This story was originally aired on KPCC’s “Take Two” on February 1, 2021. It is published here with permission.
Last year, amid a pandemic as well political and racial strife, composer Derrick Spiva Jr. released an excerpt of his piece,”To be a Horizon,” which, like so much of his work combines Western classical music with influences from around the world, like Ghanaian drumming, Persian classical music, gospel, and more. Polina Cherezova spoke with Spiva about “To be a Horizon” and the birth of his genre-breaking musical style.