“Native American Legends”
A night of classical music revival in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
This past Saturday, April 22nd, something very special happened in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A concert was given consisting entirely of music by the late Native American classical music composer, Louis W. Ballard. As part of an ongoing effort by the Fort Smith Symphony to feature works by American minority composers such as Florence Price, this was a rare occasion to showcase their orchestra’s skill in performing and promoting diverse material.
Preceding the concert was a series of interviews, lectures, and open rehearsals to more deeply understand the minutiae behind the material and give viewers a thorough introduction to what they would hear on Saturday. In attendance the whole week was myself, Simone Ballard, and the world expert on Ballard music and chief archivist Dr. Karl Erik Ettinger. The full radio interview we gave at KUAF alongside Fort Smith’s music director John Jeter can be found here.
After the radio interview, Karl and I spoke to undergraduate music majors at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith and Karl gave a small piano performance of the Four American Indian Piano Preludes. I presented a brief overview of Ballard’s legacy educational product and also a video snippet of the “Duck Dance” song being performed at a local elementary school. Those slides can be found here. It is our long-term desire that an updated version of this legacy education product can be produced and distributed to more schools nationwide.
On Saturday the final performance was given at the Fort Smith Convention Center and consisted of:
- Devil’s Promenade
- Scenes From Indian Life (including Feast Day)
- The Four Moons (Ballet)
- Fantasy Aborigine №3 Kokopelli
It received a standing ovation and was followed by a reception at the local venue “The Bakery District.” In attendance were some of Ballard’s other grandchildren and their families who currently reside in Oklahoma. A new recording will be made of the same program this week and released on Naxos Records within a year. For any further questions regarding the ongoing revival of the Ballard music project please get in touch with us through the new website: www.lwballard.com.
Photos here: FortSmithBallardApril22_2023
