National Association of Negro Musicians

National Association of Negro Musicians
Name	National Association of Negro Musicians
Abbreviation	NANM
Formation	1919
Founder	R. Nathaniel Dett; Henry Grant; Nora Holt
Type	Nonprofit
Purpose	Support and promote African American musicians
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region	United States

National Association of Negro Musicians is an American organization founded in 1919 to promote the work of African American composers, performers, educators, and scholars. It has fostered careers through competitions, conventions, and publications while interacting with institutions such as Howard University, Carnegie Hall, Juilliard School, New York Philharmonic, and Metropolitan Opera.

History

The organization was established in Chicago in 1919 by cultural figures including R. Nathaniel Dett, Nora Holt, and Henry Grant, emerging from networks connected to NAACP, National Urban League, Alpha Phi Alpha, and regional music clubs in cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Chicago. Early activities intersected with concert programs at venues such as Carnegie Hall, collaborations with educators at Howard University, and engagements with artists associated with Harlem Renaissance circles including W. E. B. Du Bois, James Weldon Johnson, and Langston Hughes. During the Great Depression members worked with federal programs like the Works Progress Administration and engaged with patrons linked to Guggenheim Fellowship and Rosenwald Fund support. Postwar expansion connected the group to conservatories such as Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, and professional ensembles like the Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra while responding to civil rights-era events involving Brown v. Board of Education, Montgomery Bus Boycott, and collaborations with artists appearing at Lincoln Center.

Mission and Activities

The association's mission promotes composers, performers, and educators through competitions, performance opportunities, and publication initiatives that relate to institutions like Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, National Endowment for the Arts, and Ford Foundation. Programs have included recital series at sites such as Kennedy Center, masterclasses with faculty from Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music, and partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities including Tuskegee University, Fisk University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Outreach intersects with professional organizations like American Federation of Musicians, Music Teachers National Association, American Musicological Society, and festival networks associated with Newport Jazz Festival and Mardi Gras Indian cultural presentations. The association has also advocated in policy arenas alongside groups such as Civil Rights Movement organizations and philanthropic entities like Carnegie Corporation.

Notable Members and Leaders

Prominent founders and leaders have included R. Nathaniel Dett, Nora Holt, Will Marion Cook, Florence Price, William Grant Still, Etta Moten Barnett, Julian Work, and Maud Cuney Hare. Later members included performers and composers such as Leontyne Price, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (through influence), Clarence Cameron White, Julius Eastman, Margaret Bonds, Betty Jackson King, Undine Smith Moore, James Cleveland, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Diahann Carroll. Educators and conductors associated with the association have included William L. Dawson, James DePriest, Frederick Fennell, George Walker, and Vincent Harding-era collaborators. Administrators and civic supporters included patrons linked to John D. Rockefeller, Albert C. Barnes, and public figures who engaged with events at City College of New York and New York University.

Annual Conventions and Festivals

Annual conventions and festivals have been hosted in cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, often featuring performances at venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, and university concert halls at Howard University and Fisk University. Conventions typically include competitions judged by faculty from Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School, and visiting artists affiliated with ensembles like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and jazz artists from Newport Jazz Festival rosters. Festivals have presented premieres of works by Florence Price, William Grant Still, Margaret Bonds, George Walker, Undine Smith Moore, and have hosted keynote speakers ranging from cultural critics tied to Harlem Renaissance institutions to civil rights leaders connected to SCLC and SNCC.

Education, Scholarships, and Awards

The organization has administered scholarships, competitions, and awards supporting students and professionals connected to conservatories and universities including Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music. Awards have recognized composers and performers such as Florence Price, William Grant Still, Margaret Bonds, George Walker, Leontyne Price, and Marian Anderson. Scholarship recipients have gone on to positions at institutions like Howard University, Fisk University, Spelman College, and orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. The association’s educational programs have included masterclasses with artists tied to Metropolitan Opera, residency programs connected to Tanglewood Music Center, and summer institutes echoing models from Gould Academy-style conservatory pedagogy.

Archives and Legacy

Archival collections related to the association are held at repositories including the Library of Congress, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Smithsonian Institution, Howard University Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, and university archives at Fisk University and Vanderbilt University. The legacy of the organization is reflected in scholarship on figures such as Florence Price, William Grant Still, R. Nathaniel Dett, and in programming at venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Its records inform research in musicology undertaken by scholars affiliated with American Musicological Society, Society for Ethnomusicology, and music departments at Columbia University, Yale University, University of Michigan, and University of California, Los Angeles. The association’s influence continues through partnerships with contemporary artists and institutions including New York Philharmonic, Kennedy Center, and conservatories such as Juilliard School.

Category:African American music