Arthur Cunningham; Pianist, Composer and Conductor

Arthur Cunningham, 68, composer, pianist and conductor known for combining classical themes with rock and jazz. His eclectic repertoire included a rock opera, “His Natural Grace,” in 1969 and a theatrical piece called “Night Song” in 1973 that featured texts in Swahili and the Gullah dialect of South Carolina. A version of Cunningham’s 1968 “Concentrics” was performed by Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic in 1989, and his “Lullaby for a Jazz Baby” was frequently performed by the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in the early 1980s. A native of Piermont, N.Y., he began leading a jazz band and composing for it at age 12. He studied music at Fisk University, Columbia University Teachers College and the Juilliard School. As a pianist, he performed jazz accompaniment for his wife, cabaret singer Kate Davidson. Cunningham also taught piano and composition and worked as a vocal coach. On Monday in Nyack, N.Y., of prostate cancer.