Abstract Andre Watts made his concert debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the age of nine, and he has maintained himself since the 1960s as one of America’s leading concert pianists. Born in Germany in 1946, he moved with his family to Philadelphia, where he continued his studies with Doris Bawden and Clement Petrillo. In 1963 he earned critical acclaim with his performance of the first Liszt piano concerto with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. The next year he undertook a world...

Abstract Saxophonist, bandleader, and music educator Thomas W. "Whit" Williams, Sr., began his career as a musician at the age of thirteen, playing trombone. After graduating from Washington High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serving as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, Williams moved to Baltimore and earned a degree from Morgan State University. He taught music in the Anne Arundel County public schools from 1958 to 1995. He performed in ensembles such as the Royal Theatre Band, the Rivers...

Abstract Saxophonist, bandleader, and music educator Thomas W. "Whit" Williams, Sr., began his career as a musician at the age of thirteen, playing trombone. After graduating from Washington High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serving as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, Williams moved to Baltimore and earned a degree from Morgan State University. He taught music in the Anne Arundel County public schools from 1958 to 1995. He performed in ensembles such as the Royal Theatre Band, the Rivers...

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Justin Thomas is a vibraphonist and percussionist born in 1987. He won second place at Showtime at the Apollo in February 2000 and was a finalist on Star Search. He has studied at the Baltimore School of the Arts and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Larkins, and Cyrus Chestnut. In this interview with Elizabeth Schaaf, Thomas discusses his musical education with Wendell Hairston, his recent performances, and his development as a jazz musician and composer.

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Llewellyn Husketh Walker (1911-2007) studied piano, voice, and violin with her mother, Lovey Husketh, a music teacher in Baltimore, and attended Ellsworth Toomey's dance classes and spring balls at the Lyric Theater. In this interview, she discusses her mother's career as a music teacher and singer.

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Edward Walters (b. 1946) is a clarinetist and conductor who studied at the Peabody Preparatory and Conservatory and taught at the University of Maryland. His sister, Jeannette Walters, was a soprano who studied at the Peabody Conservatory. Interview with Elizabeth Schaaf about Walters's career as a clarinetist and music contractor and his musical training at Peabody.

Abstract Roland Walters (1919-2006) was the father of clarinetist Edward Walters and soprano Jeannette Walters. After spending his childhood in Philadelphia, Walters moved to Baltimore after World War II to work in sales for J.R. Watkins Products. He sang in the Great Hymns Choir in Baltimore and directed the senior choir of the Eastern United Methodist Church. In this interview with Elizabeth Schaaf, Walters discusses the musical development of his children Edward and Jeannette, both of whom studied...

Abstract Jimmy Wells is a jazz vibraphonist from Baltimore. He studied at the Larry London School of Music in Baltimore and later with Joseph Leavitt. Wells was a member of the 6th Army Band at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He led the Jimmy Wells Quintet, toured and recorded with Ethel Ennis, and performed at concerts and clubs in the Baltimore area. Wells also served as a music programmer at Maryland Public Television. In this interview with Tony DePaolis, Wells discusses meeting Cannonball Adderley while in...

Abstract Rosalie Walker White began studying flute at Douglass High School with John Bohl and W. Llewellyn Wilson. During World War II, she joined the previously all-male Municipal Band directed by Edward Pettyman. White also played in the Colored Park Band led by Charles Harris. She was active as a musician until her final illness, performing with instrumental groups at Sharon Baptist, Union Baptist, Christ Methodist, and Trinity Baptist churches and with the Social Security Band. Interview with...

Abstract Saxophonist, bandleader, and music educator Thomas W. "Whit" Williams, Sr., began his career as a musician at the age of thirteen, playing trombone. After graduating from Washington High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serving as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, Williams moved to Baltimore and earned a degree from Morgan State University. He taught music in the Anne Arundel County public schools from 1958 to 1995. He performed in ensembles such as the Royal Theatre Band, the Rivers...

Abstract Dontae Winslow grew up in Baltimore and began studying trumpet at Cross Country Elementary School. After graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts, Winslow continued his music studies at the Peabody Conservatory, earning bachelor's and master's degrees in classical trumpet performance. Winslow has taught trumpet at Baltimore School for the Arts, Gilmor Elementary School in West Baltimore, and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. His choir at Gilmor inspired him to write,...

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Wilmer Wise (1936-2015) was a trumpeter. He was the first Black musician of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (1965-1970) and the Peabody Conservatory faculty. Wise moved from Baltimore to New York in 1970 and performed regularly with classical ensembles and on recordings. In this telephone interview by Glenn Quader, Wise discusses his studies at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, his time in Baltimore with the BSO, and his career in New York.

Abstract Lauretta Dorsey Young (1942-2020) was a soprano who studied with Alice Duschak at the Peabody Conservatory from 1959 to 1963 and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree. Young sang with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Antal Dorati, Sergiu Commissiona, and Reiner Miedel, and appeared with numerous orchestras throughout the United States and abroad, such as the New York Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra. She taught at the Baltimore School for...