Margaret Bonds

Margaret Allison Bonds (March 3, 1913 – April 26, 1972) was an American composer, pianist, arranger, and teacher. One of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her popular arrangements of African-American spirituals and frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes. She was the first African American woman to perform with the all-White and all-male Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of the first African American women to have her music broadcast on European radio, the first African American woman to have her music performed widely in Africa, only the second African American woman in classical music to be elected to full membership in ASCAP, and the first woman, Black or white, to win three awards from ASCAP.

Her Sonic Realm - The Creative Legacy of Women in Music - 2026-03-26T00:00:00.000000Z

A Winter Journey - 2026-01-02T00:00:00.000000Z

Autumn Adagios - 2025-11-01T00:00:00.000000Z

Calm Classics - Soundscape of Serenity - 2025-09-22T00:00:00.000000Z

Still & Bonds - Symphonies & Variations - 2025-08-29T00:00:00.000000Z

On a Summer Evening - 2025-08-19T00:00:00.000000Z

Fields of Wonder - 2025-07-25T00:00:00.000000Z

American Vignettes - 2025-07-18T00:00:00.000000Z

Take Me To The Water - 2025-03-21T00:00:00.000000Z

Fantasie - 2025-03-07T00:00:00.000000Z

American Woman - 2024-10-04T00:00:00.000000Z

Black and Classical - 2024-10-01T00:00:00.000000Z

Show Me The Way - 2024-03-08T00:00:00.000000Z

Bach to Black: Suites for Piano, Vol. III - 2024-02-01T00:00:00.000000Z

A Winter Journey - 2023-12-28T00:00:00.000000Z

African American Voices II - 2023-10-13T00:00:00.000000Z

House of Belonging - 2023-09-08T00:00:00.000000Z

Rising - 2023-06-02T00:00:00.000000Z

Revival - 2023-05-05T00:00:00.000000Z

Love at Last - 2023-04-21T00:00:00.000000Z

Margaret Bonds: Credo; Simon Bore the Cross - 2023-02-03T00:00:00.000000Z

American Dissident - 2022-11-12T00:00:00.000000Z

Black Renaissance Woman - 2022-02-28T00:00:00.000000Z

New Day Begun - 2021-07-16T00:00:00.000000Z

Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers - 2021-02-12T00:00:00.000000Z