Florence B Price, née Smith, was a composer, pianist and organist, thought to be the first female symphonist of African-American heritage.
She composed over 300 works – symphonies, chamber works and songs noted for their lush orchestration and enchanting lyricism – that were performed by leading orchestras and performers, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and contralto Marian Anderson.
So why has such a figure remained on the fringes of 20th-century music? In 1,000 years of classical musicology, there is barely a mention of composers of colour, even though these musicians have contributed significantly to the evolution of the genre.
Florence Price is just one of a plethora of such composers that have been overlooked.
Original intro text by Shirley Thompson
