Musical Landscapes in Color

Spearheaded by the WCO in collaboration with Composer in Residence, Dr. William Banfield, Musical Landscapes in Color aims to showcase the groundbreaking works of living composers of color. This five-year project represents a significant step towards diversifying the orchestral music landscape. Drawing on its 60-year history as a premiere concert ensemble, the WCO will complement each album produced through this partnership with live concert performances of the included works. Reaching up to 250,000 people per year the WCO is uniquely positioned to create a platform for composers to gain greater recognition and cultural impact in a polarized nation. 

A vital component of Musical Landscapes in Color is community engagement. The WCO has created relationships and drawn together community members of diverse backgrounds for conversation and learning surrounding the concerts and composers. To date the WCO has gained extremely valuable partners in our community who have begun to feel like family. We believe the composer-orchestra relationship is a vital symbiosis, with strong benefits for both partners and has rich possibilities for enhancing an orchestra’s ability to deliver public value to its community.

Endeavor

Endeavor is a bold exploration of the relentless pursuit of excellence. It’s only fitting that the third installment of the Musical Landscapes in Color project features living Black American composers whose works span nearly three decades of innovation. From Regina Harris Baiocchi’s evocative Muse for Orchestra to the world premiere of Madison local Autumn Maria Reed’s Mental Health Suite, this program is a testament to resilience and creativity. Experience the cinematic sweep of Eric Gould’s An American City and the raw power of Xavier Foley’s Soul Bass Concerto, with the composer himself commanding the stage as soloist. More than a concert, more than an album—it’s a movement, recorded live to inspire generations to come. Endeavor will be performed and performed live on October 10, 2025.

Convergence

Convergence is the second year of our five-year project Musical Landscapes in Color. The album opens with Fanfare and Fantaisie by four-time GRAMMY nominee Patrice Rushen, followed by contemporary composer Andre Myers Changes. Selections from the Nope film suite by Michael Abels, a GRAMMY® and EMMY®-nominee, and the recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music, followed by Umoja: Anthem of Unity by renowned composer and flutist Valerie Coleman, and another work by Abels, Global Warming will conclude the album. Convergence was performed and recorded live on Friday, October 10, 2024.

Learn More About Convergence

Harmony in Black

Harmony in Black is the first album of our five-year, five-album Musical Landscapes in Color project. Falling under the new Composer Collective series, this initiative aims to elevate the voices of an array of living, diverse composers throughout the United States. Harmony in Black was performed and recorded live on Friday, October 13, 2023.

The album features compositions by Dr. William Banfield and renowned artist/composer Patrice Rushen. Their works weave powerful narratives of equality and justice, drawing inspiration from historical figures such as Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Paul Robeson. 

Learn More About Harmony in Black

What will Orchestras be playing 10, 50, or 100 years from now?

With a long-standing commitment to artistic excellence and inclusivity, the WCO has continually pushed boundaries to champion a diverse range of voices within the realm of classical music. This project seeks to shift the paradigm from what has been to what will be. It’s more important than ever in a highly politicized world, because it’s about so much more than just the music. It’s about taking in new perspectives and layers of sound that have been inspired by the impulses of modern culture. These contemporary musical landscapes connect us to the times we live in. At the WCO we are relentless in our pursuit to break the mold for how orchestras invest in and engage communities, working to be an impactful community-based arts organization, hoping to inspire audiences of the future – because we believe it’s possible to inspire a better community through music.

Community Partnerships: Transformation Through Exposure

The WCO has created a relationship with the UW Odyssey Project through Musical Landscapes in Color. For all five albums of the five year project, students will be assigned readings related to the music they’re going to experience over the course of the year. Composers visit the classroom and speak to the students about music and contemporary culture, and their own professional transformation. UW Odyssey Project students then attend the pre-concert discussion, performance, and the post-concert reception in the Fall afterwards writing reflection papers for their coursework. In the Spring, students are invited to attend the release event.

What is the UW Odyssey Project?

The UW-Odyssey Project offers University of Wisconsin-Madison humanities classes for adult students facing economic barriers to college. The majority of students that participate in Odyssey are from racial and ethnic minority groups (~90%) and are often overcoming the obstacles of single parenthood, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, incarceration, depression, and domestic abuse. Odyssey students report transformative outcomes, and some have even moved from homelessness to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students also say that they read more to their children, feel that they are better parents and advocates
for their children in school, have more hope about their own futures, and are more likely to vote and become involved in their communities.