By: Shoshiana Vang 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Every semester, the University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum, a campus choir organization, honors an Arkansas composer by performing her works from the university’s Special Collections. 

Florence Price was born in Little Rock before she marked her name in the music industry by becoming the first Black female composer to have her work played by a major American symphony orchestra. 

Associate Dean of Special Collections Joshua Youngblood stated that a large collection of Price’s original manuscripts is located in the U of A’s Special Collections. The first parcel of her works dated back to the 1970s—about twenty years after Price’s death. 

Price’s daughters donated her works to the U of A, and ever since then, archivists have been actively searching for more. Price was said to have written over a hundred manuscripts that included pieces for not only choral works but also piano concertos, violin concertos and symphony orchestras. 

Another parcel was discovered by a couple who moved into a house in Chicago. The house originally belonged to Price, and the couple found a multitude of works in the attic. The couple researched online to learn more about Price before contacting the U of A about the manuscripts. 

Because the manuscripts were found in the attic and the house itself has gone through natural disasters, some works were in hazardous conditions. Special Collections had to go through a few years of mitigation since there were works that either had live mold, were burned or were bitten by rats. Although there were a few works that had to be discarded, archivists managed to scavenge some by scanning and digitalizing them. 

For a few years, Special Collections had to get researchers interested in Price’s music to sign waiver forms because they might be exposed to live mold. Researchers also had to wear gloves and masks. 

It was around 2013-2014 when all of Price’s works were safe and ready to go. Stephen Caldwell, director of Schola Cantorum, decided to perform her choral works. He chose two pieces to compile them into modern choral works before showcasing them at a Schola Cantorum concert. 

Every semester Caldwell continues to work through different pieces from Price, and after going through a section, the choir recorded their first album release for Price in 2022. The album is placed on streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify. 

Recently, Schola Cantorum recorded a second album release consisting of 12 spirituals. The choir spent about 36 hours total for the recording at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center. 

Caldwell said that there is a plan to record the third album in 2027.