Compelling, sparkling virtuoso

boston music intelligencer

“Compelling, sparkling virtuoso” (Boston Music Intelligencer), Michelle Cann makes her Duke debut with “The Women of Chicago’s Black Renaissance.” This invigorating program pairs Cann’s acclaimed renditions of works by each featured artist with spoken commentary about their fascinating lives and histories.

Cann is particularly well-known as a champion of the music of Florence Price, the first Black female composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. Cann’s tireless advocacy and skillful performances in some of the world’s finest concert halls have helped to revive Price’s rightful place in the classical music canon. Her program for this evening includes two works by Price along with four of her once-marginalized contemporaries.

Program

The Women of Chicago’s Black Renaissance

Nora Holt: Negro Dance Op. 25, No. 1
Betty Jackson King: Four Seasonal Sketches
Florence Price: Fantasie nègre No. 2
Florence Price: Fantasie nègre No. 1
Irene Britton Smith: Variations on a Theme by MacDowell
Margaret Bonds: Spiritual Suite 

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