Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and was educated at the New England Conservatory. After teaching appointments in Arkansas and Atlanta, she settled in Chicago, where her national reputation grew significantly. She was the first African American woman composer to earn widespread national recognition. Her more than 300 works include music in many genres and styles, including four orchestral symphonies alongside numerous vocal and chamber pieces and many arrangements of popular music for radio. During her time at NEC, Price studied the organ with Henry M. Dunham. Her organ output includes several large-scale works as well as short pieces that were written for various publishers of church music.
