William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Peninsula Daily News
Friday, April 26, 2019
Chimacum [Washington]
The Port Townsend Community Orchestra will present its April concert, “Forgotten Heroes,” at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The concert will be in the auditorium at Chimacum High School, 91 West Valley Road.
Admission will be free, but donations will be welcomed.
The concert will feature great works that for various reasons are not performed as much as they once were, organizers said.
They include the Overture in C by Fanny Mendelssohn, William Grant
Still’s Afro-American Symphony and a music suite from the movie “The Sea
Hawk” by Erich Korngold.
***
Still was an early 20th century African-American composer.
He got practical experience arranging for Paul Whiteman, W.C. Handy and Artie Shaw.
He broke several barriers by being the first African-American to
conduct an American symphony orchestra and have his symphony performed
by a major orchestra.
His works include symphonies, operas, ballet and movie scores.
His work was performed around the world. His Symphony No.1, the
Afro-American Symphony, combines classical symphonic form with blues
progressions and African rhythms.
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