Classically Black: William Grant Still

William Grant Still: A Centennial Tribute features a generous sampling of Still's works, as well as an intimate discussion with Judith Anne Still, daughter of the man often called "the Dean of Negro Composers."

Still achieved many "firsts" in his career: he was the first African American in the United States to have a symphony performed by a major symphony orchestra, the first African American to conduct a major symphony orchestra in the Deep South, the first African American to have an opera produced by a major U.S. opera company.

The program is the fifth in the Classically Black series, produced by WILL-FM’s Roger Cooper and distributed nationally by Public Radio International. Cooper said the series was created to fill a void in programming. While many programs about black jazz or blues artists were available, there were none featuring black classical artists, he said.

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