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Donald Macleod explores the life and music of African-American composer William Grant Still. Today, Still’s uphill struggle to establish himself as a composer of opera.

Of Still’s eight surviving operas, to date only five have had any kind of production. The first of these, Troubled Island, was produced by New York City Opera in 1949, which was the first time a major American opera company had put on a work by an American-born composer, regardless of race. Following an initial rejection by the Metropolitan Opera and despite the advocacy of the conductor Leopold Stokowski, it had taken the best part of a decade form the opera's completion to bring it to the stage, with plenty of haggling over funding along the way. Three performances were scheduled, with leading roles taken by white singers in blackface. The première was well received by the audience, but the reviews were hostile, and after the initial run, there were no further performances. Still was understandably devastated by the critical panning meted out to his long-cherished project, and came to believe that the opera’s chances had been deliberately sabotaged in some kind of racist plot. It would be nearly four decades before New York City Opera staged another opera by a black composer.

Whippoorwill's Shoes (Wood Notes)
Fort Smith Symphony
John Jeter, conductor

Little Black Slave Child (Troubled Island)
Christin-Marie hill, mezzo soprano
Andrew Altenbach, piano

Ennanga, for harp, piano and string quartet (1. Moderately fast)
Lois Adele Craft, harp
Annette Kaufman, piano
Kaufman String Quartet

Symphony No 3, ‘The Sunday Symphony’ (2. Prayer – very slowly; 3. Relaxation – Gaily)
Fort Smith Symphony
John Jeter, conductor

Lyric Quartette
Oregon String Quartet

Highway One: Act I (extract)
Robert Honeysucker, baritone (Bob)
Louise Toppin, soprano (Mary)
Pamela Dillard, mezzo soprano (Aunt Lou)
Vocal Essence
St Olaf Orchestra
Philip Brunelle, conductor

Grief (Weeping Angel)
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Wolfram Rieger, piano

Produced by Chris Barstow for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales