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April 16-22, 2023 WhAt's up! 5 Native American Legend symphony showcases music by indigenous composer "Music history is replete with examples of composers who championed the cause of oppressed people," composer louis Ballard said in program notes for "incident at Wounded Knee," performed at Carnegie hall in 1999. "it is my hope that this work will be indelibly associated with the indian movement and ideals, but also that the worth of the work itself shall rise above all political emotions of this epoch." (Courtesy photo/Fort smith symphony) BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette L ouis Wayne Ballard — or "Honga-no-zhe," meaning "Grand Eagle" in Quapaw — was born on July 8, 1931, in Devil's Promenade, Okla., near Miami. His mother was Quapaw; his father Cherokee. At 6, he was sent to the Seneca Indian Training School, where the goal was to assimilate him into white American culture. Ballard's story of cultural indoctrination is unfortunately not unusual for the time when he grew up. What makes it notable is his resistance — he continued to speak Quapaw, despite being punished for doing so; in 1962, he became the first Native American to receive a graduate degree in composition from the University of Tulsa; and in his work as a composer, he made a lifelong commitment to keeping his musical roots alive. "For one of his early educational assignments, he arranged a traditional Ponca Indian melody in the style of Chopin and Rachmaninoff," says his granddaughter, Simone Ballard, on a new website, lwballard.com. And that might be said to have set his trajectory as the "father of Native American composition." Ballard died in 2007, but his music is enjoying a revival, thanks to his granddaughter's efforts and the Fort Smith Symphony, which will perform an evening of Ballard's music April 22 — and then record it for Naxos Records. "An orchestral concert like this rarely happens anywhere. I wouldn't say it's a once in a lifetime experience, but it kind of is," says John Jeter, the symphony's music director and conductor. "The music is terrific. We will be performing two works, 'Fantasy Aborigine No. 3' and 'Devil's Promenade,' that I think after the recording is released will become standard repertoire for orchestras everywhere. "We are [also] performing his complete ballet music to 'The Four Moons,' which celebrates the legacy of Shawnee, Choctaw, Osage and Cherokee ballerinas," Jeter adds. "Ballard's first successful orchestral piece, 'Scenes from Indian Life' from 1966, will be performed with 'Feast Day,' a work he added to 'Scenes from Indian Life' 30 years later. 'Incident at Wounded Knee' is also on the program, which is perhaps his most well- known work and represents a much more contemporary and edgy style of composition. "After the Symphony performs in concert, the following two days will be spent recording the music for Naxos Records. Naxos is the leading classical music label in the world today, and we are grateful for their interest in recording Ballard's music," Jeter adds. "It's really the first orchestral recording of its kind ever done as far as we know, a recording dedicated to a historic Native American concert composer — and Ballard is considered the first." Jeter says he was made aware of Ballard's music by a member of his orchestra, Christina Giacona, who is also an expert on Indigenous music, and was assisted in the process of performing and recording it by Chickasaw composer Jared Tate and Ballard scholar Erik Ettinger. Faq Fort Smith Symphony: 'Native American Legends' WHEN — 7 p.m. April 22 WHERE — ArcBest Performing Arts Center in Fort Smith COST — $30-$50 INFO — fortsmithsymphony.org RiveR vAlley See Symphony Page 6