Public radio station WQED FM in Pittsburgh has lined up special programming for Black History Month in February, featuring music by Black composers and performers. Daily segments and evening broadcasts highlight African-American contributions to classical music. Several concerts recorded in Pittsburgh and elsewhere will air throughout the month.
WQED FM's Black History Month initiative includes daily features at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., where hosts Jim and Anna play pieces composed or performed by Black artists throughout February. This programming underscores the station's commitment to celebrating African-American musical heritage in classical genres. On Friday, February 6, at 7 p.m., listeners can hear a broadcast of the Tuesday Musical Club concert from February 11, 2025, titled “An Everlasting Sound: Honoring our African-American Composers.” The event, recorded at Rodef Shalom’s Levy Hall, features works by Florence Price, William Grant Still, and Valerie Coleman. Monday, February 16, from 8 to 9 p.m., brings the Atlanta’s King Celebration Concert, a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus alongside the Ebenezer Baptist Church Chorus and Band. Another Pittsburgh performance airs on Friday, February 20, at 7 p.m.: the PubliQuartet concert from March 10, 2025, part of the Chamber Music Pittsburgh series. Held at the PNC Theater downtown, it includes music by Mazz Swift, Henry Threadgill, Jeff Scott, and others. On Monday, February 23, from 8 to 9 p.m., “Rhapsody in Black” showcases voices of Black artists in classical music, hosted by Vernon Neal. The month closes with a Friday, February 27, broadcast at 7:30 p.m. of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra members' concert from May 29, 2025, titled “Spotlight on African American Composers.” Performed at St. James AME Church, it highlights compositions by Kevin Day, Adolphus Hailstork, Jeff Scott, and Valerie Coleman. These broadcasts offer Pittsburgh audiences access to both local and national performances, blending historical reverence with contemporary interpretations of Black musical legacies.
