Price meets Clarkson

Florence Price received national attention this week when television personality Kelly Clarkson included a feature about the composer and her work on Clarkson’s show. The feature includes a performance of Price’s Fantasy n. 2 in F-sharp minor, by two of the students who helped write a new children’s book about her life.  Watch here, or below:

Those same students were hosted by The Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to continue the conversation.  Read on at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Oregon ArtsWatch speaks to composer and cellist Nancy Ives about her work and growth throughout her musical career.  Included are discussions, and recordings of several of her works.

Superstar conductor Migra Gražinytė-Tyla spoke to The New York Times about her tremendous rise in these early days of her career, and why she won’t be accepting an American position in the near future.  Throughout the conversation she also recognizes the strides that have been made for women conductors, and the work that still needs to be done.

The Star Tribune spoke to four recipients of the McKnight Fellowship about what they used the funding to achieve.  Composers Ritika Ganguly, Ashley DuBose, and Mary Prescott (along with George Maurer) share how they used the $25,000 award to explore new territories in their music.

Also this week, Classical FM brings to light the story of composer, conductor, and performer Angela Morley – who is also the first openly transgender Oscar nominee.  Read about her work and career, including collaborations with John Williams.

On Feb. 15, the Grammy Award-winning professional choir Conspirare performs an all-Margaret Bonds concert, including her monumental Credo, with a prose text by W.E.B. DuBois.  If you are unable to attend the concert in Austin, TX, it will livestream on their website at 7:30 PM Central time.  While this performance of Credo is with piano accompaniment, we can look forward to a performance of the full orchestral version on April 2 by the Georgetown University Choir and Orchestra. 

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