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Season 5 Finale: The Fullness of Being: Dr. Maria Thompson Corley on Art, Inclusion & Creative Legacy

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The Piano Pod
June 18, 2025

This episode is brought to you by Juneteenth LP — celebrating Black artistry and legacy in classical music. 🎉 Get Your Ticket: https://publictheater.org/performances-jp/2025/j/juneteenth-lp/

🎹 What does it mean to live and create with authenticity?

In this powerful season finale, we sit down with Dr. Maria Thompson Corley — pianist, composer, novelist, poet, educator, and advocate — for a conversation that is as multifaceted as her artistry. From performing her compositions to championing music by Black composers and writing novels and librettos, Dr. Corley shares how her lived experiences—as a mother, artist, and scholar—fuel a profoundly human and inclusive vision for classical music and beyond.

💡 In this episode, we explore:

  • ✅ What true inclusion looks like in classical music today
  • ✅ How Dr. Corley integrates underrepresented composers into mainstream repertoire
  • ✅ Her experiences raising two creative children, one of whom is neurodivergent
  • ✅ Writing opera, novels, and poetry as extensions of her voice
  • ✅ Co-founding Silence-Optional concerts for sensory-sensitive audiences
  • ✅ Her reflections on legacy, authenticity, and creative purpose

Whether you are a musician, educator, or listener seeking a deeper connection through music, this conversation will move you, challenge you, and expand your sense of what classical music can be.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Corley:

📰 The Piano Pod Links