Dear Music Lovers and Supporters, This week’s musical offering is an orchestral medley entitled A Tribute to Henry Mancini. The recording is from a concert by the BSO in March 2017, and is on YouTube: BSO plays A Tribute to Henry Mancini. The medley is an arrangement by Calvin Custer incorporating music by American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist Henry Nicola Mancini from “Baby Elephant Walk,” “Charade,” “The Pink Panther,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Peter Gunn.” About the music, Maestro Fred Devyatkin writes, “A Tribute to Henry Mancini. A winner of four Academy Awards and twenty Grammy...

Dear Music Lovers and Supporters, Our 14th offering is an orchestral arrangement of Saint Louis Blues, a popular American song (1914) that was composed by William Christopher Handy. The recording is from a concert by the BSO on February 16, 2020, and is on YouTube: BSO plays St. Louis Blues. About the music, Maestro Fred Devyatkin writes, “From our last concert before quarantine … St. Louis Blues, featured in the 1929 film by the same name with Bessie Smith on the vocals. Performed as an encore, the orchestra was swinging! Enjoy!” Thank you to everyone who has and continues...

Dear Music Lovers and Supporters, In addition to presenting recordings from Beaufort Symphony Orchestra concerts, our goal is to introduce other works not yet performed by the BSO. Our eighth offering is the Symphony No. 1 in E minor (1931-1932) by the African-American composer Florence Beatrice (née Smith) Price. A recording of the symphony is on YouTube: Florence Price: Symphony No. 1 in E minor, performed by the New Black Repertory Ensemble, Leslie B. Dunner, conducting. Florence Price (b: April 9, 1887, d: June 3, 1953) was the first African-American woman composer to have a symphonic composition played...