Florence Price Illuminated with Samantha Ege

One Symphony with Devin Patrick Hughes

In this episode of One Symphony, host Devin Patrick Hughes interviews Dr. Samantha Ege, pianist and musicologist, about the life and works of Florence Price. Dr. Ege discusses Price's musical style, her significance in American classical music, and the recent rediscovery of her compositions. The conversation covers Price's role in the Chicago music scene, her blending of classical and African American musical traditions, and the challenges she faced as a Black female composer in the early 20th century. Dr. Ege also shares insights from her own recordings of Price's piano works and her upcoming scholarly publications on the composer.

Dr. Samantha Ege is a leading scholar and interpreter of the African American composer Florence Price. Her work illuminates Price in the context of the Black Chicago Renaissance and Black women's dynamic networks of advocacy, empowerment, and uplift. Her first book, South Side Impresarios: How Race Women Transformed Chicago's Classical Music Scene, and first edited collection, The Cambridge Companion to Florence B. Price, are important culminations of the research she has shared around the world.

Dr Ege is a also concert pianist who specializes in the music of 20th and 21st century composers. Her performances bring her research to life, sounding new narratives that are so often unheard in the modern-day concert hall. Dr Ege seeks to communicate the diversity of classical music's past, present, and future through her performances, and foster a sense of belonging for everyone.

In her London debut at the 2021 London Festival of American Music she gave the world premiere of Florence Price's complete Fantasie Nègre set. In 2018, she made her international lecture-recitalist debut at the Chicago Symphony Center with her event A Celebration of Women in Music: Composing the Black Chicago Renaissance. She has performed across the UK, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia. She has also played with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Oakland Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and Yale Philharmonia.

Thank you for joining us on One Symphony. Thanks to Dr. Samantha Ege for sharing her incredible research, insights, and music-making. You can find her book, South Side Impresarios and more at https://www.samanthaege.com.

Music Selections

“Weeping Willow, A Rag Time Two Step.” Composed by Scott Joplin. Performed by Benjamin Loeb on the album Scott Jopin: Piano Rags 2 from Naxos.

Violin Concerto No. 2. Composed by Florence Price. Featuring Kelly Hall-Tompkins on violin with the Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra. Conducted by Thomas Cunningham.

Sonata in E minor “Andante.” Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege.

“Sketches in Sepia.” Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege.

Symphony No. 1 in E minor: I. Allegro ma non troppo. Composed by Florence Price. Performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Available from Deutsche Grammophon.

Symphony No. 3 in C minor: I. Andante – Allegro. Composed by Florence Price. Performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Available from Deutsche Grammophon.

Sonata in E minor “Scherzo.” Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege.

Fantasie Nègre No.4 in B minor. Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege. Available from Lontano Records.

“Snapshots Moon Behind a Cloud.” Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege. Available from Lontano Records.

Fantasie Nègre No.1 in E minor. Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege. Available from Lontano Records.

Juba Dance from Symphony No. 3. Composed by Florence Price. Performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Ricardo Muti, conductor.

Fantasie Nègre No.2 in G minor. Composed by Florence Price. Performed by Samantha Ege. Available from Lontano Records.

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