This archive contains selected public materials concerning the New World Symphony concert project “Primous Fountain: An American Original.”
New World Symphony announcement for “Primous Fountain: An American Original,” the 2021–2022 concert project devoted exclusively to the orchestral music of Primous Fountain under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.
COMPOSER
Primous Fountain is an American symphonic composer whose work spans more than five decades and includes nine symphonies and numerous large-scale orchestral works.
Raised in Chicago’s Ida B. Wells Housing Project and largely self-taught as a composer, Fountain’s early orchestral manuscript Manifestation came to the attention of Quincy Jones, who became an early patron and later commissioned Fountain’s Symphony No. 2.
Fountain’s orchestral work Manifestation was later premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Arthur Mitchell subsequently choreographed the ballet Manifestations from the work for Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Despite continuing to compose throughout the decades, Fountain’s orchestral music has not been performed in the United States for more than forty years.
More recently, Fountain completed Symphony No. 9, a large-scale orchestral work of approximately 437 pages.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
In 2021–2022, the New World Symphony publicly announced a concert devoted exclusively to the music of Primous Fountain under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.
The project involved approximately two years of planning and preparation, including the delivery and preparation of extensive orchestral score materials.
The concert ultimately did not occur and later became the subject of ongoing federal litigation.
The project also involved discussions connected to Quincy Jones’s Qwest TV.
PUBLIC DUCUMENTS
This announcement reflects the publicly presented concert program referenced in the court filing.