Growing up in Jamaica, I developed a great passion for classical music. I remember listening to my favorite radio show, Classical Moments, with Jamaican radio presenter Ralston McKenzie on Sunday afternoons. In the days before YouTube and (legal) music streaming services, my only constant source of classical music was from this radio station and from the pieces I prepared for my piano, theory, and aural exams adjudicated by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. At that time, my ego prevented me from considering whether I had the right to love classical music. I never thought about matching my musical expression with my skin color. Beyond the encouragement from my parents and brothers, I didn’t consider that I needed further validation or permission to pursue this music. But I must have thought about validation and permission subconsciously because I remember feeling those exact senses and shock when I discovered the work of Jessye Norman and Leontyne Price. My older brother, who knew I was only interested in classical music, gifted me a CD for Christmas. His only words were, “You’ll like this.” The disc, RCA Red Seal’s “Opera’ Greatest Moments” (1992), was a collection of world-renowned opera stars…
