Florence Price: Out of the shadows
Andrew Farach-Colton Thanks to a number of artists championing her work, the pioneering African American composer Florence Price is finally achieving the recognition she deserves, writes Andrew Farach-Colton. Florence Price (photo: University of Arkansas Libraries) Until recently, Florence Price was remembered primarily, if at all, as a historical footnote for being the first woman composer of African descent to have her symphony played by a major American orchestra. That was in 1933, when Frederick Stock conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the premiere of her First Symphony – although, it should be added, not as part of the orchestra’s regular season but at a special concert entitled ‘The Negro in Music’, presented as part of the Chicago World’s Fair (also known as the Century of Progress Exposition). In a very real sense, then, Price is a symbolic figure, and the symbolism has deep significance, not least as her story is yet another crucial reminder of black women’s struggle ...