In July of 1936, this notice concerning an upcoming Hollywood Bowl concert appeared in The Los Angeles Times: “William Grant Still will conduct two of his own works.” The nonchalance of the paper’s music and dance critic overlooked the fact that the occasion marked the first time that an African-American conductor would lead a major American orchestra.

On the second half of that July concert in Los Angeles, Still conducted his orchestral piece “The Land of Romance,” and the “Scherzo” from his “Afro-American Symphony.” The entire symphony had been premiered in 1931 by the Rochester Philharmonic – another landmark event, being the first time a symphonic work by an African-American composer was performed by an American orchestra.

Meanwhile at a 1947 outdoor concert in Philadelphia, composer and pianist Duke Ellington joined forces with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra to play his “A New World a Coming,” marking Ellington’s first appearance with a symphony orchestra.  It wouldn’t be his last.

In 1963 an album appeared entitled, “The Symphonic Ellington,” featuring Ellington and his band in recordings of original compositions recorded in Europe with symphony orchestras from Paris, Stockholm, Hamburg, and the Orchestra of La Scala in Milan.  

Duke Ellington (1899 – 1974) (arr. Peress): "New World A-Comin" (Sir Roland Hanna, p; American Composers Orchestra; Maurice Peress, cond.) MusicMasters 7011