She rarely played music written by a Black composer. She’s changing that for others

A Miami musician is bringing classical music written by Black composers to the cultural community of South Florida, expanding the traditional repertoire and shaping a future for musicians of color.

“Being in this industry for 30-years plus, I have maybe one time played music by a Black composer,” said Portia Lundy-Dunkley, the woman behind “Music of the Unsung America: Spotlighting Black Composers in the Shadows of History,” a concert series funded by the Knight Foundation.

Dunkley also is the executive director of New Canon Chamber Collective (NCCC), a nonprofit music ensemble that seeks to highlight Black classical music musicians to South Florida.

“My experience as a Black musician has always been in the minority: I’ve never played in an ensemble where the majority of the musicians look like me. It was always a handful of us,” she said.

On Saturday night, the ensemble will perform at the Historic Saint Agnes Episcopal Church, 1750 NW Third Ave., the oldest Episcopal Church in South Florida, established by Black Bahamians in 1898. The chamber choir and string orchestra with piano will premiere the music of the late American composer Margaret Bonds, who collaborated with Langston Hughes, and South Florida composer Joseph Jones, who will premiere his “Symphony for String Orchestra, Op. 47a, No. 2.”

In 2019, Dunkley received a Knight Arts Challenge grant to conduct a five-part concert series in local Black cultural institutions, featuring Black musicians and compositions of often-overlooked Black composers.

“It was about us celebrating Black artists and Black composers, but also creating a platform for young Black and other musicians of color in South Florida to have professional playing opportunities,” said Dunkley.

Their first performance, “Music Moments with William Grant Still,” was a collaboration with a small Black-owned cultural space called Salvaged by Love in downtown Miami. Their second concert, “Sacred Fire,” was co-produced with Fantasy Theatre Factory and performed at the Sandrell Rivers Theatre, 6103 NW Seventh Ave.

Dunkley grew up in a single parent home in Overtown, near St. Agnes. In sixth grade, her teacher encouraged her to start playing bass, and soon she was taking buses to Agenoria S. Paschal Olinda Elementary, 5535 NW 21st Ave., to attend the magnet gifted music program. She went on to graduate from New World School of the Arts and Florida State University, where she studied music and music performance.

“I was one of a handful of Black students in the music program playing classical music, which was a bit of a contrast from New World, because New World is a little bit more reflective of Miami,” she said.

Dunkley taught music for 13 years in Leon and Madison counties in north Florida before returning home to Miami in 2015, where she became the site director for the Miami Music Project’s Liberty City chapter at Charles R. Drew K-8 Center, a Miami-Dade visual and performing arts magnet school at 1775 NW 60th St.

“I fell in love with the job,” she said. “I was like this is exactly what I want to do: I want to be an agent of change, I want to affect the lives of my students, advocate for the arts and create opportunities for others.”

In 2017, Dunkley started Teeny Violini, a mobile program that provides music education for preschools and after-school programs in underserved communities. In 2019, she joined Sphinx L.E.A.D., a mentorship program for young arts administrators of color and was awarded the Knight Arts Challenge Grant.

In her career, Dunkley regrets not having had the chance to play classical music by Black composers.

“I said, well, I can’t change my past, but maybe I can do something to help. We’re creating these music programs for [students in Miami] to become musicians or to become artists, but where are the opportunities for them in South Florida? That was the heart behind ‘Music of The Unsung America.”’

IF YOU GO TO ST. AGNES CONCERT

When: 7 p.m., Saturday, April 24

Where: Historic Saint Agnes Episcopal Church, 1750 NW Third Ave., Miami

Cost: $10 in advance, $15 at the door

To buy tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/new-canon-chamber-collective-32809315729

This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 12:00 AM.