The Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will celebrate the work of Florence Smith Nov. 13 during the Masterworks 2 program at the Center for the Performing Arts.
Price, who died in 1953, was the first African American composer to have her work performed by a major symphony, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in 1933. Her piece, “Symphony #3 in C Minor” was commissioned by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Music Project during the height of the Great Depression. The CSO will perform this piece, as well as selections from Russian composer Mikhail Glinka and Mexico’s Arturo Marquez.
“Florence Smith Price was a prolific composer who had to work very hard to be taken seriously,” CSO Artistic Director Janna Hymes said. “You literally can hear the native language of all four of our composers in their music, but you can really hear the voice of Florence Smith Price in everything she wrote. Folk music, gospel from the church, Americana, a little bit of jazz, rhythms connected to her African heritage like the juba dance – she took all of that and wove it into a classical texture that’s remarkable.”
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Center for the Performing Arts, 1 Carter Green, Carmel. For tickets, click here.
