Price Was The First Black Woman To Have A Work Performed By A Major American Orchestra.
- Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Florence Price was an American composer, pianist and teacher, active in the first half of the 20th century, and was the first Black woman to have a work performed by a major American orchestra.
We’ll be featuring a wide range of her music during our music programs the week of Feb. 22, including our weekday classical shows between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and on the weekend.
Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1887 and showed early promise as a performer. She studied piano and organ at the New England Conservatory of Music, then headed the music department at Clark Atlanta University. After a number of racial incidents, however, she decided to move to Chicago, where her career as a composer began to blossom.
The story of Florence Price is complex and inspiring, and Stephanie Elkins will be talking more about it in a free Badger Talk on March 2. This will include more about the obstacles Price overcame, and that fact that much of her music was nearly lost — a significant amount was discovered in a derelict house in 2009.
Upcoming selections include:
Monday, Feb. 22: Dances in the Canebrakes; Fantasie Negre
Tuesday, Feb. 23: Mississippi River Suite; Symphony No. 1
Wednesday, Feb. 24: Symphony No. 3; The Oak
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