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Click to See: 2021 Events 2022 Events ONEcomposer regularly presents live, virtual, and on-demand programming related to featured composers. Explore the content below and check back often for updates. For Season 1 Events: Honoring the Legacy of Florence Price CLICK HERE Events 2023 Events December 8, 2022 A SONG OF HOPE Florence Price's masterful Song of Hope receives its New England Premiere at the Boston Conservatory @ Berklee Florence Price's masterful Song of Hope receives its New England Premiere at the Boston Conservatory @ Berklee December 8, 2022 March 4-7, 2022 A Collaboration with the Cornell Concert Series Friday, March 4 at 4:30 PM- Empowerment through music with the Cornell University Chorus Sunday, March 6 at 3 PM - ONEcomposer and the Cornell Concert Series present Karen Slack and Miró Quartet with pianist Erika Switzer Monday, March 7 - A masterclass with young artists from Opera Ithaca EVENT HAS PASSED February 3 and 5 Celebrate Black History Month with Opera Noire International and ONEcomposer The choirs from Cornell University workshop Bonds' spiritual arrangements, originally written for Rust College and Leontyne Price, with soloists from the roster of Opera Noire International. Monday, February 27, 2022 3-4 PM First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca 315 N. Cayuga St. Admission is Free EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! March 26, 2022 PREMIERE: Florence Price's Song of Hope The Ithaca College Symphony, conducted by Michael Stern, is joined by the Ithaca High School Chorale, led by Kristin Zaryski, for the modern premiere of Florence Price's Song of Hope. March 26, 2022 8:15 PM Ithaca College: Ford Hall View On Demand EVENTS- FALL 2021 October 14, 2021 MIDDAY MUSIC Stephen Spinelli, Tamara Acosta, and Paul Merrill share manuscripts, histories, and music from the lesser-known compositions of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, written for Tin Pan Alley. Come listen, learn, and ask questions during this free preview of ONEcomposer’s November 15 “Café Society” event. October 14, 2021 12:30 - 1:15 Cornell University Lincoln Hall B20 EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! November 4, 2021 MASTERCLASS: Jazz at Lincoln Center A.D. White Professor-at-Large Wynton Marsalis brings members of Lincoln Center Jazz to Cornell University for a masterclass with students in the jazz and voice programs. The class will feature a piece being workshopped for the November 15th ONEcomposer concert in honor of Café Soceity. November 4, 2021 5:00-6:30 PM Bailey Hall Cornell University Campus EVENT HAS PASSED October 25, 2021 MASTERCLASS WITH KAREN SLACK, SOPRANO featuring the art songs of Margaret Bonds Soprano Karen Slack coaches voice students from Ithaca College in a virtual format that will allow for webinar attendance. Register to attend for free! Monday, October 18, 2021 5:00-7 PM Zoom Event EVENT HAS PASSED EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! November 15, 2021 "CAFE SOCIETY"- Price, Bonds and the music of Tin Pan Alley Students from Ithaca College and Cornell University's Jazz and Vocal Studies Programs perform unpublished works of Price and Bonds, written for 1940s Tin Pan Alley. Join us for this homage to Café Society. Dubbed "The Wrong Place for the Right People," Café Society was the first racially integrated night club in the United States. Nov 15, 2021 7:00 PM Moakley House EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! ON DEMAND Steppler Recital ANNA STEPPLER PRESENTS: FLORENCE PRICE THE ORGANIST: A ONEcomposer Lecture-Recital PLAY Banks Event STEVEN BANKS PRESENTS: NEW FACES IN WHITE SPACES: WHY REPRESENTATION IS NOT ENOUGH PLAY Hopkins Event ONEcomposer PRESENTS: AN INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN HOPKINS AND JEANNE-MINETTE CILLIERS FROM "SONGS OF COMFORT" Allen Porterie, host PLAY Anchor 1 ONEcomposer PRESENTS:: OUR INAUGURAL SESSION WITH MICHELLE CANN Allen Porterie, host PLAY

TE LLING THE STORIES OF HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED MUSICAL VOICES... IN MEMORY OF Dr. Paul Kwami (1952 – 2022): Ella Sheppard, and the Legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers On September 10, 2022, the Fisk Jubilee Singers lost their director of more than 28 years. Dr. Paul Kwami, a composer, arranger, and former Fisk Jubilee member himself, dedicated his career to the preservation and performance of the African American Spiritual. Highlights of his tenure as director include the Jubilee Singers' induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and a GRAMMY Award for Best Roots Gospel Album. Dr. Kwami was a friend and mentor to ONEcomposer. He inspired us to explore the rich history of Fisk University and the Jubilee Singers, which includes the incomparable contributions of Ella Sheppard. We encourage you to celebrate his memory by exploring the resources compiled below, and we look forward to celebrating the Fisk Jubilee Singers for many years to come. MORE ABOUT THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS HIGHLIGHTS

ABOUT US OUR MISSION ONEcomposer is a celebration of musicians whose contributions have been historically excluded. By providing a platform for the research, performance, and documentation of underrepresented composers’ lives and legacies, ONEcomposer promotes a more complete understanding of musical histories. ONEcomposer connects historically excluded legacies with present-day excellence, inspired by the legacy of the woman who first inspired this initiative: Florence B. Price. BOARD OF DIRECTORS TAMARA ACOSTA Soprano Tamara Acosta is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Ithaca College and the former Interim Director of Voice Studies at Cornell University. Her extensive performance career has taken her to many of the great opera and concert stages of the world, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Santa Fe Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where she appeared in the world premiere of Judith Weir’s The Vanishing Bridegroom . The New York Times has hailed Tamara's voice as “solid…her singing clarion-toned and ardent." Recently, Tamara appeared as the soprano soloist in Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem , first with the Symphony of the Mountains in Bristol, TN, followed by a performance with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra at Cornell University. She previously performed the same work with Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa in Xalapa, Mexico. Tamara holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (BM) and the New England Conservatory (MM). Motivated by a need for diversity in the classical vocal repertoire and inspired by the life and works of composer Florence Price, she is proud to be the co-founder of ONEcomposer. STEPHEN SPINELLI Stephen Spinelli is the Head of Choral Studies at Boston Conservatory, having previously served as the Assistant Director of Choral Programs at Cornell University. Stephen's archival research on Florence Price and Margaret Bonds earned him a 2022-2023 Beinecke Research Fellowship at Yale University. This fellowship inspired the founding of ONEcomposer's new podcast The Archives: ALIVE™. As a performer, Stephen has sung with some of the country’s leading vocal ensembles. With The Crossing, he performed on five albums, including the 2018 GRAMMY Award-winning recording of Bryars’ The Fifth Century . He has also performed with the genre-bending vocal octet Roomful of Teeth. He assisted in the production of their GRAMMY Award-winning debut album, which yielded the Pulitzer Prize-winning recording of Caroline Shaw’s Partita for Eight Voices . Stephen holds degrees from Williams College (BA), Temple University (MM), and Northwestern University (DMA). His research seeks to reexamine the contributions of underrepresented composers, spanning from the German Baroque to the 20th-century development of an American musical tradition. Inspired by the legacy of Florence Price, he is a proud co-founder of ONEcomposer. Creative Advisor KAREN SLACK Soprano Karen Slack is hailed for possessing a voice of extraordinary beauty and a seamless legato, garnering critical acclaim in leading operatic roles and on the concert stage. She has starred in productions at the Metropolitan, Lyric (Chicago), Washington National, and San Francisco Operas, among others, and has created roles in new operatic works by Black composers Terence Blanchard and Hannibal Lokumbe. She is Artistic Advisor for Portland Opera and Co-Director of the Opera program at the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts in Alberta, Canada focusing on diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives in both roles. A former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow, she is also a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. “I am incredibly passionate about spotlighting the voices of composers, particularly those who have not been afforded the opportunity to have their art heard. The work of ONEcomposer is aligned with my personal mission of giving voice to composers that deserve to be placed boldly on programs in today’s concert and recital halls around the world." STEVEN BANKS Recognized for his “glowing mahogany tone” (Seen and Heard International), “deeply felt lyricism” and “expert shaping of a dramatic arc” (Cleveland Classical), Steven Banks is an ambassador for the classical saxophone. As an artist with a commitment to rethinking and expanding the boundaries of classical music, Banks “has the potential to be one of the transformational artists of the twenty-first century.” (Seen and Heard International) Mr. Banks is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education, performance, and newly commissioned works in the classical realm. He gave a talk at the TEDxNorthwesternU 2017 conference presenting his dynamic approach to overcoming institutionalized prejudices against women and people of color, and he has written and given lectures on the history of black classical composers. He also collaborated with colleagues flutist Anthony Trionfo, and violinist Randall Goosby to create the Learning to Listen roundtable, a discussion on the nuances of the Black experience in classical music and beyond. In partnership with the Sphinx Organization, they also created the Illuminate! series, which opened three essential conversations on the subject of music education, artist activism, and the LGBTQIA+ community in classical music. "I am so thrilled to be able to be a part of such a selfless, forward-thinking team. ONEcomposer is committed to doing the necessary work to ensure that underrepresented musical voices of the past are celebrated and never forgotten. I believe this organization will make a significant impact on the future of music performance, education, and scholarship." BARUCH WHITEHEAD ALLEN PORTERIE Allen Porterie is an actor, singer, writer, director, and researcher from Forney, TX. He has served as a virtual host for ONEcomposer since the inaugural Speaker Series in 2020. As an actor, Allen has worked in theaters across the country and has been featured in many national commercials and campaigns. While a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow at Cornell University, he devised a research project that centered on renderings of Black boyhood on Broadway. Porterie is also a proud cast member and co-founder of Labelless Black Box —a digital platform for Black artists to explore being human through monthly premieres of short films and short plays. Allen serves as President of the alumni chapter of Sharing the Love Foundation , a North Texas-based non-profit organization that encourages youth to get involved in community service and leadership. He is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Performance as Public Practice at The University of Texas at Austin. Please visit allenporterie.com to learn more. Dr. Baruch J. Whitehead is an associate professor of music education at Ithaca College and the founding director of the Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, which is dedicated to the preservation of the Negro Spiritual. At Ithaca College and Marshall University, he founded Orff-Schulwerk certification programs - music education initiatives that view music as a basic system like langauge. He is the past Director of the annual Orff Certification Training Course at Boston University. His other areas of expertise include diversity in music education; gospel music and its preservation within mainstream musical settings; African-American music; and the music of the Civil Rights Movement. His “Peace Cantata” premiered at the 2006 Martin Luther King Celebration at Ithaca College. He holds a doctorate from Capella University, an M.F.A. from the University of Florida, and B.A. and B.M.E. degrees from the University of Cincinnati. "ONEcomposer is filling a gap in music education by highlighting the work of artists who have been left out of the American classical music canon. This effort is especially important in a time where these histories are being erased in classrooms across the nation. I am honored to serve ONEcomposer's mission." “I'm very excited about ONEcomposer because it is bringing out of the shadows incredible Composers of Color and other diverse artists that we all need to know.” COLLABORATORS MICHELLE CANN Pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at age fourteen and has since performed as a soloist with numerous ensembles including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. A champion of the music of Florence Price, Ms. Cann performed the New York City premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra in February 2021, which the Philadelphia Inquirer called “exquisite.” She has also performed Price’s works for solo piano and chamber ensemble for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and the New World Symphony, among other presenters. Ms. Cann regularly appears in solo and chamber recitals throughout the U.S., China, and South Korea. Notable venues include the National Centre for the Performing Arts (Beijing), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), and the Barbican (London). Ms. Cann has appeared as cohost and collaborative pianist with NPR’s From The Top and has been featured on WRTI-FM and WHYY-TV in Philadelphia. Her summer festival appearances have included the Taos Chamber Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Perlman Music Program, Music Academy of the West, Geneva Music Festival, and Pianofest in the Hamptons, where she serves as artist in residence. An award winner at top international competitions, in 2019 she served as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s MAC Music Innovator in recognition of her role as an African-American classical musician who embodies artistry, innovation, and a commitment to education and community engagement. Ms. Cann studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where she holds the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies.

MARGARET BONDS MUSIC FLORENCE B. PRICE Explore featured ONEcomposer performances - - and exemplary recordings from other artists & projects highlighting the music of our featured composers. Recordings will be updated throughout the season. BONDS MARGARET BONDS V. YOU CAN TELL THE WORLD (from Five Creek Freedmen Spirituals) Karen Slack, soprano Michelle Cann, piano For more from Karen and Michelle, visit our Season Kickoff PURCHASE THE MUSIC HONEYSUCKLE AT DUSK Michelle Cann, piano PURCHASE THE MUSIC For more from Michelle, visit our Season Kickoff Enjoy additional content from outstanding artists performing the music of Bonds "WHEN THE DOVE ENTERS IN" Justin Hopkins, bass-baritone Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, piano For more from Justin & Jeanne-Minette visit their YouTube channel - SONGS OF COMFORT PURCHASE THE MUSIC "NOTE ON A COMMERCIAL THEATER" Justin Hopkins, bass-baritone Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, piano For more from Justin & Jeanne-Minette visit their YouTube channel - SONGS OF COMFORT PURCHASE THE MUSIC "DREAM VARIATION" Rhiannon Giddens, voice Lara Downes, piano For more information on Rhiannon, visit her website HERE . PURCHASE THE MUSIC "3 DREAM PORTRAITS: NO. 2, DREAM VARIATION" Will Liverman, baritone Paul Sánchez, piano For more information on Will, visit his website HERE . PRICE PURCHASE THE MUSIC THE BELLS (from Spiritual Suite) Samantha Ege, pianist ​ For more information on Dr. Ege's outstanding work in performance and scholarship, visit her website HERE . FLORENCE PRICE "PIANO CONCERTO IN ONE MOVEMENT" Performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor Michelle Cann, Piano PURCHASE THE MUSIC "PIANO SONATA IN E MINOR" Performed at The Curtis Institute of Music Michelle Cann, piano "PIANO SONATA IN E MINOR" FOR PURCHASE "CELEBRATING FLORENCE PRICE: PANEL AND PERFORMANCE" NJSO Concertmaster Eric Wyrick and Assistant Principal Cello Na-Young Baek chatted about Florence Price’s extraordinary legacy with NJSO Associate Vice President of Artistic Planning Patrick Chamberlain and ONEcomposer founders Stephen Spinelli and Tamara Acosta from Cornell University in a special premiere event. ​ Presented in collaboration with ONEcomposer. Sponsored by the Central New York Humanities Corridor. PRICE String Quartet in G Major JOANNA FARRER violin DARRYL KUBIAN violin FRANK FOERSTER viola NA-YOUNG BAEK cello PRICE Five Folksongs in Counterpoint ERIC WYRICK violin ALEXANDRA NEGLIA violin BRETT DEUBNER viola PHILO LEE cello "G MAJOR QUARTET" FOR PURCHASE "FIVE FOLKSONGS IN COUNTERPOINT" FOR PURCHASE "Cantilena" Alan Morrison, organist Performed at Trinity United Methodist Church, Atlanta PURCHASE THE MUSIC

SEASON 2 KICKOFF KAREN SLACK, soprano and MICHELLE CANN, pianist ONEcomposer joins forces with soprano Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann to celebrate the songs of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds - recorded and produced in partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music. This is the first-ever collaboration between two of the finest musical interpreters of our generation, both of whom are Sphinx Medal of Excellence laureates for the coming year. Explore our Season 2 Kickoff content, which shines a spotlight on Bonds, Price, and their exquisite, extensive writing for the voice. We invite you to enjoy performances, interviews with the artists , and scholarly commentary , provided by musicologist Dr. John Michael Cooper. SONGS OF MARGARET BONDS from Five Creek Freedmen Spirituals: IV. Lord I Just Can't Keep from Cryin' V. You Can Tell the World To a Brown Girl Dead - text by Countee Cullen SONGS OF FLORENCE PRICE Bewilderment - text by Langston Hughes At the Feet o' Jesus - text by Langston Hughes Launch - Interviews THE ARTISTS SPEAK: Karen and Michelle discuss Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, and the experience of collaborating for the first time. On Discovering the Music of Price and Bonds Play Video Share Whole Channel This Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing On Discovering the Music of Price and Bonds 01:31 Play Video Now Playing On their hopes for the legacies of Price and Bonds 01:43 Play Video Now Playing Michelle Cann - On Collaborating with Karen Slack 01:33 Play Video Launch - Dr. Cooper SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY Provided by Dr. John Michael Cooper An Introduction Songs of Margaret Bonds On Price and Hughes "I'm a musician. I'm a teacher. I'm a scholar. I have a passion for social justice. I believe that the most important thing we can do -- for ourselves, our understanding of who we are, our history, our future -- is to learn music and understand how it serves as a lens into the world that produces it and a lens into who we are. Music is the key to understanding ourselves in all the diverse beauty and complexity of the human condition. And it is the key to making our world a better world. The most important thing, though? That is to learn the music that we do not already know -- the musical voices that others are not already telling us to listen to, the voices and works that have been erased from our collective history. That's why I edit music -- why in my teaching, my scholarship, and most of what I do I emphasize composers and works that have been lost or neglected, works that are forgotten, composers we need to know. I access manuscripts and early editions, then I commit them to print in source-critical modern editions that performers can read. It's why I constantly teach and help others to explore connections -- connections across history, among cultures, among disciplines and sub-disciplines. I collaborate, I teach, and do everything in my power to help others enrich their own lives through music."

JUMP TO: 2021 Events Past Performances, Lectures-Recitals & Seminars (events will be made available on demand as possible) 2022 WATCH ON DEMAND SEASON 2 KICKOFF! KAREN SLACK, soprano & MICHELLE CANN, pianist KAREN SLACK, soprano MICHELLE CANN, pianist THE SONGS OF FLORENCE PRICE & MARGARET BONDS March 26, 2022 PREMIERE: Florence Price's Song of Hope The Ithaca College Symphony, conducted by Michael Stern, is joined by the Ithaca High School Chorale, led by Kristin Zaryski, for the modern premiere of Florence Price's Song of Hope. March 26, 2022 8:15 PM Ithaca College: Ford Hall View On Demand November 15, 2021 "CAFE SOCIETY"- Price, Bonds and the music of Tin Pan Alley Students from Ithaca College and Cornell University's Jazz and Vocal Studies Programs perform unpublished works of Price and Bonds, written for 1940s Tin Pan Alley. Join us for this homage to Café Society. Dubbed "The Wrong Place for the Right People," Café Society was the first racially integrated night club in the United States. Nov 15, 2021 7:00 PM Moakley House EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! February 27, 2022 Celebrate Black History Month with Opera Noire International and ONEcomposer The choirs from Cornell University workshop Bonds' spiritual arrangements, originally written for Rust College and Leontyne Price, with soloists from the roster of Opera Noire International. Monday, February 27, 2022 3-4 PM First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca 315 N. Cayuga St. Admission is Free EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! October 25, 2021 MASTERCLASS WITH KAREN SLACK, SOPRANO featuring the art songs of Margaret Bonds Soprano Karen Slack coaches voice students from Ithaca College in a virtual format that will allow for webinar attendance. Register to attend for free! Monday, October 18, 2021 5:00-7 PM Zoom Event EVENT HAS PASSED EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! March 4-7, 2022 A Collaboration with the Cornell Concert Series Friday, March 4 at 4:30 PM- Empowerment through music with the Cornell University Chorus Sunday, March 6 at 3 PM - ONEcomposer and the Cornell Concert Series present Karen Slack and Miró Quartet with pianist Erika Switzer Monday, March 7 - A masterclass with young artists from Opera Ithaca EVENT HAS PASSED January 31, 2022 Social Media Celebration Join ONEcomposer as we celebrate Margaret Bonds Day with the release of new recordings of Margaret Bonds' settings of the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, performed by soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon , and pianist Ryan McCullough! January 31, 2022 YouTube November 4, 2021 MASTERCLASS: Jazz at Lincoln Center A.D. White Professor-at-Large Wynton Marsalis brings members of Lincoln Center Jazz to Cornell University for a masterclass with students in the jazz and voice programs. The class will feature a piece being workshopped for the November 15th ONEcomposer concert in honor of Café Soceity. November 4, 2021 5:00-6:30 PM Bailey Hall Cornell University Campus EVENT HAS PASSED October 14, 2021 MIDDAY MUSIC Stephen Spinelli, Tamara Acosta, and Paul Merrill share manuscripts, histories, and music from the lesser-known compositions of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, written for Tin Pan Alley. Come listen, learn, and ask questions during this free preview of ONEcomposer’s November 15 “Café Society” event. October 14, 2021 12:30 - 1:15 Cornell University Lincoln Hall B20 EVENT HAS PASSED: Stay tuned for On Demand Version! 2021 2020 - 2021 Events May 9, 2021 Lecture-Rec it al with Alan Morrison, Organist Alan Morrison, international concert artist and head of the organ department at the Curtis Institute of Music, joins ONEcomposer for a lecture-recital on Price's recently published Passacaglia and Fugue, modeled after the Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor. May 9, 2021 4:00 PM April 11, 2021 Diversity in the World of Music Composition with Dara Taylor The Cornell University Chorus, directed by Sarah Bowe, partners with ONEcomposer for a panel discussion with Dara Taylor about the need for diversity in the world of musical composition, and the action steps required to make the study of composition more welcoming to women and people of color. April 11, 2021 4:00 PM March 7, 2021 Exploring the Art Songs of Florence Price Dr. Marquese Carter, Professor at Murray State University and President of the International Florence Price Festival, offers his unique expertise on the song repertory of Florence Price. March 7, 2021 4:00 PM February 19, 2021 Watch Party: Price's Piano Concerto in One Movement, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor, and Michelle Cann, pianist Experience the Philadelphia Orchestra's ONEcomposer-sponsored, North American premiere of Price's original orchestration of her Piano Concerto in One Movement. Historical context and information about the project will be provided, along with live, chat-based Q & A. February 19, 2021 5:00 PM December 13, 2020 "Hold Fast to Dreams": Florence Price's Life in Song The Cornell University voice faculty and their studios offer a semester-ending recital featuring the song repertory of Florence Price, including unpublished works drawn from the archives of the University of Arkansas. December 13, 2020 7:30 PM November 16, 2020 Cornell Piano Studios Masterclass with Michelle Cann Michelle Cann returns to ONEcomposer to offer a virtual masterclass for piano students at Cornell University. The public is welcome to observe! November 16, 2020 6:00 PM November 1, 2020 Watch On Demand "Songs of Comfort": Justin Hopkins and Jeanne-Minette Cilliers on the newly discovered songs of Price and Bonds Justin Hopkins (bass-baritone) and Jeanne-Minette Cilliers (pianist) are a collaborative duo living and working in Antwerp, Belgium. Join us to learn about their recordings of the vast, unpublished song repertory of Price and her most reputed student, Margaret Bonds. November 1, 2020 4:00 PM September 20, 2020 Dr. Christine Jobson Presents the Songs of Florence Price Soprano Christine Jobson shares her research, recordings, and experiences with the beautiful song repertory of Florence Price. Zoom registration through the RSVP function is required. September 20, 2020 5:00 PM May 7, 2021 CNY Humanities Corridor Piano Masterclass with Michelle Cann Michelle Cann, the recently appointed Eleanor Sokoloff Chair of Piano Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, returns to ONEcomposer to coach piano students from through the Central New York Humanities Corridor. May 7, 2021 6:00 PM March 21, 2021 A Special Lecture by Terrance McKnight Author, scholar, and WQXR host, Terrance McKnight pays a visit to ONEcomposer for a special lecture. April 11 2021 4:00 PM February 21, 2021 Watch On Demand Babson College and ONEcomposer Present: Karen Slack,Soprano and Entrepreneur Ms. Slack will share performances, as well as insights from her experience as a leading artist. Music will include works by two underrepresented composers— Robert Nathaniel Dett and Undine Smith Moore— whose beautiful compositions have been too often overlooked. Live Q&A session with participants. February 21, 2021 4:00 PM February 7, 2021 Watch On Demand New Faces in White Spaces: Why Representation is Not Enough Steven Banks discusses the need to prepare white spaces for diverse voices and what is truly necessary to create lasting change in the music industry. February 7, 2021 4:00 PM December 6, 2020 Speaker Series: Live with Karen Slack, Soprano Soprano and opera superstar Karen Slack joins our Speaker Series to discuss her career as a singer, entrepreneur, and star of the international opera stage. December 6, 2020 4:00 PM November 15, 2020 Watch On Demand Anna Steppler Presents: Florence Price, The Organist Organist and Cornell musicology PhD candidate Anna Steppler presents a lecture recital on the large-scale organ works of Florence Price, featuring Price's First Organ Sonata and "Variations on a Folksong." November 15, 2020 4:00 PM October 4, 2020 Black Music Matters: An examination of institutional racism in music schools in the United States Dr. Whitehead is a professor of music education at Ithaca College and the founding director of Ithaca's Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers. He will discuss the importance of preserving African-American musics in our classrooms and our practice. Zoom registration is required (use the RSVP button). October 4, 2020 4:00 PM September 6, 2020 Watch On Demand An Interview and Live Q&A with Michelle Cann, Concert Pianist Join ONEcomposer speaker series host, Allen Porterie (Cornell '20) for an interview and Live Q&A with Michelle Cann. September 6, 2020 4:00 PM

RESOURCES MARGARET BONDS ELLA SHEPPARD and the Fisk Jubilee Singers FLORENCE B. PRICE SKIP TO: Ella Sheppard and the Fisk Jubilee Singers Ella Sheppard Documentaries Podcasts Books Archival Materials Visit the Fisk Jubilee Singers' Homepage DOCUMENTARIES Documentaries The Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory PBS "On November 16, 1871, a group of unknown singers — all but two of them formerly enslaved and many of them still in their teens — arrived at Oberlin College in Ohio to perform before a national convention of influential ministers. After a few standard ballads, the chorus began to sing spirituals -- "Steal Away" and other songs" associated with slavery and the dark past, sacred to our parents," as soprano Ella Sheppard recalled. It was one of the first public performances of the secret music African Americans had sung in fields and behind closed doors." VIEW RESOURCE Walk Together Children: The 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers PBS In Walk Together Children: The 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Dr. Paul T. Kwami and the current singers explore the stories of the world-renowned ensemble's original nine members and reflect on their roles as students and preservers of the group’s legacy. Directed by Jon Royal in collaboration with Dr. Kwami, the performance film is produced by Tennessee Performing Arts Center. VIEW RESOURCE PODCASTS Podcasts Ella Sheppard & Josefa Llanes-Escoda Missing History - Episode 28 A podcast by two friends who discuss women from history they've never heard of before. Inspired by that all too common feeling, "How did I not know about her?!?", we aim to elevate the stories of a wide range of woman, from Egyptian civil rights activists to medieval nuns to the first female (almost) astronauts. We share their stories, discuss their impact and why they've been ignored or sidelined, and often get a little mad at the patriarchy. LISTEN NOW Reflections in Black: Ella Sheppard NPR - KUAF Born in 1851, Ella Sheppard was enslaved on the Hermitage Plantation in Hermitage, Tenn. After learning that her daughter was being trained to spy on her, Ella's mother went to the river to drown both of them to escape the bonds of slavery. On approaching the river, Ella's mother was stopped by an elderly enslaved woman who insisted that no harm come to the child. Ella was eventually bought by her father and sent to Nashville. They then eventually moved to Cincinnati, where she began her musical training. She worked with distinguished music teachers to learn piano and singing. Ella returned to Tennessee to help educate freed people. She enrolled in Fisk University in 1868 and was asked to be assistant instructor for a new group of singers at the university. This group became the Fisk Jubilee Singers, known for traveling around the world, singing classics and old spirituals that were sacred to those who had been enslaved. LISTEN NOW The Story of Jubilee Jemima B. Jones Author and Playwright Jamima B. Jones narrates her own, eleven-episode creation: "The Story of Jubilee"; tales of post-slavery, African-American history through the eyes of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers and the Arts. Educational, Entertaining and Empowering. LISTEN NOW Dr. Paul T. Kwami Squeeze the Day - a FiftyForward podcast With a Passion for Music, History and Preserving a Legacy, Dr. Paul T. Kwami Is at the Right Place at the Right Time as He Mentors Students and Honors the 150-Year Musical Legacy of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. ​ Originally from Ghana, Dr. T. Kwami credits his parents for instilling in him the love of music. In this podcast, he shares priceless stories about moving to the U.S., finding Fisk University, and becoming a Fisk Jubilee Singer. Now a faculty member and director of the legendary singing group, Dr. Kwami is dedicated to preserving the heritage of this 150-year-old group as they take jubilee music and its message to audiences across the globe. ​ ​ LISTEN NOW Books Books Chariot in the Sky A Novel of the Jubilee Singers Arna Bontemps Publisher: Oxford University Press Written in 1951 by Arna Bontemps, major literary figure of the Harlem Renaissance and close friend of Langston Hughes, Chariot in the Sky tells the story of the Jubilee Singers through the life of a young slave boy, Caleb, who becomes one of their earliest members. Caleb is a teenage slave sent to Charleston, South Carolina, to apprentice a tailor. Through careful listening and observation, Caleb diligently teaches himself to read and write. He also discovers his musical talents and develops into an accomplished singer. VIEW RESOURCE Spirituals and the Birth of a Black Entertainment Industry Showbiz shaping sacred song's soaring success Sandra Jean Graham Publisher: University of Illinois Press Spirituals performed by jubilee troupes became a sensation in post–Civil War America. First brought to the stage by choral ensembles like the Fisk Jubilee Singers, spirituals anchored a wide range of late nineteenth-century entertainments, including minstrelsy, variety, and plays by both black and white companies. ​ In the first book-length treatment of postbellum spirituals in theatrical entertainments, Sandra Jean Graham mines a trove of resources to chart the spiritual’s journey from the private lives of slaves to the concert stage. Graham navigates the conflicting agendas of those who, in adapting spirituals for their own ends, sold conceptions of racial identity to their patrons. In so doing they laid the foundation for a black entertainment industry whose artistic, financial, and cultural practices extended into the twentieth century. VIEW RESOURCE Dark Midnight When I Rise The Story of the Jubilee Singers Who Introduced the World to the Music of Black America Andrew Ward Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux ​ "In the late 1860s, students excavating the grounds of a Nashville freedmen's school called Fisk University made a gruesome discovery. Digging just beneath the surface of the earth, they came upon heaps of chains and manacles from Porter's Slave Yard, where, up to the time of Yankee occupation, enslaved men, women, and children had been bought and sold. They did not let these rusted relics of their bondage lie buried. They gathered them together instead and sold them for scrap iron and, with the proceeds, bought Bibles and spellers, turning the instruments of their enslavement into the agencies of their liberation. ​ The Jubilee Singers would use the same alchemy to champion the freedmen and rescue their school from oblivion. Impoverished, bedraggled, half starved, they took the secret, sacred hymns of their bondage and not only "sang up the walls of a great university" but taught the nation and the world an enduring lesson about the dignity and educability of black Americans." VIEW RESOURCE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS ES - Archives Fisk University Special Collections Consists of materials focused on the activities of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers -- There is an abundance of correspondence from members including George White (organizer), Ella Sheppard Moore, Mabel Imes, America Robinson, Maggie Porter, and Julia Jackson. Also includes newspaper clippings, photographs, publicity materials, and programs. The intellect of Ella Sheppard Moore is made apparent through her many manuscripts and publications in the collection. The Jubilee Singers documented there expeditions very well, as shown in the collection's multiple scrapbooks, while the sheet music captures the historical music and arrangements dating back to 1872. In addition, there are three archival boxes filled with materials collected by the Jubilee Singers during their excursions throughout the United States and Europe. Materials include biographical data, autographs, news clippings, contracts, financial reports, music, radio scripts, correspondence, diaries of Ella Sheppard Moore (1877-1878), engagements, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia. Correspondents include Gustavus D. Pike, George L. White, Mrs. Clinton B. Fisk, and America Robinson ​ The Fisk Jubilee Singers originated with nine students, Isaac Dickerson, Maggie Porter, Minnie Tate, Jennie Jackson, Benjamin Holmes, Thomas Rutling, Eliza Walker, Green Evans, and Ella Sheppard, who set out on a concert tour of the North on 6 Oct. 1871 to save the financially ailing Fisk University; idea to form the group was conceived by George L. White, Fisk University's white treasurer; because the University disapproved of the idea, White had to borrow money for the tour; White gave the group the name Jubilee Singers in memory of the Jewish Year of Jubilee View Finding Aids: Jubilee Singers: 1858 - 1924 Jubilee Singers Supplement I: 1928 - 1981 European Tour: 1873 - 1878 Yale University Special Collections Yale University's Special Collections - namely the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - is home to several collections featuring significant Fisk Jubilee Singers materials. The Orpheus M. McAdoo Papers include scrapbooks containing announcements, clippings, and ephemera for the Fisk Jubilee Singers Tour of Australia in 1886-1888. MacAdoo was a member of the Jubilee Singers and director of the Virginia Concert Company and Jubilee Singers. The James Weldon Johnson Collection of Photographs of prominent African Americans, the Hampton Institute collection, and other papers contain additional materials of significans SEARCH YALE ARCHIVES BONDS MARGARET BONDS Published Repertoire Popular Media Podcasts Books Archival Materials Journal Articles Dissertations BONDS - PUBLISHED REP MARGARET BONDS PUBLISHERS HILDEGARD PUBLISHING Various Titles The Hildegard Publishing Margaret Bonds Signature Series was launched in 2021. Hildegard Publishing is honored to be able to offer a varied collection of Bonds' previously unpublished music for today's musicians to enjoy, learn and perform. VIEW RESOURCE CLASSICAL VOCAL REPRINTS Various Titles Based in Arkansas, and run by Glendower Jones, Classical Vocal Reprints is a comprehensive source for sheet music - including rare, scholarly, and lesser-known publications. Classical Vocal Reprints is also committed to celebrating the musical voices of women and underrepresented minorities. Recent Margaret Bonds publications include a significant song anthology, edited by Dr. Louise Toppin. VIEW RESOURCE HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO. The Negro Speaks of Rivers SATB arrangement Music by Margaret Bonds. Words by Langston Hughes. Introduced by Etta Motem Published by Handy Brothers Music Co., Inc, New York, NY VIEW RESOURCE BONDS - popular media POPULAR MEDIA ARTICLE - CLASSICAL FM "Margaret Bonds studied with Florence Price, and was the first Black soloist to perform with Chicago Symphony" ​ Written by: Maddy Shaw Roberts Published: 21 May 2021 VIEW RESOURCE ARTICLE - WQXR "The Word is Bonds" ​ Written by: James Bennett II Published: 3 February 2021 VIEW RESOURCE ARTICLE - THE WASHINGTON POST "A forgotten voice for civil rights rises in song at Georgetown" ​ Written by: Anne Midgette Published: 10 November 2017 VIEW RESOURCE RADIO INTERVIEW - NPR "At 100, Composer Margaret Bonds Remains A Great Exception" ​ Heard on: All Things Considered Published: 03 March 2013 VIEW RESOURCE BONDS - podcasts PODCASTS Masterful Movements for THE Movement - Margaret Bonds Melanated Moments in Classical Music Hosts Joshua Thompson and Angela Brown acquaint us with the groundbreaking composer and pianist, Margaret Bonds. Joshua takes us through the life of Margaret Bonds who was at the epicenter of cultural and artistic expression during the turn of the 20th century, collaborating with luminaries Florence Price and Langston Hughes among others. We hear a performance of Bonds’ Montgomery Variations, performed by the University of Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, a stunning example of the composer’s ability to “score” the civil rights movement. ​ Featured music: Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds performed by the University of Connecticut Symphony Orchestra LISTEN NOW Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: Robert Frost and Margaret Bonds reSOUNDING VERSE Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is one of the most famous poems in the English language, and it has been set to music by many composers. This episode explores an extraordinarily inventive setting by the Black American composer Margaret Bonds (1913–1972), recently recorded by bass-baritone Justin Hopkins and pianist Jeanne-Minette Cilliers and soon to be published by Hildegard Publishing Company, in an edition by John Michael Cooper. This recording comes from a playlist created by Hopkins and Cilliers, which includes performances of music by Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. See also John Michael Cooper’s blog post on this song, as well as the list of Bonds works published by Hildegard Publishing Company. LISTEN NOW Margaret Bonds Speaks of Rivers Classical Queens Join me, Jessica Joy, as I share my research of forgotten women who have done much to contribute to America’s musical identity. See their lives unfold, understand their musical impact, and then consider with me, the ways their stories could still impact our current communities. These are the stories of Black women in classical music who have been slayin’, seen and unseen, for hundreds of years. I hope you tune in for this bi-weekly podcast. LISTEN NOW Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) VPR Classical Timeline Join VPR Classical host James Stewart on a journey into the events, characters and concepts that shaped our Western musical tradition. We'll start at the very beginning and trace the steps of music through history. This music, and its history, is ours. ​ Bonds was a composer who wore her heart on her sleeve. She left behind a legacy of activism and artistry, paving the way for many African-American musicians to follow. LISTEN NOW BONDS - books BOOKS FROM SPIRITUALS TO SYMPHONIES African-American Women Composers and Their Music By Helen Walker-Hill Publisher: 2007, University of Illinois Press Exploding the assumption that black women's only important musical contributions have been in folk, jazz, and pop. Helen Walker-Hill's unique study provides a carefully researched examination of the history and scope of musical composition by African-American women composers from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Exploding the assumption that black women's only important musical contributions have been in folk, jazz, and pop, From Spirituals to Symphonies focuses on the effect of race, gender, and class, and notes the important role played by individual personalities and circumstances in shaping this under-appreciated category of American art. The study also provides in-depth exploration of the backgrounds, experiences, and musical compositions of eight African-American women including Margaret Bonds, Undine Smith Moore, and Julia Perry, who combined the techniques of Western art music with their own cultural traditions and individual gifts. Despite having gained national and international recognition during their lifetimes, the contributions of many of these women are today forgotten. VIEW RESOURCE BONDS - archival materials ARCHIVAL MATERIALS MARAGERT BONDS PAPERS - YALE UNIVERSITY Vocal music, most 1960s or undated, consisting of autograph manuscript drafts and arrangements, transparencies, and diazo reproductions, some accompanied by copies of published music; and a small amount of other papers. Autograph manuscript music includes spirituals arranged for solo voice or chorus; The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Songs of the Seasons, Three Dream Portraits, and other songs on texts by Langston Hughes; songs on texts by Edna St. Vincent Millay and other poets; and musicals and songs with lyrics by Janice Lovoos, some with related correspondence. Other papers consist of a scrapbook containing photographs, clippings, and ephemera, most circa 1928-1930, some relating to Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, and Lawrence Richardson; and two books containing biographical information about Bonds and analysis of her music: Mildred Denby Green, Black Women Composers: A Genesis (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1983), and Alice Tischler, Fifteen Black American Composers: A Bibliography of Their Works (Detroit: Information Coordinators, 1981). VIEW RESOURCE BOOTH FAMILY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS - GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Music manuscripts, correspondence and ephemera including correspondence from Langston Hughes. Majority of material found within 1930s-1970s VIEW RESOURCE MARGARET BONDS PAPERS: NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPTS The Margaret Bonds Papers (5.4 lin. ft.), are arranged in three series: PERSONAL PAPERS (.4 lin. ft.), CORRESPONDENCE (.8 lin. ft.), and CREATIVE WORKS (4.4 lin. ft.). Margaret Bonds produced a wide range of works spanning orchestral compositions, theatrical accompaniments and traditional African-American spiritual arrangements throughout her career. She is widely credited with creating new interest in traditional African-American musical forms, history and culture. The papers document her personal life and professional process through correspondence, her work notes, lyrics, scripts and sheet music. VIEW RESOURCE BONDS - Journal Articles JOURNAL ARTICLES People of color Who Write Classical Music: Recovering “Lost” Music by Black Composers as Resistance and Revolution by John Michael Cooper Black History Bulletin VIEW RESOURCE BONDS -dissertations DISSERTATIONS Expressions of African American identity in the cantata “Simon Bore the Cross” by Margaret Bonds and Langston Hughes by Allegra Martin ​ Abstract: This dissertation examines the cantata Simon Bore the Cross by the composer Margaret Bonds and the poet Langston Hughes, a work that has never been studied before. It includes background on Bonds and an in-depth look at the letters between Bonds and Hughes, a correspondence which spanned over three decades and which has never been examined in its entirety. It also includes a discussion of the available drafts of the cantata libretto and music, and a detailed analysis of the final piano-vocal autograph score. Finally, it will discuss the ways in which Bonds' and Hughes' pride in their African-American heritage influenced their art. Langston Hughes was at the center of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City in the 1920s, a movement dedicated to using the arts to build pride in African-American identity. A decade later, the composer and pianist Margaret Bonds was at the center of the Chicago Black Renaissance. Both Bonds and Hughes (...) VIEW RESOURCE A Study of the Selected Masses of Twentieth-Century Black Composers: Margaret Bonds, Robert Ray, George Walker, and David Baker by Andre Jerome Thomas ​ ​ Abstract: This study exposes the reader to the works of four twentieth century Black composers. Each of the composers has written a mass composition. The composers were selected because of their diversity in composition. Two of the composers (Margaret Bonds and George Walker) have written mass compositions that reflect no real ethnic influence. The compositions by Robert Ray and David Baker represent compositions that illustrate two ethnic forms, gospel and jazz. Each chapter of this study includes: (1) Biographical Sketch--to inform readers of these composers and their works; (2) About the Composition--a discussion of pertinent details about the composition, including facts (...) VIEW RESOURCE A Stylistic and Comparative Analysis of Selected Art Songs by Florence Price and Margaret Bonds by Meng-Chieh (Mavis) Hsieh ​ ​ Abstract: African-American composers began writing concert music in the early nineteenth century. Interestingly, a majority of the composers and performers were male. The gender stereotype was passed on from the period of enslavement, during which white slave owners would only use black male performers for entertainment. However, this situation changed when black women started receiving educations. Music became an important skill to have for young women, especially those in the middle and upper class. Florence Price (1887-1953) and Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) are two excellent examples of pioneers for African-American female composers. Price and Bonds are two of the most prominent African-American female composers of nineteenth century music. They had a close relationship as teacher and student and shared a similar background in music training (...) VIEW RESOURCE The Life and Solo Vocal Works of Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1972) by Aletha M. Kilgore ​ ​ Abstract: This treatise examines the life and solo vocal works of composer Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1972). It includes a biographical outline of Bonds’s family background, education, and students. Her accomplishments as a concert pianist, composer, and music educator in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles are also described. The second half offers an overview of Bonds’s solo vocal compositions. There is one chapter devoted to each of the three styles of song that she composed in her career: African-American spirituals, jazz/popular songs (...) VIEW RESOURCE FP - Resources FLORENCE B. PRICE Published Repertoire Popular Media Podcasts Books Archival Materials Journal Articles Dissertations FP - Publishers FLORENCE PRICE PUBLISHERS G. Schirmer - Wise Music Extensive Titles for Purchase and Rental In 2018, G. Schirmer (part of The Music Sales Group) acquired worldwide publishing rights to Florence Price's Catalogue. Everything from character pieces for piano to major symphonic works are now published. Efforts to rediscover, engrave, and publish her music are ongoing, so visitors are encouraged to check back often to see what new titles may be available. VIEW RESOURCE CLASSICAL VOCAL REPRINTS Various Titles Run by Glendower Jones, and based in Arkansas - the state of Price's birth, and the site of the major Price archive - Classical Vocal Reprints is a comprehensive source for sheet music, including rare, scholarly, and lesser-known publications. Among other selected works, Classical Vocal Reprints publishes Price's organ repertoire, and the most comprehensive Price song anthology available to date. VIEW RESOURCE FP - Popular Media POPULAR MEDIA ARTICLE - THE NEW YORKER "Black Scholars Confront White Supremacy in Classical Music" ​ Written by: Alex Ross Published: 14 September 2020 VIEW RESOURCE ARTICLE - NPR MUSIC "Lift Every Voice: Marian Anderson, Florence B. Price, and The Sound of Black Sisterhood ​ Written by: Alex Ross Published: 29 January, 2018 VIEW RESOURCE ARTICLE - THE NEW YORKER "The Rediscovery of Florence Price: How and African-American composer's works were saved from destruction" ​ Written by: Alex Ross Published: 29 January, 2018 VIEW RESOURCE FP - Podcasts PODCASTS WQXR Features The Price of Admission: A Musical Biography of Florence Beatrice Price WQXR host and former Morehouse music professor Terrance McKnight guides listeners through the music and legacy of one of America’s pioneering but nearly forgotten composers, and takes a biographical look at Price’s symphonic music, songs, and works for piano and organ. ​ McKnight's piece is one of the earliest and most comprehensive efforts to bring Price's life and legacy to large audiences. Listener's are treated to a wealth of recording history, including an archival tape of Margaret Bonds talking about her friendship with Price, and Marian Anderson’s performances of Price’s music recorded during “The Bell Telephone Hour,” a popular musical showcase in the 1940-'60s. This award-winning, one-hour radio documentary is not to be missed. ​ Guests are Dr. Guthrie Ramsey and Dr. Karen Walwyn , with music by Chineke! Orchestra , Dr. Ollie Watts Davis , Dr. Casey Robards , The Women’s Philharmonic , and Karen Walwyn . LISTEN NOW What'sHerName THE CAGED BIRD Florence Price What’sHerName women’s history podcast is hosted and produced by academic sisters Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson. Committed to reclaiming forgotten history, What’sHerName tells the stories of fascinating women you’ve never heard of (but should have). ​ In an abandoned house in St. Anne, Illinois, an astonishing treasure trove of handwritten sheet music was discovered in 2009. That cache was the life’s work of composer Florence Price, the first African-American woman to have her work performed by major orchestras. But Price’s story is so much bigger – and so much wilder! – than even that headline-grabbing discovery could show. Her astonishing contributions to classical music are finally getting the attention – and the praise – they deserve. ​ Guests are Dr. Guthrie Ramsey and Dr. Karen Walwyn , with music by Chineke! Orchestra , Dr. Ollie Watts Davis , Dr. Casey Robards , The Women’s Philharmonic , and Karen Walwyn . LISTEN NOW FP - Books BOOKS The Heart of a Woman The Life and Music of Florence B. Price By Rae Linda Brown Publisher: 2020, University of Illinois Press The Heart of a Woman offers the first-ever biography of Florence B. Price, a composer whose career spanned both the Harlem and Chicago Renaissances, and the first African American woman to gain national recognition for her works. ​ Price's twenty-five years in Chicago formed the core of a working life that saw her create three hundred works in diverse genres, including symphonies and orchestral suites, art songs, vocal and choral music, and arrangements of spirituals. Through interviews and a wealth of material from public and private archives, Rae Linda Brown illuminates Price's major works while exploring the considerable depth of her achievement. Brown also traces the life of the extremely private individual from her childhood in Little Rock through her time at the New England Conservatory, her extensive teaching, and her struggles with racism, poverty, and professional jealousies. In addition, Brown provides musicians and scholars with dozens of musical examples. VIEW RESOURCE FP - Archival Materials ARCHIVAL MATERIALS Florence Beatrice Price Smith Archive and Digital Collection - University of Arkansas Located on the Fayetteville campus, the papers consist of correspondence of Price and of her daughter, Florence Price Robinson, diary fragments, programs, photographs and microfilm. In addition there are the research files of Mary Dengler Hudgins on Price. The papers also include musical scores. These are arranged according to keyboard, voice, string, and symphonic works. The papers were collected by Hudgins and Barbara Garvey Jackson in 1974-1975, and made available to the public at that time. In October, 1989 the Price papers were reprocessed by Norma Ortiz-Karp, and instrumental parts of the Symphony in E Minor, prepared by the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, were incorporated into the collection. VIEW RESOURCE Performing Arts Reading Room - The Library of Congress Select manuscripts and holographs available for in-person viewing at the Performing Arts Reading Room, located in the James Madison Memorial Building. Visitors must schedule an appointment and register for a reader card prior to arrival. VIEW RESOURCE Rae Linda Brown Papers - Emory University Rae Linda Brown's dissertation was the first to be written about the composer Florence Price, and her posthumous biography was another first. Brown published several editions of Price's compositions, including the Sonata in E Minor for piano, the Symphony in E Minor, and the Symphony No. 3 in C Minor. Her dedicated work to researching and publishing on Price led to wider recognition of Price's role in and contribution to American music. Brown held faculty and administrative positions at the University of California, Irvine, and at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). From 2004-2005 she was a Fellow of the American Council on Education and served as a member of the leadership team at Pomona College (Claremont, California). From 2008-2016, Brown served as Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and professor of music at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California). From 2016-2017, she served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington). In 2017 Brown received the inaugural Willis C. Patterson Research Award for her work in the area of African American Art Song. Brown died in 2017 from leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. The collection consists of the papers of Rae Linda Brown from 1933-2015, including sheet music, correspondence, research files, teaching files, and audiovisual and born digital material. Much of the material relates to composer Florence Price. The collection also contains materials used for teaching courses in music, including syllabi, printed material, and audiovisual material. VIEW RESOURCE FP - Journal Articles JOURNAL ARTICLES People of color Who Write Classical Music: Recovering “Lost” Music by Black Composers as Resistance and Revolution by John Michael Cooper Black History Bulletin VIEW RESOURCE Composing a Symphonist: Florence Price and the Hand of Black Women’s Fellowship by Samantha Ege Project MUSE VIEW RESOURCE Florence Price and the Politics of Her Existence by Samantha Ege The Kaprilova Society Journal VIEW RESOURCE The Woman’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago and Florence B. Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement by Rae Linda Brown American Music VIEW RESOURCE Florence Price, Composer by Barbara Garvey Jackson The Black Perspective in Music VIEW RESOURCE FP - Dissertations DISSERTATIONS The Aesthetics of Florence Price: Negotiating the Dissonances of a New World Nationalism by Samantha Ege ​ Abstract: As an African-American woman, Florence Price (1887–1953) embodied the antithesis of Eurocentric American creative thought in the first half of the twentieth century. As a practitioner who synthesized black musical idioms and classical conventions in pursuit of a distinctly American school of music, her compositional voice clashed against an aesthetic that rendered whiteness and maleness as the absolute signifiers of citizenship and, therefore, a national school. Price had little choice but to negotiate the dissonances of race and gender and, as a result, these negotiations are inherent in her compositional outlook and performance contexts. “The Aesthetics of Florence Price: Negotiating the Dissonances of a New World Nationalism” presents a historical narrative that foregrounds the junctions at which Price’s artistic, intellectual, and cultural callings converged. Focusing on the formative years and key works that led to Price’s national recognition as a composer, I largely engage her life and musical activity after her 1927 arrival in Chicago. Through the lens of a pianist, I present an analysis and interpretation that theorizes Price’s negotiations of cultural dissonances in the score and I suggest possibilities for realization in performance. This culminates in a study that examines the path to Price’s resolution of Old and New World ideals amid African retentions in her aesthetic. VIEW RESOURCE The poet and her songs: analyzing the art songs of Florence B. Price by Marquese Carter ​ Dr. Carter’s research on the art songs of Florence Price has been featured in numerous forums including the Society for American Music conference and the New York Times. Archival research for their dissertation The Poet and Her Songs: Analyzing the Art Songs of Florence B. Price was generously funded by the American Musicological Society Thomas Hampson Fund grant for song research. Frequently sought after as an authority on decolonizing frameworks for the academy, Carter has appeared in workshops and panel discussions ranging from the University of Michigan’s African American Music Symposium, to the University of Utah’s two-day summit on music and social justice. Carter serves as president of the International Florence Price Festival, where they curated and administered the first Virtual Florence Price Festival in 2020. Dr. Carter seeks to create spaces that center black womxn in an effort to re-canonize the hidden figures of music - past and present. VIEW RESOURCE Florence Price: An Analysis of Select Art Songs with Text by Female Poets by Christine Jobson ​ Abstract: Florence Beatrice Price is a pioneer amongst African American composers. She was the first black woman to have one of her compositions played by a major American orchestra, the Chicago Symphony in 1934. In spite of her major accomplishments as a composer, many of her songs remain in obscurity. This document is an analysis of twelve of her art songs, only discovered in 2009 in an abandoned home just outside of St. Anne, Illinois. A detailed analysis of each piece is provided including a biography of each poet, a discussion of the text, pedagogical considerations, performance practice and expression, and accompaniment. A biography of the life and contributions of Florence Price as well as a brief history of African American Art song are also included in this document. VIEW RESOURCE A Stylistic and Comparative Analysis of Select Art Songs by Florence Price and Margaret Bonds by Meng-Chieh (Mavis) Hsieh ​ Abstract: African-American composers began writing concert music in the early nineteenth century. Interestingly, a majority of the composers and performers were male. The gender stereotype was passed on from the period of enslavement, during which white slave owners would only use black male performers for entertainment. However, this situation changed when black women started receiving educations. Music became an important skill to have for young women, especially those in the middle and upper class. Florence Price (1887-1953) and Margaret Bonds (1913-1972) are two excellent examples of pioneers for African-American female composers. Price and Bonds are two of the most prominent African-American female composers of nineteenth century music. They had a close relationship as teacher and student and shared a similar background in music training, yet their music is quite different. In recent years, more scholars have devoted their research to rediscovering Price’s and Bonds’ music. Various studies and publications focus on their lives and works individually, but none compare the two composers. In these studies, many scholars agree with Aldrich Adkins’s theory of three distinct periods of African-American art songs; however, my analysis shows that the music of Margaret Bonds goes against the criteria he laid out for the third period. In my thesis, I compare these two composers’ styles and compositional methods in order to show that while Florence Price fits neatly into his second period, Margaret Bonds’s use of black idioms in her compositions puts her in a separate category. VIEW RESOURCE "Song to the Dark Virgin": Race and Gender in Five Art Songs of Florence B. Price by Bethany Jo Smith ​ Abstract: The art songs of Florence B. Price (1888–1953) reveal a tumultuous history of the threat of being black and a woman during the Negro Renaissance in Chicago. Price was one of the first black women to be recognized as a composer; however, many of her art songs remain unpublished. This thesis expands the existing scholarship on Price and her vocal repertoire, situating her works firmly within the context of the Negro Renaissance. I analyze five of her songs, “Fantasy in Purple,” “Forever,” “Night,” “The Heart of a Woman,” and “Song to the Dark Virgin,” through an aesthetic lens of race and gender studies. My interdisciplinary analysis draws upon African American aesthetics, critical studies of Negro Renaissance poetry, feminist theory, race theory, and musical analysis. Exploring these topics within Price’s art songs provides an explicit picture of her culture and the issues she faced as a black American woman during the Negro Renaissance. VIEW RESOURCE Selected Orchestra Music of Florence B. Price in the Context of Her Life and Work by Rae Linda Brown ​ Abstract: Rae Linda Brown, author of the first Florence Price biography in print, wrote the first dissertation on Price in 1987. Her abstract states the following: This dissertation examines the orchestral works of one of the first black Americans to contribute to the development of a distinctive American voice in music, Florence B. Price (1888-1953). The study has two specific purposes. First, it is intended to fill the lacunae of biographical monographs of those pioneering Afro-American composers who have contributed significantly to the rich and diversified musical heritage of black Americans, using archival sources, oral histories, and private collections of manuscripts and memorabilia. In order to place the music of Florence Price in the proper musical and historical perspective, in chapters one through three I have given careful consideration to the social, economic, and political forces which shaped American history and had an impact on the creative endeavors of the black American. Second, this study is also intended to introduce the reader to Price's symphonic music, her most significant compositions. Chapter four treats Price's first major orchestral work, Symphony in E Minor, premiered by the Chicago Symphony in 1933. Chapter five is devoted to the Piano Concerto in One Movement, which was featured in concerts by the Chicago Women's Symphony in the 1930's. The closing chapter includes a discussion of Price's Symphony No. 3 in C minor and its first performance with the Michigan W.P.A Symphony. An investigation of orchestration, harmony, structure, rhythmic, and melodic style reveals that Price's music reflects the romantic nationalist style of the period but also the influence of her cultural heritage - that is, those elements which transcend European influence and which can be isolated as constituents of the Afro-American tradition in American culture. Her particular style demonstrates that an AfroAmerican composer could transform received musical forms, yet articulate a unique American artistic and cultural self. VIEW RESOURCE

PAST HIGHLIGHTS 2021 - FLORENCE B. PRICE 2022 - MARGARET BONDS 2022 2021 - 2022 Bonds 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! EVENTS RESOURCES MUSIC 2020-2021 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. EVENTS RESOURCES MUSIC

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Press / Media Downloadable Content News Press Releases & Announcements NEWS NEWS Florence Price's 'Piano Concerto' is a knockout in Phildelphia Orchestra's first performance The Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin "But a manuscript of the original orchestration turned up at auction in 2019, and two Cornell University music professors, Tamara Acosta and Stephen Spinelli, pitched the orchestra on the idea of programming the concerto in collaboration with their ONEcomposer project." "But the thing that strikes me after listening to the concerto more than a dozen times is how much it says in so short a span...Price is moving from storm to carefree summer idyll to ecstatic joy - so deftly, with so many other more subtle emotional messages along the way - in well under 20 minutes." READ NOW 'Why have I never heard of this?': Philadelphia Orchestra revives America's first Black woman composer WHYY, Peter Crimmins "Steve Spinelli, assistant director of choral programs at Cornell University, says Price was never able to get a foothold in the higher echelons of classical music during her lifetime. 'The World War II aesthetic of music: The idea that modernist music and experimentation of a particular variety was held in higher esteem than her neo-Romantic lush harmony,” he said. “And, of course, let’s be honest, there was her own proclaimed — she called them ‘handicaps’ — of sex and race. She was very vocal about how challenging her career was because of those two factors.” Spinelli is the cofounder of OneComposer, a new initiative to bring deserving but unsung composers to the attention of scholars, orchestras, and audiences." READ NOW Philadelphia Orchestra performance of Florence Price symphony begins an overdue commitment to the Black female composer's works The Philadelphia Inquirer, David Patrick Stearns "Musicians in different parts of the country who stumbled upon her music independently have begun finding each other and championing Price’s works. These efforts were accelerated by the Black Lives Matter movement and centralized by G. Schirmer Inc. (which has the publishing rights) and ONEcomposer, an advocacy group founded by Cornell University faculty members that aims to celebrate unsung musicians ." READ NOW Soprano Shares Her Voice and Perspectives with Babson Community Babson Thought & Action, Eric Beato "Slack was introduced by their son, Steve Spinelli, the assistant director of choral programs at Cornell University and the co-founder of ONEcomposer , which celebrates musicians whose contributions have been historically erased. He was instrumental in introducing Slack’s virtuoso voice to Babson, in particular because of her entrepreneurial spirit on and off the stage. 'Our friend Karen Slack is the total package,' Steve Spinelli said in his introduction. 'She sings on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, but lives in search of new and creative ways to impact our world. She is the consummate leader and still the ideal team player.'" READ NOW DC DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT For a downloadable folder containing logos and press releases, click the button below. DOWNLOAD PR PRESS RELEASES MARAGERT BONDS PAPERS - YALE UNIVERSITY Vocal music, most 1960s or undated, consisting of autograph manuscript drafts and arrangements, transparencies, and diazo reproductions, some accompanied by copies of published music; and a small amount of other papers. Autograph manuscript music includes spirituals arranged for solo voice or chorus; The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Songs of the Seasons, Three Dream Portraits, and other songs on texts by Langston Hughes; songs on texts by Edna St. Vincent Millay and other poets; and musicals and songs with lyrics by Janice Lovoos, some with related correspondence. Other papers consist of a scrapbook containing photographs, clippings, and ephemera, most circa 1928-1930, some relating to Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, and Lawrence Richardson; and two books containing biographical information about Bonds and analysis of her music: Mildred Denby Green, Black Women Composers: A Genesis (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1983), and Alice Tischler, Fifteen Black American Composers: A Bibliography of Their Works (Detroit: Information Coordinators, 1981). VIEW RESOURCE CONTACT US People of color Who Write Classical Music: Recovering “Lost” Music by Black Composers as Resistance and Revolution by John Michael Cooper Black History Bulletin VIEW RESOURCE

LATEST FEATURE: WATCH NOW SEASON 2 KICKOFF! ONEcomposer and the Curtis Institute of Music celebrate the music of Margaret Bonds and Florence Price with the first ever collaboration between soprano Karen Slack and pianist Michelle Cann. Enjoy performances, artist interviews, and scholarly commentary provided by Dr. John Michael Cooper.