Birth of Modern Music Series 8: Margaret Bonds

Sonosphere

On this episode of Sonosphere we highlight the life and compositions of composer Margaret Bonds. So many people who made invaluable contributions to classical music have been nearly lost to history or are underappreciated in their time. Bonds is one of those characters. We learned more about her when we covered one of her mentors, American composer Florence B. Price earlier in 2021 - be sure to check out that episode. Bonds like Price is lesser known in the field of classical music - being both female and African-American - often not covered among classical European-based composers dominating the history of classical music. One of Bonds’ largest and perhaps most important works–Montgomery Variations, written in 1965 during the Selma-to-Montgomery Freedom March and dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On this MLK Day we celebrate composer Margaret Bonds. More information at sonospherepodcast.com