Classical Musicians of African Descent

WXXI Classical 91.5 is in the process of building a resource of photos and brief biographical information about musicians of African descent. This resource is by no means complete, and we rely on you to help us build the site by sharing your information. Please click on the alphabetical groupings below to begin your discovery.

Epongue Ekille, violin

Classical 91.5 WXXI-FM | By classical intern

Published August 4, 2017 at 1:39 PM EDT

Epongue Ekille is a student at Fairport High School in Fairport, NY and has attended the Hochstein School of Music & Dance in Rochester, NY since the age of four. In March, Ekille performed a solo in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, where she received the Tri-State Excellence Award in Violin Performance. She also received the National Gold Medal in Violin Performance from the Royal Conservatory.

As principal second violin with the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra, Epongue traveled to France to celebrate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and she currently plays first violin in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Read more about Epongue's work as an advocate for classical musicians of color, and check out her playlist.