Women's Herstory Month Series: Anaïs Nin
Posts
Women's Herstory Month Series: Margaret Bonds
Margaret Allison Bonds (March 3, 1913 – April 26, 1972) was an American composer and pianist. One of the first black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes.
Women's Herstory Month Series: Florence B. Price
Florence B. Price ¹ Florence Beatrice Price (April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer. She was the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Florence Beatrice Price was born to Florence Gulliver and James H. Smith on April 9, 1887, in Little Rock, Arkansas, one of three children in a mixed-race family. Despite racial issues of the era, her family was well respected and did well within their community. Her father was a dentist and her mother was a music teacher who guided Florence's early musical training. She had her first piano performance at the age of four and went on to have her first composition published at the age of 11. By the time she was 14, Florence had graduated from Capitol High School at the top of her class and was enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music with a major in piano and organ. Initially, she pretended to be Mexican to avo
Marishka Phillips on "The Noshing with Nina Show"
Actor, producer, and drama coach Marishka Phillips joined us in the MNN Studios on West 59 th Street in Manhattan for this month’s taping of The Noshing with Nina Show .
How Long? Not Long!
International opera star Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial. While chatting with soprano Lowri Marie on set at the MNN studios, she told the story of being recommended by her white high school voice teacher to audition for the Arkansas All-State Choir. Granted the choir was all-white at the time, but Lowri’s teacher felt that her voice was exceptional enough to overcome the race barrier. So she followed her teacher’s advice and went to the audition. Following the auditions, concerts were presented by both the All-State Choir and the Alternate Choir, which was made up of singers who did not make the All-State Choir at the auditions. Lowri sang in the Alternate Choir concert. When she returned, her teacher enthusiastically congratulated her for making it into the All-State Choir, and asked how the concert went. Lowri then told her that she sang in the Alternate Choir. The teacher was confused. “No!” she exclaimed. “I was informed you made it into the All-State Choir!”