Chicago is renowned for its vibrant and culturally diverse atmosphere. Its musical heritage, encompassing Blues, Jazz, House Music, and Gospel, thrives thanks to the contributions of Black Chicago. A new wave of Black female performers is now making their mark in classical music, adding to this rich legacy.
Representation and outreach are vital for African American string players. These women advocate for diversity in the arts and promote social justice through their music.
Pioneering Performers
Here we'll explore the stories of several influential African American female violinists, each of whom has left an indelible mark on the world of music.
Ginger Smock
Ginger Smock (1920-95) was a trailblazing figure in the Los Angeles jazz scene and a leader for female musicians. She was one of the first women to record "hot" jazz improvisations on the violin and one of the first female African American bandleaders on television. Her story is punctuated with closed doors but defined by those she pushed open and walked right through.
Smock's early life had all the hallmarks of a pre-professional classical-music career. However, African Americans were excluded from professional orchestras in the United States in the early 1940s. Instead, Smock took a job at a lithography shop and performed at church and community functions. She would later join the Southeast Symphony, a primarily African American orchestra.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
Smock studied the recordings of jazz violinists Joe Venuti, Stuff Smith, and Eddie South, and listened to Stéphane Grappelli and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France on the radio. Later encounters with all of these violinists were highlights of her career, and she remembered Smith and Venuti each claiming her as his “kid”: “I played like both of them,” she said.
In 1943, Smock was called to substitute for Stuff Smith at a local club. "That’s when I decided that if I couldn’t be a Heifetz, I’d settle for being a good jazz violinist," she later told DownBeat.
From 1943 to 1945, she led the Sepia Tones at a Central Avenue club called the Last Word. The new openings created by the war allowed Smock to establish herself as an artist and bandleader.
In 1951, Smock led the Hollywood Sepia Tones on a thirty-minute TV show that ran for six weeks on Los Angeles’ CBS affiliate KTSL. The sextet, which also included celebrated female trumpeter Clora Bryant, became the first black band to host a regular TV program on a major channel. Smock would also go on to host her own show, Rhythm Review, in 1957.
Despite her prominence on Central Avenue and her groundbreaking work on television, Smock never received wide recognition for her talent and pioneering accomplishments. The discrimination Smock struggled against throughout her career was representative of the obstacles facing black women instrumentalists in the mid-20th century.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
In 2016, Lydia Bennett donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture a number of personal objects belonging to Ginger Smock. 100 years after her birth, violinist Ginger Smock is still due wider recognition for her contributions to the history of jazz violin.
SistaStrings
The sound of SistaStrings can’t be described in one word. The Milwaukee based sister duo combines their classical background with R&B with a touch of gospel influence that culminates in a vibey, lush sound. With thick string harmonies between violin and cello and soulful voices, SistaStrings takes you on a journey.
Formed in 2014 after the sisters graduated from college, Chauntee (violin) moved back from her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Monique from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the sisters began doing string arrangements for local hip-hop artists and the rest is history.
Having been raised in church, SistaStrings was able to build their improv skills and ear training. The sisters not only write and arrange but find pleasure sitting in with musicians and exploring what sounds come from improvisation and spontaneity.
Outside of being their own act, SistaStrings can often be found playing alongside singer/songwriter Peter Mulvey. SistaStrings has performed with Malik Yusef, opened for Black Violin, Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony, Lupe Fiasco, BJ The Chicago Kid, and The Roots.
Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery
Outside of playing music venues, SistaStrings goes into schools and conducts assemblies, encouraging young people to pursue the arts and to not be afraid of hard work. Outreach and representation are important to these two young ladies as African American string players.
Diane Monroe
Internationally esteemed Curtis alumna, violinist Diane Monroe gained widespread recognition as the first violinist of both the Uptown String Quartet and the Max Roach Double Quartet-two groundbreaking ensembles that brought jazz string playing to new heights. Earning critical acclaim, they made appearances on The Cosby Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, and Mr.
A graduate of Curtis, Ms. Monroe studied with violinist David Cerone at the school. She also attended the Philadelphia Musical Academy (later known as the University of the Arts), and studied at Oberlin Conservatory and Michigan State University.
Beyond her recognition as a performer of note, she is also a brilliant composer and arranger whose work has been showcased on television, in recordings, and on major stages across the globe. In 2018, she received both a Pew Fellowship and a Pew Project grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, which funded her 2019 project, Violin Woman, African Dreams.
A highly sought-after collaborator, Ms. Monroe has performed with jazz greats like Odean Pope (Sounds of the Circle Project), Bobby Zankel’s Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, and Dave Allen’s residency ensemble at the Kimmel Center. She has a deep musical connection with vibraphonist Tony Miceli.
Over the years, Ms. Monroe has shared the stage with an impressive roster of artists, including Joe Lovano, Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Quincy Troupe, Reggie Workman, Mike Boone, Louis Nash, John Blake Jr., Regina Carter, Mark O’Connor, Dave Grusin, Uri Caine, and Don Byron. It is this rare ability to move seamlessly between musical genres that has made her a vital presence in both the jazz and classical communities.
In 1983, she won the prestigious Pro Musicis Recital Award, which led to solo recital debuts at Merkin Hall (New York), Schoenberg Hall (Los Angeles), the Renwick Gallery (Washington, D.C.), and Pickman Hall (Boston).
One of the defining moments of her career came in 1993 when she performed at the original Fiddlefest at Carnegie Hall. That night, she played Igor Stravinsky’s The Fairy’s Kiss alongside pianist Marie-Christine Delbeau, followed by her powerful solo arrangement of Amazing Grace.
As an ensemble musician, Ms. Monroe has played with the Kasimir and Beaumont String Quartets, the Amabile Piano Quartet, the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and several other esteemed groups. She’s served as concertmaster for the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, the Concordia Orchestra, and the Jupiter Symphony, and she has been a featured artist at the Marlboro, Caramoor, and Sitka chamber music festivals.
Passionate about mentoring the next generation of musicians, Ms. Monroe has taught and coached chamber music at institutions like Oberlin Conservatory, Temple University, Swarthmore College, and the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia.
The String Queens
The three members of the fast-rising all-Black women musical group The String Queens - Kendall Isadore, Élise Sharp, and Dawn Johnson - have each experienced racism during their musical career.
Starting out as soloists in Washington, DC, the group’s violinist Isadore, cellist Sharp, and violist Johnson have each heard a number of racist remarks that really hurt them. “We’re actually modeling what we believe the musical world should be like,” Sharp told the DCist.
Aside from bridging the gap between different races, they are also introducing a fresh take on classical music as they incorporate mainstream pop in most of their sets. “The influences we have, from gospel, from jazz, from Broadway, from classical - we’ve sort of fused all of those together at different points,” Isadore said.
Moreover, all The String Queens members also serve as orchestra directors at various KIPP DC middle schools where they teach young musicians how to play traditional classical music as well as improvisational techniques.
Most recently, the trio released their self-titled debut album which featured covers using the arrangements they have been performing live on stage. They are also set to perform as ensemble-in-residence with Washington Performing Arts’ Mars Arts D.C.
Breaking Barriers in Lutherie
Amanda Ewing
Amanda Ewing carries the title of first officially recognized Black woman luthier in United States history. The distinction left Ewing with mixed feelings. While touched, she had trouble accepting that she was the first in recorded American history, especially considering how much Black people have contributed to the development of American musical traditions.
She soon found tracing the history of Black luthiers in the United States to be a difficult task. “I started googling Black violin makers, and I wasn’t finding anything,” explained Ewing in a phone conversation with WFMT. She contacted music schools, went through old photos of luthier gatherings… and still had no luck.
Ewing mentioned that this dearth of recorded history was a point of discussion among archivists when she visited the International Bluegrass Music Association.
There are currently only three accredited US schools offering a degree in lutherie, making scholarships practically non-existent and programs extremely competitive. In 2017, she accepted a severance package after her company downsized, and was looking for what to do next.
Ewing picked up the violin in order to encourage her own daughter to keep playing piano. Soon enough, Ewing found herself engaged in a community orchestra, seated next to musicians of various backgrounds. One of those violinists was a luthier by the name of Ray DeMeo - a Chicagoan who relocated to Nashville to pursue his dream of making instruments.
Yet unlike contemporary choices of spruce or maple, Ewing stayed with the once-favored willow wood, which had resonated with Harris. Ewing also sought to find a varnish that captured Harris’s warm, radiant energy. She landed on a golden hue. And evidently, it was the right choice.
Ultimately, Amanda Ewing dreams of expanding and broadening the field of violinmaking, including by differentiating her practice from European tradition and exploring unique instrument shapes. She also hopes to eventually open her own school of lutherie, accessible to all, where students will be encouraged to pursue their artistic visions.
Notable Mentions
Here's a list of some other famous African American violinists:
- Regina Carter
- Stuff Smith
- John Blake Jr.
- Tai Murray
- Sanford Allen
- Noel Pointer
The Sphinx Competition
The Sphinx Competition serves as a way to get across to the overarching "establishment" that believes classical music is a high art for white people, that there are black (and latino) students who are just as great and who can understand and appreciate this music as any other human being can. In addition, the competition is finally pushing into national recognition, talented black and latino students from all over and giving validity to the breadth of outstanding black composers, from George Walker to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Heart Of A Woman - @summerwalker - Violin Cover By Joy Black
Challenges and Triumphs
Despite their immense talent and dedication, African American female violinists have faced numerous challenges, including:
- Racial discrimination in orchestras and musical institutions.
- Limited opportunities in the male-dominated music industry.
- Lack of recognition for their contributions.
However, these women have persevered, breaking down barriers and inspiring future generations.
The greatest mission for a professional vocalist and musician is to be seen by those who think their very existence is impossible. It's about showing children who identify with them that they can blaze their own trails and fulfill their own dreams.
The best advice for young aspiring performers is to follow the beat of their own drum. If it makes you happy and no one else understands why don’t let that keep you from it.
My advice to any musician or creative is that it is never too late to start, quit, and restart. It is never too late to learn, quit, and relearn. No matter how old you get, how young you are, how discouraged you become, the type of adversity you may face, it is never too late.
Remember, our talents are not just for us; they are to share with others.
