The RMA/Cambridge University Press Monograph Prize for 2022 is awarded to Kira Thurman for Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms (Cornell University Press, 2021).

This superbly written interdisciplinary history tells the stories of Black musicians from America, the Caribbean and Europe who studied and performed in Germany and Austria, 1870–1961. It demonstrates how Black and German were not discrete categories, and how racial identities could be reinforced or challenged in the concert hall. By revealing the experiences, contributions and perceptions of Black musicians, it uncovers an important dimension of a musical culture that we think we know well. Details from the lives of individuals feed into this original and stimulating book.

Kira Thurman is Associate Professor of History and German at the University of Michigan.