'Remembering William Grant Still' Concert at El Camino College 8:00 pm, Nov. 15

[Afro-American Symphony; William Grant Still; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Karl Kruger, conductor; Bridge 9086 (1999)]

Dr. Dane Teter is Director of Instrumental Music and Applied Music Coordinator at El Camino College in Torrance, California. He responded to our request for details on a concert devoted to the Music of William Grant Still, at 8:00 pm, Saturday, November 15, 2008: “This is a concert 'Remembering William Grant Still'. All works on the concert are his. Here is the program (not in this order): A Deserted Plantation; Miss Sally's Party; Summerland; Can't You Line 'Em; The Plaza, from American Scene Suite No. 4, 'The Far West'; Song of the Plainsmen, from American Scene Suite No. 3 'The Old West'. Judith Anne Still will be doing a presentation on the life and career of her father as part of the program. (The attached flyer says that Hedley Nosworthy will be singing but this has been changed. We will be presenting a concert of American composers in February and he will sing 'Grief' at that time and we will perform American Scene Suite No. 5).

“I have been associated with the William Grant Still Music foundation for about 7 or 8 years. I have been helping by taking manuscript music and putting it into the computer to generate printed parts and scores. My first project for WGS Music was to create a score and edit parts on A Deserted Plantation. The score had been lost and a couple of the parts were incomplete. This concert performance will be the West Coast premiere of A Deserted Plantation and may be the first performance in more than 50 years. (Judith Anne Still is uncertain of the last performance date.) My goal, and Judith Anne Still's as well, is to help promote the music of this outstanding composer both through performance and through making his music more accessible to the public in printed form.” Judith Anne Still tells us: "Most people have never heard the first three works. Some people from the Grammy committee will be there, as well as USC representatives, etc.  And I'll be giving my power point presentation.  [William Grant Still (1895-1978) is profiled at AfriClassical.com]

Remembering William Grant Still
El Camino College
Judith Anne Still
Dane Teter
William Grant Still Music
A Deserted Plantation