Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer and conductor born on August 15, 1875, in London. He was of mixed race, with a British father and a mother from Sierra Leone. Coleridge-Taylor gained fame for his orchestral works, particularly the cantata Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, which was inspired by the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Throughout his career, Coleridge-Taylor was a prominent figure in the African American music scene and advocated for the representation of Black musicians. He studied at the Royal College of Music and became known for blending classical music with African themes, leaving a lasting impact on the world of music before his untimely death in 1912.