Hale Smith, Jr. was a performer, composer, arranger, and teacher who worked in both jazz and classical music. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he studied jazz and classical music in composition, performance, and teaching from a young age. He collaborated with others and sought to bring together the ideas of improvisation found in jazz and the precise written form of classical music. His work and influence crossed these musical styles throughout his career. Born on June 29, 1925, in Cleveland to Hale and Jimmie Smith, he started piano lessons at age seven and collected musical scores early on. His parents supported his interests, and by high school he was playing jazz piano and composing music. One of his early works was encouraged by the great jazz musician Duke Ellington. After serving in World War II, he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music by 1952. His first opera, Blood Wedding, was performed in Cleveland in 1953, and he later moved to New York City, where he workedwithmusicpublishinghousesandteaching. In New York, Smith performed as ajazz pianist and arranger, workingwithprominentartists such as Chico Hamilton, Dizzy Gillespie, Eric Dolphy, and others. He also taught at C.W. Post College until 1970. That year, he became a professor of music at the University of Connecticut, focusing more on classical composition, creating works for solo instruments, chamber groups, choirs, and orchestras. Some notable compositions include In Memoriam, Beryl Rubinstein, Faces of Jazz, and Innerflexions, all performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He also arranged spirituals loved by singers Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman. Smith was recognized as the first African American to earn the Cleveland Art Prize in Music in 1973. He held an honorary doctorate from the Cleveland Institute of Music and served on the New York State Council on the Arts and various composer organizations. He passed away on November 24, 2009, at age 84 due to stroke-related complications. He was survived by his wife Juanita, four children, and three grandchildren.