Harry T. Burleigh, a pioneering African American composer, arranger, and baritone soloist, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. Burleigh is celebrated for helping to elevate African American spirituals to the concert stage and for his classical compositions influenced by Black musical traditions.
He was the first African American soloist at St. George’s Episcopal Church in New York City and worked with renowned composer Antonín Dvo?ák, influencing Dvo?ák’s appreciation of African American music.
The Spingarn Medal, established in 1914, honors outstanding achievement by an African American each year.
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