As we reflect on the year gone by, WFMT salutes the contributions of members of the arts community who died this past year.

Here are just a few Black performers who changed the course of classical music… and continue to inspire us today!

A self-described “science kid,” a simple miscommunication prompted Sharon Isbin to take up the guitar in her youth.

Known for composing in styles ranging from melody to dissonance, he earned the Pulitzer in 1975 for From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a composition for voice and piano.

“Their work ethic and thirst for knowledge was what inspired me to start the Cuban American Youth Orchestra.”

Her works have been performed at the BBC Proms and by ensembles including the Sydney Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. She also performs as a pianist and electronic musician.

Osmo Vänskä, the Finnish music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, shared 10 Finnish composers that everyone should know who aren’t Sibelius.

Here are 10 albums from 2016 that stood out because of the incredible performances, the repertoire, the historical significance, or all of the above.

WFMT will join American Public Media for a live broadcast from the Teatro Nacional in Havana, Cuba, featuring the Minnesota Orchestra.