January 26, 1996 Henry Jay Lewis, double-bass player and orchestra conductor, died. Lewis was born October 16, 1932 in Los Angeles, California. He began playing the piano at the age of five and later learned to play the clarinet and several string instruments.
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October 16th in African American History – Henry Jay Lewis
October 16, 1932 Henry Jay Lewis, double-bass player and orchestra conductor, was born in Los Angeles, California. Lewis began playing the piano at the age of five and later learned to play the clarinet and several string instruments. At the age of 16, he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic, becoming the first black instrumentalist in […]
November 3rd in African American History – Charles Dean Dixon
November 3, 1976 Charles Dean Dixon, orchestra conductor, died. Dixon was born January 10, 1915 in New York City. He studied conducting at the Juilliard School and Columbia University. In 1931, when early pursuits of conducting engagements were stifled by racial bias, Dixon formed his own orchestra and choral society.