.png)
2022
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MARGARET BONDS
ONEcomposer’s 2021-2022 programming brought focus to the extraordinary life and legacy of Margaret Bonds, while maintaining ongoing connection to Bonds’ friend and early teacher: Florence B. Price. The year began with the first-ever collaboration between pianist Michelle Cann and soprano Karen Slack, highlighting the vast art song repertories of Bonds and Price. Programming continued with a look at Price’s lesser known and unpublished Tin Pan Alley tunes, written under the pseudonym “Vee Jay.” These tunes were adapted for soloists and jazz combos from Ithaca College and Cornell University, and were coached by Winton Marsalis and Lincoln Center Jazz . Ultimately, these works were featured on a program inspired by Bonds’ connection to this country’s first racially integrated nightclub: Café Society. Other collaborations included performances of Bonds’ music with Karen Slack and the Miró Quartet, and the world premiere of Florence Price’s Song of Hope, written as the composer was fleeing the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration. We invite you to engage with incredible legacies via ONEcomposer’s resource, media, and on-demand content pages.
FEATURES
ONEcomposer's celebration of Margaret Bonds launched with the first-ever collaboration between soprano Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann, who subsequently received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence for their dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts. Captured at the Curtis Institute of Music, this collaborative partnership just beginning. Stay tuned for more!
1913 - Margaret Jeanette Allison Majors is born in Chicago on March 3rd.
1917 - Her parents divorce. Margaret goes to live with her mother, the concert pianist Estella Bonds, who was a friend and colleague with Florence Price.
1929 - Starts Bachelor's degree in piano and composition at Northwestern University.
1 - Major events, media, and resources for this timeline drawn from Helen Walker-Hill's From Sirituals to Symphonies, The Blog of Dr. Michael Cooper, and Digital Resources made available by the Georgetown University Library's Booth Family Collection Margaret Bonds materials.
2021
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FLORENCE B. PRICE
ONEcomposer's inaugural year, honoring the life and legacy of the great Florence B. Price, established powerful connections between academic institutions, leading arts organizations, and top performers. Featured collaborations included a partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra to resurrect Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s digital stage with pianist Michelle Cann, and maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin. ONEcomposer brought this performance, dubbed “A Knockout” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, to more than five hundred living rooms, free of charge, through a series of webinars for community, youth orchestra members, and collegiate students of music. Other collaborations included a partnership with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to record the Price G Major String Quartet, and her Five Folksongs in Counterpoint. Additional projects included lecture-recitals by organists Alan Morrison (Curtis Institute of Music) and Anna Steppler (Cornell PhD candidate in musicology) featuring Price’s major works for organ, and guest lectures by WXQR’s award-winning host Terrance McKnight, and internationally acclaimed soprano Karen Slack. We invite you to engage with the life and legacy of Florence B. Price via ONEcomposer’s resource, media, and on-demand content from our exciting first year.
HIGHLIGHTS
ONEcomposer's first season was highlighted by groundbreaking performances, masterclasses, lecture-recitals, and seminars, all in honor of the great Florence B. Price. We believe in building bridges, providing access, and telling stories that should be known. We invite you to listen to musical samples, check out past events, and browse resources from the 2020-2021 Season.
