With Her Recording Series 'Rising Sun,' Lara Downes Re-Centers Black Composers
NPR's Rachel Martin spoke to the pianist about Phenomenal Women, the most recent mini-album in the series, in which Downes re-recorded the work of some deeply impactful female composers.
You might know her as the host of NPR Music's web series, Amplify with Lara Downes, or by her work as a concert pianist – through each, Downes' goal has been to elevate the work of Black artists. Her new project, Rising Sun Music, is something of a combination: Downes will release a mini-album every month, for as long as she can keep it up, to highlight overlooked and forgotten compositions by Black artists in the classical music tradition. In honor of Women's History Month, its latest entry focuses on some overlooked and under-appreciated bodies of work by women composers and performers.
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