Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Times Record: Fort Smith Symphony to perform the “romantic, lyrical, soulful and beautiful” music of Florence B. Price 7:30 PM May 12, 2018

Florence Beatrice Smith Price (1887-1953) is profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works Lists by Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com.

Times Record

Fort Smith, Arkansas

August 8, 2017

Kim Murdock, Special to The Times Record

The symphony was a small community orchestra once, according to its website, fortsmithsymphony.org. Today, it is considered a “large, fully professional regional orchestra,” per the website. The local symphony also “consistently receives regional, national and international recognition for its artistic achievement and award-winning educational programs,” the website notes.

The transformation is credited to John Jeter, music director and conductor for the Fort Smith Symphony for just more than 20 years, as well as “the tremendous help and support of wonderful musicians, professional staff, board of directors and the community.”

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Homegrown Greatness — The Music of Florence Price, 7:30 p.m., May 12. The symphony will perform the “romantic, lyrical, soulful and beautiful” music of Arkansan Florence Price, according to the symphony’s website. Price was “the first African-American female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra,” and “she is considered the most prominent, historically significant concert composer of her race and gender in American music history,” the website reports. Following the concert, “The Fort Smith Symphony will be the first orchestra to ever record her complete cycle of four symphonies.” 

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