Skip to main content

UH Brings Colour of Music Festival to Houston

The five-days festival features performances by black classical musicians, composers and scholars.


The University of Houston is proud to welcome the Colour of Music Festival, a classical music festival featuring black musicians from around the world, to campus.

From September 12 – 16, the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts (KGMCA) and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) present the five-day “Petit” version of the festival at the Moores School of Music.

Now in its fifth year, the festival highlights the cultural impact and historical significance of black composers and performers on classical music. By showcasing celebrated contemporary artists and famed composers, such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Adolphus Hailstork and Franz Joseph Haydn, it promotes and offers new perspectives on international black artists and their dedication to preserve classical masterpieces.

“The [Colour of Music Festival] supports the vision of the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts in leveraging music and the arts to make higher education accessible and relevant for the widest possible cross-section of our diverse Houston community,” says KGMCA Dean Andrew Davis. “The festival will feature music and artists of the highest caliber in an event unlike any we have seen to date.”

This year’s festival will feature several distinguished maestros and musicians, including Houston’s own Kirk Smith, Russian pianist Gerard Aimontche, German violinist Anyango Yarbo-Davenport and internationally acclaimed soprano Leontyne Price, among others.

The festival will conclude on September 16 with a performance of Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass” honoring those affected by the 2017 Houston floods and Houston-based composer John L. Cornelius II’s “Judgment for String Orchestra,” presented in memory of enslaved Africans who perished during the Middle Passage.

The event will also include a two-day symposium to highlight academic discussions on the cultural impact and contributions of black artists.

CLASS and KGMCA offer discounts and packages for various concerts, including free access for all UH students. For tickets and a full schedule of events, visit www.colourofmusic.org and www.facebook.com/colourofmusicfestival.