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UA Little Rock Professor Helps Honor Famed Composer Florence Price

Florence Price
Florence Price was the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major symphony orchestra.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has declared April 9, 2022, as Florence Price Day in honor to celebrate the achievements of the famous Arkansas pianist and composer on her birthday.

At UA Little Rock, Dr. Linda Holzer, professor of music and coordinator of classical piano studies, will be instrumental in leading celebrations of Florence Price’s life, music, and career. Holzer has dedicated many years to studying the legacy of Price and promoting her music through concerts, conferences, and lectures.

“Florence Price made history in 1933 when the Chicago Symphony gave the world premiere of her Symphony No. 1 in E Minor under the baton of maestro Fredrick Stock,” Holzer said. “She became the first African American woman composer to have a work performed by a major American orchestra. It’s vital that we recognize her in Arkansas as part of Arkansas cultural heritage, as well as a trailblazer in American music history.”

Holzer will be featured as a performer and a scholarly presenter in various events connected with Florence Price Day. The celebratory events include:

  • Holzer will give a presentation about Price and William Grant Still, another famous Arkansas composer, at 10:30 a.m. April 6 at Central High School. The event will be hosted by Dr. Brice Evans, director of instrumental music at Central High School.
  • Mosaic Templars Cultural Center will host a free concert in honor of Price at 6 p.m. April 9. Holzer will perform solo piano selections and accompany songs performed by Nisheedah Golden, mezzo-soprano, and Ron McDaniel, baritone. Participants must register for the event via this link.
  • University Television will broadcast “A Discussion of Arkansas Composers” on April 4. This program about Price and Still was originally filmed in 2019 at the Clinton School of Public Service with Holzer and conductor Andrew Grams. Broadcast times are at 3 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m., on Cable Channel 61/1095, U-Verse Channel 99, or computer browser live streaming.
  • University Television will air the concert “Two Creative Voices from Arkansas: Florence Price and William Still Grant” on April 6 at 3 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m., and April 8 at 4 a.m., noon, and 8 p.m.
  • KUAR will broadcast the radio documentary “Gathering the Pieces: the Florence Price Legacy” on KLRE 90.5 on April 10 at noon and KUAR 89.1 April 10 at 5:30 p.m.
  • Arkansas PBS will broadcast a new episode, “Florence Price and the Great Migration,” on the “Great Performances” series at 8 p.m. April 15. Host Scott Yoo of “Now Hear This!” filmed the episode in Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Chicago.