Florence B. Price, the composer, was the first African-American female classical music composer to receive widespread recognition.
Album & Artwork
The album's title, "Hold Fast to Dreams," is taken from a song set to a text by Langston Hughes, a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Florence B. Price's music combines influences from European Romanticism with characteristic African-American musical traditions.
Composition History
Price's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, a widely admired work, was awarded First Prize at the Rodman Wanamaker Competition and premiered by the Chicago Symphony in 1933.
Performer Biography
This album is the debut full-length recital recording for tenor Ted Black.
Composer Biography
Price and her family moved from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Chicago to escape rising racial violence, including a threat against her youngest daughter.
Critical Reception
Despite her prolific output, Florence B. Price's works have only gradually been introduced in concert halls and recording studios, and her oeuvre is not yet fully published or in the standard repertoire.
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