(1895–1978), U.S. composer and conductor. Born on May 11, 1895, in Woodville, Miss., Still was the first African American to conduct a major United States symphony orchestra (the Los Angeles Philharmonic). The winner of Guggenheim and Rosenwald fellowships, he was called “the dean of Afro-American composers.” His music expressed what he considered black themes and subjects as well as his personal experiences, as in his ‘Afro-American Symphony' (1931). He completed five symphonies, seven operas, several ballets, and many other concert works. Still also was an arranger and conductor for radio and television as well as a composer of songs for musical shows and motion pictures.