William Grant Still

William Grant Still (May 11,1895 - December 3,1978) was a ground-breaking African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. He was the first African-American to conduct a major American Orchestra, the first to have a symphony (his first) performed by a leading orchestra (Southern 1980), the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company, and the first to have an opera performed on national television. He is often referred to as the dean of African-American composers.

Selected compositions

• Levee Land (1925)
• From the Black Belt (1926)
• Sahdji (1930)
• Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American" (1930)
• Africa (1930)
• Seven Traceries (1939)
• Troubled Island (1941)
• In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died for Democracy (1943)
• The Little Song That Wanted to Be a Symphony (1954)
• Little Red Schoolhouse (1957)
• The American Scene (1957)