African American Composers and the Black Renaissance

This program will be held virtually on Zoom. Please register for free in advance here.

NOTE: You can also watch a live stream of the program on the Newberry Facebook page or YouTube channel.

In 1932, Katherine Dunham premiered Florence Price’s Fantasie Nègre no. 1 in E Minor as a ballet accompanied by Chicago composer Margaret Bonds. The next year, Dunham starred in a leading role in a staging of William Grant Still’s La Guiablesse at the Century of Progress Exposition.

With these performances, Dunham embodied the Black folkloric and European classical sound worlds conjured up by two of the most prominent and prolific Black Renaissance composers: Price and Still. This event brings their intersecting artistries to life with an exploration and musical performance of the works that Dunham built into her craft.

Join musicologist Samantha Ege for a discussion of work by Margaret Bonds, Florence Price, and William Grant Still, three African American classical composers whose work is achieving renewed interest and recognition.

This event is sponsored by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation and is being held in conjunction with the Newberry's fall 2021 exhibition, Chicago Avant-Garde: Five Women Ahead of Their Time.

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