Welcome to getting curious. I'm Jonathan Vaness and every week I sit down for a 40 minute conversation with a brilliant expert to learn all about something that makes me curious.

On today's episode, I'm joined by historian and musicologist Dr. Kira Thurman and violist and

co-founder of Castle of Our Skins Ashley Gordon, where I asked them, are we hearing a

crescendo of anti-racism and classical music?

Welcome to getting curious, this is Jonathan Van Ness.

I'm so excited for this episode for several reasons,

but one of them is because this is our first episode specifically about classical music and

contemporary music generally and it's only a third episode ever with two guests at once so

I'm so excited for that so without any further ado

welcome Dr. Kira Thurman she is an assistant professor of history and

Germanic languages and literature is at the University of Michigan and And we also have Ashley Gordon,

who is the co-founder and artistic and executive director

and violist of Castle of Our Skins,

a Boston-based concert

and educational series devoted to celebrating Black History through Music.

Now, that's just like a baby introduction for both of you because you both have like such

gorgeous layered stories to tell but my introduction to you both was through Twitter and through should I say Dr.

Kere Thurman or can I call you Kira? How do you want me to say?

Please call me Kira.

Okay.

So this was my introduction to Kira.

And so basically, and so this is kind of a double-edged sword in introducing you to this episode and just generally because basically the viral Twitter threat is about, you know, is Beethoven or was Beethoven black?

...