Today, knowing that I needed a mental break from social media, I decided to listen to one piece of chamber music by as many Black composers as I could.

This is a thread on the sheer fact that there is NOTHING white composers have done that Black composers have not done better.

With the help of @MBComposers and @ComposerProject, I listened to at least one piece by each listed composer written in the last ten years for pierrot ensemble or similarish if possible.

I don't have access to a band, choir, or orchestra, but I can organize a pierrot ensemble.

Before I share some of my favorite works by Black composers, I want to say two things:

1. This list is absolutely not exhaustive, and it's not trying to be. There is so much good music by Black composers, and one day is only enough to listen to small slice of it.

2. While I did this search because of what is happening in the world right now and out of wanting to uplift Black composers in our community, it's really important to constantly include Black composers into your listening regimen, rather than just at times of visible injustice.

(2, cont.) I think it's important to be mindful that, since Black people are constantly experiencing injustice, it is always a good time to listen to more music by Black composers and musicians.

All right, #NewMusic Twitter. Here's some AWESOME MUSIC YOU NEED TO HEAR RIGHT NOW:

First up, let's talk about the relentless textures of @jg_bingham. I am SO HERE for the energy of this work, and how Bingham plays with expectation. It's really engaging, and there's moments that just bloom, that are just perfect and profound. It's RAD. https://soundcloud.com/jonathanbinghammusic/untitled-1

Next, if you're not listening to @thulamusic, you are MISSING OUT. There's always something special when a composer plays the instrument they're writing for, and I love how clearly Ngwenyama's voice shines through here. This work is idyllic and beautiful. https://soundcloud.com/thulamusic/sonoran-storm-for-viola-orchestra

@lbwaremusic's "Recollection and Anticipation" is a piece that just tugs at your heartstrings. It has that Pixar thing that I work so hard for, and it sounds so organic. The piece is balanced so perfectly that you can't help but feel totally immersed. https://soundcloud.com/lawrenbriannaware/recollection-and-anticipation-for-clarinet-viola-and-harp

And I am OBSESSED with "CryptOlogiE" by Shawn Okpebholo. Some of my favorite pieces in the world follow the structure that Okpebholo used in this piece, and tension is built and resolved is super compelling. Only 17 plays on Soundcloud. Go follow him. https://soundcloud.com/shawn-e-okpebholo/cryptologie

I was already aware of Corey Dundee, as he wrote one of the most well known pieces in the reed quintet rep ("Special Ops"), and I found this work to be just as entrancing. There's a really awesome sense of humor, interplay, and intimacy in Dundee's work. https://soundcloud.com/coreydundee/sb3-for-mixed-trio

@profjbh's "His House is Not of This Land" is a striking thing to listen to in the context of today, and there's an expression of pain in the work that's palpable. My experience of listening to this piece was physiological and visceral, and I LOVE that. https://vimeo.com/172184479 

JESSICA MAYS. Oh my god. String quartet and bass clarinet is an amazing sound and this piece is so interesting. I really want to see it performed with the staging. Another piece that includes extended techniques really seamlessly. And DAMN cool. https://soundcloud.com/jessicamays/on-shapes-and-figures-for-string-quartet-and-bass-clarinet

Karena Ingram's musical depictions of nature in "Gaea's Nature" are really evocative in all the ways I crave. This piece is wonderfully visual, and listening to it is a dream. The textures present in this work fit together really well. https://soundcloud.com/karenaingrammusic/gaeas-nature

@piargno84's "Ohkyanoos" is a masterwork in terms of marrying textures together. I love how this explores density of sound, and the way it embraces a sense of glorious chaos subsiding into gentle textures. I think this kind of work is wonderfully engaging. https://soundcloud.com/piargno/ohkyanoos

KEVIN. DAY. IS. JUST. NUTS. GOOD.
THIS. PIECE. IS. AWESOME.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Seriously, though. This is stellar. Everything about this is fantastic.

I don't think anyone needs me to tell them that KEVIN DAY IS THE BEST. BUT HE IS. https://soundcloud.com/kevindaymusic/ecstatic-samba-piano-trio-no-3

Hi, so, this is my absolute favorite piece by @shelleyplaysaxy (I knew about this before today). We stan postminimalist grooves that toy with audiences before evolving into other grooves that toy with audiences and then DO IT ALL AGAIN in this household. https://soundcloud.com/shelleywashington/silk

Yeah, so, let's talk about "GRIME" by @evanwilliamsmus. This is the only kind of string quartet I'm interested in writing, and this piece is hugely demonstrative of why. The use of registral space is phenomenal, and this work is AWESOME stacked on AWESOME. https://soundcloud.com/fifthhouseensemble/make-music-chicago-grand-2

Again, this is a very, very small list that doesn't break the surface of all the amazing work that Black composers are doing in the #NewMusic community.

If there's one thing I learned today, it's that I have been WOEFULLY ignorant to the work of Black composers and that is bad.

#BlackLivesMatter , and the music of Black composers matters. Just as we are taught a whitewashed version of history overall, we are also taught a whitewashed version of music history, especially in the 20th century (where we have NO EXCUSE).

You might have heard of some of these composers in this thread, but I hadn't heard of most of them, and while there are resources providing us with their names and their websites, there may be hundreds of Black composers out there without these access to these resources.

As white composers, it is our responsibility to know the names of the Black composers among us. We need to listen to and share their music. Follow them on Twitter and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram. Share their websites, and support their projects.

If you already knew these composers, that's awesome. Please continue to show your solidarity and share their work. If you didn't, you have work to do on behalf of your Black friends and colleagues in #NewMusic.

Today, I became a better listener. Will you?