A Look Back: Classically Black

 

By Mel Miller

This week’s episode of Prairie Performances is an homage to Classically Black, a WILL radio program highlighting the contributions of Black artists to classical music. Classically Black was produced by the now-retired Classical FM host, Roger Cooper, whose voice some listeners may already be familiar with. 

Born in Evansville, Indiana, Cooper became interested in classical music at a young age. He taught elementary music for a time before enrolling in the graduate program here at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to study classical voice. While he originally planned to pursue a career in music as a vocal teacher, he instead found his calling in radio. 

Cooper began hosting Classical FM in 1978, and in the early 80’s, created Classically Black, an annual show that aired during Black History Month. On the show, Cooper featured black composers like William Grant Still and the Chevalier de Saint Georges, as well as noted musicians like bass-baritone Paul Robeson and soprano Leontyne Price. So, join us for some of my favorite episodes of Classically Black and enjoy a look back at legendary work of Roger Cooper. 

For WILL's 100th anniversary, IPM New’s Jim Meadows sat down with Roger Cooper. Check out the 2022 interview here.

This episode of Prairie Performances aired Thursday, August 14th, 2025.