Evelyn LaRue Pittman

Evelyn LaRue Pittman (January 6, 1910 – December 1992) was an American composer, choral director and music educator. Life and career Early life Evelyn LaRue Pittman was born on January 6, 1910 in McAlester, Oklahoma. Her interest in music began at a young age, and she began composing songs in the first grade. Her musical interest continued into high school, where she participated in school musicals and sang in their “well-known choir”, of which she was the first Black member. Later life Pittman attended public school in Oklahoma City, and later attended Spelman College and Oklahoma University, where she received her master’s degree. While in school, Pittman studied violin, trombone, and harmony. She also received a life certificate from Langston University to teach music and social studies in the state of Oklahoma. In New York, Pittman received a permanent certificate from Columbia University to teach public school music on any level in the New York Education Department, and ended up teaching in the Greenburgh School District. Pittman then studied composition at the Juilliard School of Music and was likely the first black Oklahoman to study at the school. She then collaborated with