Florence Price: A Celebration, a multi-event music festival, will pay tribute to the life, music, and enduring legacy of a woman who broke barriers of race and gender in classical music. Taking place at venues across Nashville October 3 through November 14, the series is produced by Douglas Shadle, associate professor of musicology at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, and funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Celebration will include performances at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Blair School of Music, and Tennessee State University.
Florence Price (1888-1953) was a gifted performer, musician, and educator. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, she went on to study at the New England Conservatory of Music and is recognized as the first African American woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Her body of work includes more than 300 compositions, many of which have now been performed by major ensembles around the world.
“Celebrating Black Music” in collaboration with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series
- Tuesday, October 3, 2023
- 7:30 PM, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Laura Turner Concert Hall
- Featuring Dr. Samantha Ege (piano soloist), Titus Underwood (oboe), Julia Harguindey (bassoon), and Megan Gale* (piano)
“Florence Price at the Piano” – A Conversation-Recital with Dr. Samantha Ege
- Friday, October 6, 2023
- 8:00 PM, Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall
- Featuring Dr. Samantha Ege (piano soloist) and Dr. Douglas Shadle* (musicologist)
“A Composer’s Workshop” – A Musical Soirée with Camila Cortina Bello
- Monday, October 9, 2023
- 7:00 PM, Tennessee State University Performing Arts Center, Eddie T. Goins Recital Hall
- Featuring special guest Camila Cortina Bello (composer-pianist) with Blair Brass Quintet*, Blair String Quartet*, Blair Woodwind Quintet*, and Dr. Melissa Rose* (piano)
“Florence Price’s Poets” – A Poetic Excursion with Dr. Michelle J. Pinkard
- Thursday, October 12
- 8:00 PM, Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall
- Featuring special guest Dr. Michelle J. Pinkard (Tennessee State University) with Patrick Dailey (countertenor, Tennessee State University) and Dashon Burton* (bass-baritone, VU)
“Florence Price: A Celebration” for Orchestra
- Tuesday, November 14, 2023
- 8:00 PM, Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, Martha Rivers Ingram Hall
Featuring Dr. Susan Yang* (piano soloist), Dr. Ernesto Estigarribia* (conductor), and Dr. Douglas Shadle* (musicologist)
* Blair faculty