Classical music may not be the first thing you think of when you think about Jim Crow.

But in the early 20th century, black composers captured the changes and challenges facing African Americans.

From concertos to operas, their music offers us a frequently overlooked window into life during this period.

I'm Bethany Jay, and this is Music Reconstructed from Teaching Heart History.

It takes research to rethink, remix, and reimagine music.

The results can reveal insights into history for educators and students.

In the special four-part series, music expert and historian Charles Hughes brings us conversations with

contemporary musicians who are exploring the sounds, songs, and stories of the Jim Crow era

through their music. In our final installment, Charles introduces us to the renowned

classical pianist Laura Downs. As she reflects on our own musical journey, Downs shows us how we can hear the history of the Jim Crow era in the works of African-American composers like Florence Price and Scott Chaplin.

I'm so glad you can join us. Here's Charles.

When we think about the rich traditions of African American music, one thing that sometimes

gets left out is the rich contribution of black composers and performers to the world that we

generally call classical music. But despite this, black artists have made hugely significant

contributions to these traditions,

and many of these accomplishments occurred in the period of Reconstruction in Jim Crow.

The worlds of concert and operatic music were transformed by black folks in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

And no one is doing more important work to both care for that tradition, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

And no one is doing more important work to both care for that tradition and make it newly relevant than our guest today,

the celebrated composer and pianist, Lara Downs.

Downs is an award-winning recording artist, and she's been supported by organizations including the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Classical Recording Foundation.

She foregrounds the building of community, including hosting a series called Amplify on NPR, where

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