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. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.