007, the Myrtle Hart Society was incorporated in the state of Illinois to make the classical community of color more visible and accessible to me and my friends.”