Last January, I led 30 music students on a trip to South Africa to study and perform black South African choral music. We relied on local choristers to help us understand not only this music’s unique textures, but also its unifying power.

Throughout 2018, our talented panel of artist-curators highlighted 55 people, organizations and projects they believed were advancing the musical arts. Each month, the voting by you, our readers, narrowed the field to create this year’s elite group of POP winners.