SalonEra, May 2024
A man of letters, merchant, abolitionist, theater lover, and musician, Charles Ignatius Sancho made history as the first British man of African descent to vote in a general election. This episode features insights from countertenor Reginald Mobley, who is on a mission to promote the music of Black British musicians of the past; musicologist Dr. Rebecca Cypess, who advocates an interdisciplinary approach in her research and teaching of music from the 17th and 18th centuries; and Dr. Nicole Aljoe, Professor of English and Africana Studies at Northeastern University whose digital humanities project “Mapping Black London” enables users to pinpoint various places associated with Black Londoners, creating more vivid and dynamic portraits of the diversity of their lives and a more complex picture of British social history. Alongside conversations with these brilliant guests, audiences will enjoy musical performances of music by Charles Ignatius Sancho by Black musicians bass-baritone Jonathan Woody and soprano Sonya Headlam.
