OXFORD, Miss. – Join the University of Mississippi family
Sunday (Oct. 14) to celebrate the choral works of
internationally known composer and Mississippi native
William Grant Still.
The 4 p.m. concert at the Ford Center for the Performing
Arts features the UM Concert Singers, Mississippi Symphony
Orchestra and choirs from Rust College and Delta State
University.
“We are very pleased to be a part of this statewide
celebration of this great American composer. The
collaboration of the UM concert singers, the choirs of Rust
College and Delta State University and the Mississippi
Symphony Orchestra will make this a truly special event,”
said Norm Easterbrook, director of the Ford Center.
Tickets for the concert are $27, $24 and $12 for various
seating. Local high school and middle school students are
invited to attend at no charge. Tickets are available at
the UM Box Office in the Student Union or by calling the
box office at 662-915-7411.
Part of a series of concerts across the state, the upcoming
performance showcases the broad range of Still’s inspiring
compositions, from his symphonic works to his arrangements
of spirituals. The Ford Center, Mississippi Arts Council,
National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces
Initiative and the Phil Hardin Foundation provided funding
for the concert.
Donald Trott, director of choral music and associate
professor, said the tribute presents a rare opportunity for
the Concert Singers to collaborate with the Mississippi
Symphony Orchestra and choirs from Delta State University
and Rust College.
“A collaboration of this nature is quite gratifying as it
presents our singers with a unique musical experience,”
Trott said. “This program will feature the music of a
single composer, so the students and audience alike will
walk away with a clear understanding of the style of music
Still composed.”
While William Grant Still is best remembered for his
Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American,” he wrote more than 150
compositions during his lifetime – a lifetime comprising
many firsts in American history. In 1931, the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra performed Symphony No. 1, making
Still the first African-American to have his symphony
performed by a leading orchestra.
In 1936, Still conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra, thus becoming the first African-American to
conduct a major American orchestra. In 1949, his opera
“Troubled Island” was performed by the New York City Opera
and became the first opera by an African-American to be
performed by a major company. The Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra and BBC Orchestra also performed Still’s works.
For more information on the Ford Center, visit
http://www..olemiss.edu/fordcenter/.
.olemiss.edu/fordcenter/. For more about music education at
Ole Miss visit