The Influence of D. Antoinette Handy—Musician, Scholar, Administrator, Visionary—on the Expansion of Music Education in Richmond, Virginia

Abstract

American flutist D. Antoinette Handy’s multifaceted career encompassed the roles of music educator, scholar, and arts administrator, as well as soloist and bandleader. Born in New Orleans in 1930 and educated at the New England Conservatory, Northwestern, and the Paris Conservatoire, Handy settled in the Richmond, Virginia, area in 1966 to begin an expansive new phase of her career. She taught at Virginia State College, performed with the Richmond Symphony, was music critic for the Richmond Afro-American, published three books, and hosted two public radio programs including Black Virginia, which featured female jazz masters and discussed the state of jazz education in Richmond at the dawn of its 1980s “renaissance.” Handy was Richmond Public Schools’ first artist-in-residence and brought Eileen Southern, Mary Lou Williams, and Terri Lyne Carrington to lead workshops for the students and their teachers. Through an examination of primary and secondary sources including new oral history interviews, this article examines Handy’s manifold contributions to music education in and around Richmond, with a focus on how she helped construct a more inclusive and interconnected music scene.