Between the world wars, Chicago’s South Side became a vibrant hub for Black classical music, nurtured by the vision and determination of Race women who intertwined music-making with Black civic life. In South Side Impresarios, Samantha Ege delves into the untold stories of the Black women whose artistry and leadership forged this thriving community.

Ege spotlights composers like Florence Price, Nora Holt, and Margaret Bonds—not as isolated figures but as central contributors to a broader cultural renaissance. Despite facing racism and sexism, these women inspired others to embrace classical music, while leaders like Maude Roberts George, Estella Bonds, Neota McCurdy Dyett, and Beulah Mitchell Hill established institutions that anchored and sustained the movement.

By exploring their backgrounds, social networks, and the female-led initiatives they spearheaded, Ege offers a compelling narrative of the audiences, supporters, and training grounds that made this community flourish. The result is a rich history of Black women’s contributions to classical music in Chicago and the enduring legacy of the world they created.

A powerful counter to the erasure of these stories, South Side Impresarios illuminates an overlooked chapter of the Black Chicago Renaissance. Building on her mission to elevate composers like Florence Price, Ege highlights the enduring influence of this remarkable era and the women who shaped it.

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