Leopold Stokowski was one of the greatest conductors of all time. Born in London on April 18, 1882, he started his musical career as an organist. In 1903, he took the post of principal organist at St. James’ Church in London, situated in a small side off the famous Piccadilly. Although only 21 years old, he became soon well-known and after two years received an offer from St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York, which he accepted enthusiastically. The congregation loved him, particularly for his uncommon musical repertoire.

Pare Lorentz's films "The Plow that Broke the Plains" (1936) and "The River" (1937) are landmark American documentary films. Aesthetically, they break new ground in seamlessly marrying pictorial imagery, symphonic music, and free poetic verse, all realized with supreme artistry. Ideologically, they indelibly encapsulate the strivings of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal". Virgil Thomson's scores for both films are among the most famous ever composed for the movies.