Music & Art: Sounding Presence: John Blanke and the Power of Music

In this lecture we will explore the life of John Blanke, the Black trumpeter at the Tudor court, and how music gave him status, visibility, and voice.

Through The John Blanke Project, Michael will show how art and imagination brings the past to life—revealing a long, rich history of Black presence woven into the fabric of British cultural life.

Lecturer: Michael Ohajuru

This lecture will serve as an introduction to the topic, and no prior knowledge is necessary to join us!

This lecture is part of the public programming for our new exhibition, A Grand Chorus: The Power of Music.

This lecture will last an hour. Tickets are available to watch the lecture either ONLINE or IN-PERSON at the Foundling Museum; in-person tickets include Museum entry. The online recording will be available to watch for 1 month.

Other lectures in this series:

• 24/10/25 Music and the German Expressionists, with Ailsa McTernan
• 16/01/26 The Symbolism of Music in Dutch Genre Painting, with Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff
• 27/02/25 Klimt and Beethoven: Artistic Rebellion in Fin de Siècle Vienna