Black music is performed around the world, but who tells the story of what it means? This conversation explores cultural stewardship, repertoire, history, performance practice, pedagogy, and the responsibility artists and educators have to honor the people, traditions, and lived experiences behind the music.
Presenters: Dr. Louise Toppin, Dr. Daniel E. Walker, Brandie Sutton
Dr. Louise Toppin has received world-wide acclaim for her operatic, orchestral, oratorio and recital performances. She recorded 18 CDs and published 20 anthologies since 2021 including Black Composers in Song (Hal Leonard, 2026). Contributor to The Florence Price Companion (Cambridge University Press, 2026) and co-authored Black Song: A Manifesto for Music and Justice (University of Michigan Press, 2026). Founder of Africandiasporamusicproject.org. She is currently University Distinguished Professor of Diversity and Social Transformation and Professor of Voice, at The University of Michigan.
Dr. Daniel E. Walker is a historian, filmmaker, educator, and storyteller whose work brings Black cultural history to audiences. He founded the Gospel Music History Archive at the University of Southern California Libraries and executive produced How Sweet the Sound: Gospel in Los Angeles for KCET’s Emmy Award–winning Artbound. His book No More, No More examines slavery and cultural resistance in Havana and New Orleans. A curator and founding director of the Long Beach Indie International Film and Entertainment Festival, Walker has spent three decades leading the Footsteps to Freedom Underground Railroad Study Tour, helping educators connect history with teaching.
Hailed by Opera News for her “sumptuous, mid-weight soprano,” and The New York Times for her “warm, ample voice,” “ravishing performance” and “distinctive earthy coloring,” Brandie Inez Sutton has appeared in concert halls and on opera stages around the world. Many don’t know, but the versatile vocalist is sought after in many genres, appearing as a guest soloist with Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She has appeared several times at Carnegie Hall with artists from Cyrus Chestnut to the Cecilia Chorus of New York. Ms. Sutton’s fervent interest in social justice has also engaged her on many concert stages not usual for an opera singer. More than once she has participated in events for EJI (Equal Justice Initiative) appearing in concert with Andra Day, Bebe Winans and John Legend. She has also been immortalized as a hologram in The Legacy Museum: From Slavery to Mass Incarceration located in Montgomery, AL.
Free Registration
Monday, October 19th
7:00 PM ET
Please note that no recording of this webinar will be made public in order to protect the intellectual property of our presenters. Those wishing to join us must attend synchronously.
Delaware Academy of Vocal Arts (DBA: Elevate Vocal Arts) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
This organization is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.
