Undine Smith Moore - The Dean Of Black Women Composers

Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) was a composer, teacher, and musical force of nature. Pianist Samantha Ege uncovers how Moore continues to influence students, performers and listeners on a deeply personal level; to help them find strength in anger.

Professor Undine Smith Moore was an educator and composer - but her powerful, experimental work remains much less well known than her European male counterparts from the time. Born in Virginia in 1904, Moore experienced the effects of segregation first hand - as well as her parents' determination to uplift their daughter through education and literature.

In 2022 Samantha Ege performed the world premiere of Undine Smith Moore's composition 'Soweto' (1987). She explores how Moore's eloquent musical rage at injustice has helped others.

An Overcoat Media Production for BBC Radio 3

Discovering a unique 20th-century composer and teacher - and her enduring influence.

Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) was a composer, teacher and force of nature. Samantha Ege uncovers how she continues to influence students and performers on a personal level.

Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) was a musical force of nature. Pianist Samantha Ege uncovers how Moore influenced performers on a deeply personal level to help them find strength in anger.

Do you ever wonder what is hiding behind the eyes of a classical musician as you watch them pour themselves into a movement on stage? Pianist and scholar Dr Samantha Ege lets you in - as we discover how the music of Undine Smith Moore has allowed her to confront her own demons - harnessing Moore's compositional anger to help process her own, complex, personal trauma.

Professor Undine Smith Moore was an extraordinary educator and composer - but her powerful, experimental work remains much less well known than her European male counterparts from the time. Born in Virginia in 1904, Moore experienced the barbaric effects of segregation first hand. She also experienced the joy, love and musicality of her community, as well as her parents' determination to uplift their daughter through education and literature.

In 2022 Samantha Ege performed the world premiere of Undine Smith Moore's fiercest composition 'Soweto' (1987). That night she took ownership of her own eloquent black female rage - a moment she would never forget. In this feature Samantha Ege explores how Moore's eloquent, beautiful, musical rage at social injustice has helped others - including herself - process their own lived experience.

Discovering a unique, much-loved musical voice, her radical music and enduring influence.

Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989) was a musical force of nature. Pianist Samantha Ege uncovers how she influenced performers on a deeply personal level to find strength in anger.