Michelle Cann Performs Piano Music of Florence Price on October 8

Pianist Michelle Cann, celebrated as a leading advocate and interpreter of under‑recognized Black female composers, joins Stanford Live to present a deeply personal and illuminating program featuring the music of Florence Price (1887–1953) and Cann’s own multifaceted artistry. She will bring both profound musical insight and social commitment to this recital, linking her pianistic voice with Price’s pioneering spirit.

Michelle Cann

An award-winning performer and educator, Michelle Cann is the recipient of the prestigious Sphinx Medal of Excellence and has contributed to two Grammy Award-winning albums. Hailed by Gramophone as “a pianist of sterling artistry,” she holds the distinction of being the first African American faculty member appointed to the piano department at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Cann on Price

Cann often emphasizes how Price persisted in composing in the face of so many barriers. For her, performing Price is not only a musical act but a cultural reclamation, bringing forward the voice of a composer who confronted both sexism and racism head on. In an interview with Cal Performances, Cann described her advocacy of Price’s work as a mission and a desire to inspire change through the power and beauty of Price’s music. 

Florence Price: Breaking Out of Prejudice 

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Florence Beatrice Smith (later Price) studied composition and organ at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She later taught piano at Shorter College in Arkansas and led the music department at Clark University in Atlanta, Georgia1.

After relocating to Chicago in 1926, Price achieved significant recognition in the 1930s, marking the start of her compositional career. In 1932, her Symphony in E minor won first prize from the Wanamaker Foundation Awards, with her Piano Sonata earning third place3. In 1933, her Symphony No.1 in E minor premiered with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, making her the first African American woman to have an orchestral work performed by a major U.S. orchestra2.

Throughout her life, Price faced relentless prejudice. To evade racial discrimination during her application to the New England Conservatory, she listed her birthplace as "Pueblo, Mexico.”3 Later, in Little Rock, she was denied admission to the Arkansas Music Teachers Association due to her race. Escalating racial tensions eventually compelled Price and her family to relocate to Chicago1. Despite these obstacles, Price composed more than 400 works, including symphonies, concertos, chamber pieces, art songs, piano solos, spiritual arrangements, and educational music.

Program Highlights

Price’s Piano Sonata in E minor, composed shortly before her groundbreaking symphonic premiere, is an expressive blend of lyrical introspection and rhythmic vitality—an early and significant statement of her musical voice. Notably, she was the first composer to incorporate gospel and spiritual idioms into the piano sonata form. While Romantic in style and structured within classical traditions, the sonata evokes the essence of spirituals without directly quoting Black folk melodies or employing blues progressions5. This artistic decision—subtle yet deliberate—drew criticism from Alain Locke for its lack of overt cultural references, reflecting a broader pattern of exclusion that often marginalized women’s contributions to the Black Chicago Renaissance. Alongside contemporaries like William Grant Still and William Dawson, Price's works stand as vibrant celebrations of African American heritage and expressions of Black pride10.

Although Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement is not part of this recital, Cann’s interpretations of Price’s solo piano works—including the sonata, dances, and spiritual settings—embody a similar depth of reverence and emotional power.

This program offers audiences a dual journey: through the depth of Michelle Cann as a performer and educator, and the stirring power of Florence Price as a composer whose legacy reflects both systemic erasure and artistic triumph. Cann’s performances—marked by clarity, emotional nuance, and a deep sense of purpose—offer listeners a chance to hear Price’s music as it was always meant to be heard. In doing so, Cann not only honors Price’s legacy but advances her own role as an advocate: to bring overlooked music into the spotlight, where it can move and inspire today’s audiences.

Sources:

1. Cooper, Michael J. “Biography of Florence Beatrice Price.” FlorencePrice.com, 30 Nov. 2022.
2. Davis, Elizabeth. “Meet Florence Price, the First Black Woman to Have Her Work Premiered
   by a US Orchestra.” Classic FM, Global, 10 Jan. 2024.
3. “Florence Price.” Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
4. “Florence Price.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
5. Holzer, Linda. “Jazz, Blues, and Gospel in Florence Price’s Sonata in E Minor.” Clavier, vol.
   40, no. 9, Nov. 2001, pp. 28–34. 
6. “Michelle Cann.” Curtis Institute of Music, curtis.edu/curtis-performances/artist-management/
   michelle-cann/. 
7. “Michelle Cann 2023.” Colorado Music Festival,coloradomusicfestival.org
   /michelle‑cann‑2023/. 
8. “Michelle Cann.” Stanford Live, live.stanford.edu/events/25‑26season/bing‑concert‑hall
   /michelle‑cann/. 
9. “Pianist Michelle Cann Waxes Rhapsodic About Florence Price and Gershwin.” San Francisco
   Classical Voice, by Emily Wilson, 21 Oct. 2024,
10. Rae Linda Brown, and Guthrie Ramsey. The Heart of a Woman : The Life and Music of Florence B. Price.
    University of Illinois Press, 2020.