This Saturday, March 29, at 7:30 pianist Luke Welch will grace the stage at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church as part of Virtuosi Concerts' Northern Magnolias performance. The evening promises to spotlight the works of two pioneering Black composers, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Robert Nathaniel Dett—composers whose contributions to classical music have long been overlooked. Welch, a Toronto-based pianist, has dedicated much of his career to bringing their music to the forefront, and Northern Magnolias is his latest effort to share their artistry with the world.
A Long-Awaited Spotlight
For Welch, Northern Magnolias is more than just a concert. It is part of his ongoing mission to introduce Black composers’ works to a wider audience. “It’s only recently that I’ve been promoting these composers. I thought this might be a program of interest not only to Canadian audiences, but certainly for Winnipeg as well.” While this will be his first performance in Winnipeg as part of Virtuosi Concerts, Welch’s connection to Manitoba is not entirely new. He has performed in the province twice before, both times in Carman, a small town where he previously captivated audiences.
Yet it was the COVID-19 pandemic that sparked Welch’s deeper engagement with Coleridge-Taylor and Dett. When the pandemic halted performances, Welch, like many musicians, found himself with more free time. He took the opportunity to host Facebook Live performances titled Music from Home, offering new content each month. But as the months passed and his repertoire began to dwindle, Welch’s thoughts turned to composers outside the mainstream—an idea inspired by a former teacher who had encouraged him to explore music beyond the European canon. It was then that Welch had a "lightbulb moment": What about Black composers?
A Pandemic Discovery
Welch admits that before the pandemic, he knew little about the works of Coleridge-Taylor and Dett. “I didn’t know anything about them,” he confessed. But after digging deeper, he found himself enraptured by their music. "The melodies were unusual, the harmonies completely unlike anything I’d heard before," he recalled. "I’d think the music was going to zig, but it would zag—and yet, somehow, it still made sense."
It wasn’t just Welch who was taken with the music. A neighbor who heard him practicing from the street left a note saying, “This music is amazing! I don’t know what it is—can you email me and let me know?” That moment confirmed for Welch that he had stumbled onto something extraordinary. "I thought I knew everything about everything," he said, “but this music introduced me to something new.”
The Legacy of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Sierra Leonean-English composer, was an important figure in the classical music world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known for his symphonic and choral works, Coleridge-Taylor was an ardent admirer of Antonín Dvořák. “People often say he was influenced by Dvořák,” Welch explained, “but actually, it went the other way.” Coleridge-Taylor was particularly struck by how Dvořák incorporated nationalist elements into his music, which inspired him to infuse his own compositions with African and African American musical idioms.
Coleridge-Taylor’s connection to African American culture deepened when he traveled to the U.S. and met W.E.B. Du Bois. It was there that he first encountered African American spirituals, an experience that would profoundly influence his work. Welch emphasized how Coleridge-Taylor’s immersion in African American music broadened his musical perspective. “At the Royal College of Music, he had been focused on the European tradition,” Welch explained, “but meeting the Fisk Jubilee Singers and learning about the deep traditions of African American music opened up a whole new world for him.”
Pioneering the Black Classical Music Canon
For Welch, the process of discovering Coleridge-Taylor and Dett’s music has been deeply rewarding. “These are composers whose work has been overshadowed due to racial and social attitudes of their time,” Welch said. "It’s time for them to get the recognition they deserve." Through Northern Magnolias, Welch aims to reclaim this lost history and share it with a new generation of listeners. “Both of these composers created music that’s incredibly pianistic—it fits under the fingers beautifully," he added. "But it also keeps you on your toes. Just when you think you know where it’s going, it surprises you."
Welch’s performance of Coleridge-Taylor and Dett’s works isn’t just about sharing their music—it's about honoring their legacies. “Coleridge-Taylor became that for a lot of Black composers,” Welch noted. “He inspired figures like Florence Price, Dett, and Harry Burleigh, validating the importance of Black classical music not just for Black audiences, but for all listeners.”
The Challenges of Reviving Lost Music
Welch’s commitment to these composers is not without its challenges. Uncovering and performing works by composers like Coleridge-Taylor and Dett often requires a great deal of time and effort. "It took me almost two years to find even the program of stuff that I wanted to learn,” Welch recalled. His search led him to online platforms like eBay and Etsy, where he scoured obscure sellers for rare scores. But even when Welch managed to find the music, errors often crept into the editions, especially with works by Florence Price. "I’ve been in contact with publishers to help correct these issues,” Welch said, “and I plan to rewrite them all with a more accurate version of the scores themselves."
Looking to the Future
Looking ahead, Welch is already planning his next recording project, which will further explore the works of Black composers. He recently discovered a website offering the complete collection of all of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George solo piano works and plans to include some of these pieces in an upcoming recording. Additionally, Welch aims to record music by other Black composers, including Florence Price, and Harry Burleigh. "I’ll include some of those pieces on [the new recording],” he said, “and I also will likely record some music by Harry Burleigh as well, because his music, there is some music that he… did release some stuff for piano."
An Evening to Remember
The Northern Magnolias concert promises to be a celebration of music that has been unjustly overlooked for too long. As Welch prepares to perform these powerful works, he reflects on the importance of sharing them with new audiences. “I’m excited to be able to offer that music to the audiences of Winnipeg,” Welch said. “Every time I’ve gone to Manitoba to perform, the audiences I’ve met are just fantastic people.”
The concert will take place Saturday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church. Tickets for Northern Magnolias are available through Virtuosi Concerts. For those looking to experience the rich, emotional power of overlooked classical music, this promises to be a concert not to miss.