Dr. Marquese Carter, assistant professor of voice and music history in the Department of Music, helped launch the first annual Florence Price Festival this summer. The festival honors the work and legacy of Florence Beatrice Price (April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953), the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra.
Dr. Carter is a scholar of Price’s work and was asked to serve as president of the festival in August 2019. “It has been a whirlwind of activity ever since,” he said. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was forced to abandon its in-person plans and move to a virtual platform. “I am elated that we were able to bounce back from COVID-19’s ruination of our in-person inaugural festival,” Carter said. “So many of our original plans sadly fell through, from grant funding to high profile concerts. It was quite demoralizing. However, we were able to bounce back with this hugely successful virtual festival.”
Price Fest is dedicated to celebrating Price by featuring all of her musical output as well as scholarly, educational, and advocacy-oriented events. This year’s events included performances and discussions of Price’s “Piano Quintet in A Minor,” as well as panels on broader topics such as race and gender in music criticism. Carter was one of several participants on a panel discussion of Price’s rich art song repertoire.
on Florence Price’s art songs.
“When I discovered Florence Price—a ‘hidden figure’ who was the first black woman to have a piece played by a major US orchestra—I was able to see myself as part of a longer lineage of black musicians in classical music and academia,” said Carter. “I had found a purpose, my ‘she-ro,’ and a source of constant inspiration. My research on Price’s songs has opened many doors for me in my career so far, and I am grateful to this high ancestor for leaving us so much inspiring and barrier-breaking music.”
Events in the virtual Price Fest began in late June and ended on August 22 with a community feedback session, and the overall success of the event is encouraging. “The great support from our fellow Price fans has energized us for next year’s festival,” Carter said. The 2021 festival is set to take place in Washington, D.C.
For more information about Florence Price, her music, and the festival, please visit the Price Festival website at pricefest.org.
College of humanities and fine arts 