Baylor Piano Majors to Premiere Pieces from Professor’s New Book on Composer Florence Price
Piano professor Michael Clark has rediscovered Price’s “gems” for piano solo

Composer Florence Price at work in the late 1940s. (University of Arkansas)
Florence Price is considered to be a “hidden figure” in classical music, facing numerous obstacles from segregation, Jim Crow laws, racism and sexism in the promotion of her music, with only a fraction performed and published during her lifetime. As a passionate advocate for Price’s music, Michael Clark, D.M.A., assistant professor of piano at Baylor University’s School of Music, has published a book featuring 20 previously unpublished piano pieces by Price edited from her manuscripts housed at the University of Arkansas Special Collections. The publishing of this music gives the world the opportunity to discover these pieces for the first time.
In celebration of the publication, Baylor piano majors will premiere all 20 pieces of Florence Price: Rediscovered Gems for Piano Solo in a free recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, at Roxy Grove Hall.

“I hope today’s audiences will hear this music and recognize Price’s artistic triumph in the face of incredible headwinds and become curious about other American artists from all backgrounds who have brought, and still bring, their essential and unique voices to our culture,” Clark said. “Her legacy will grow, and her influence will multiply as musicians study, perform and record these works and ultimately teach them to a new generation.”
Florence Price’s Legacy
Florence Price (1877-1953) was a remarkable American composer who has only just begun to receive the widespread acclaim she deserves, Clark said in the preface of his book. From being born into a prominent Black family in Reconstruction-era Little Rock, Arkansas, she excelled in music from a young age. Price’s life tells the story of finding joy and hope through music while facing discrimination as both a Black American and as a female musician. She was the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra when The Chicago Symphony Orchestra premiered her symphony at the Auditorium Theatre on June 15, 1933.
When Clark discovered her music for the first time, he fell in love with its upbeat and romantic sound. He has since been determined to share her legacy and talent with others.
“Price wrote in 1943 that she had ‘an unwavering and compelling faith that a national music, very beautiful and very American, can come from the melting pot, just as the nation itself has done,’” Clark said. “In these pieces, Price melds elements of her heritage with the European classical music tradition to create a distinctly American sound.”
As Clark has studied Price’s music, he has grown to appreciate her as an artist, a Black American woman, a mother of two daughters and an advocate for her music. He had the opportunity to see Price’s work up close at the University of Arkansas Special Collections, looking through hundreds of her manuscripts, ranging from rough drafts and scraps to polished pieces that were like printed sheet music. While very few of her works were published while she was alive, Clark said Price advocated tirelessly for herself and persisted in sending pieces to multiple publishers.
Clark is making great progress in getting Price’s work noticed and appreciated by encouraging the world to take time to learn from the past and be inspired for the future of music. His passion for what she has created and the opportunity for him to reimagine her music has given him more hope in doing so.
“One of the most amazing aspects of classical music is its time-traveling powers: performing and listening to these pieces transports us into Price’s world in the late 1920s through the 1950s.”
-Michael Clark
“One of the most amazing aspects of classical music is its time-traveling powers: performing and listening to these pieces transports us into Price’s world in the late 1920s through the 1950s,” Clark said. “Many of the pieces are quite upbeat and reveal Price’s ability to find joy in music, despite the discrimination she faced in society.”
Premiere performance
“Rediscovered Gems: Premieres of Newly Published Works by Florence Price” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in Roxy Grove Hall. The performance is free and open to the public.
“I'm incredibly excited that these pieces are now available for the first time for pianists around the world to play, and I have been so impressed by the hard work and artistry of our piano majors as they prepare these pieces for our recital,” Clark said. “They’re taking this opportunity seriously, understanding they are giving voice to a composer whom our society failed to appreciate for so long.”
Students Performing in Rediscovered Gems Recital
- Nicolas Bastardo
- Sara Burkhart
- Sammy Carrillo
- Stephanie Christianto
- Laurel Engelhardt
- Abbey Ekrut
- Ike Ezike
- Fiama Fernandez
- Briel Finley
- Alexia Hulme
- Rachel Jageman
- Mateusz Perz
- Christie Pollard
- Rebecca Tietze
ABOUT MICHAEL CLARK
Michael Clark is a pianist devoted to the interconnection of performance, scholarship and pedagogy. He has appeared in 15 U.S. states as a soloist, chamber musician and clinician, specializing in 20th and 21st-century repertoire. A dedicated teacher, Clark was appointed as a lecturer in piano at Baylor University in 2022. An advocate for the music of Florence Price, Clark has presented numerous lectures and recitals on her piano works and made his solo album debut with Price’s complete waltzes and selected character pieces for Navona Records.
In addition to his interest in Price, Clark researches historical approaches to piano fingering and is the founder of Piano Tricks, an online database of fingerings and redistributions for over 800 passages from the piano repertoire. He recently explored Chopin’s and Liszt’s redistributions in an article for Piano Magazine and published a study of the most frequent historical redistributions in Beethoven’s sonatas in MTNA e-Journal.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.
ABOUT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Celebrating more than 100 years of musical excellence, the Baylor University School of Music provides transformational experiences that prepare students for careers in music. Students thrive in a Christian environment characterized by a nurturing resident faculty, an unwavering pursuit of musical excellence, a global perspective, dedication to service and devotion to faith. They investigate the rich musical and cultural heritage of the past, develop superior musical skills and knowledge in the present, and explore and create new modes of musical expression for the future. While preparing for future leadership roles, students join with School of Music faculty in enhancing the quality of community life, enriching the larger culture and making Baylor a place in which heart, mind and soul coalesce. Baylor's School of Music is a member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the Texas Association of Music Schools. Degree programs include bachelor's and master's degrees in performance, music education and academic majors, as well as doctoral degrees in church music. Degrees leading to the Bachelor of Music Education conform to certification requirements of the Texas Education Agency. Visit baylor.edu/music to learn more.