Julia Perry
There’s lots to celebrate as we prepare for the winter holidays!
Videmus Inc., via a new arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, is publishing editions of composer Julia Perry‘s previously-unpublished music. The Estate of Julia A. Perry (which had to be established as a legal entity) assigned copyrights for her unpublished work to Videmus Inc. in 2024—her centennial birth year. Videmus Inc. is a non-profit arts organization that focuses on presenting and promoting concert works by African American, women, and under-presented composers. When she died in 1979 only 21 of her 100 works had been published, and there was no mechanism in place at the time to acquire permission to publish the remaining music.
Perry had a remarkable artistic life. She studied composition, piano, and voice at Westminster Choir College (1943–48), earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. She went on to study at the Berkshire Music Center, the Juilliard School of Music, at Fontainebleu with Nadia Boulanger, and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. While in Europe, the U.S. Information Service sponsored her to conduct a series of concerts. She also received two Guggenheim Fellowships in music composition—one in 1954 and another in 1956. She returned to the United States after five and a half years in Europe, and taught at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Florida A&M) and at Atlanta College (as well as continuing to compose). In 1964 her opera-ballet The Selfish Giant won an American Academy of Arts and Letters Prize for music. Both the Perry Estate and Videmus hope that this series of publications will lead to an expansion of the revival of Perry’s music that we have seen this year.
Here is a performance of Perry’s Study for Orchestra, performed by the The Orchestra Now (TŌN), conducted by Joseph Young, at the Fischer Center at Bard (April 2022)
On December 2nd Composers Now announced their chosen 2024 Composers and Mentors. The program will feature three world premieres of music by their chosen composers: Over! by KiMani Bridges (mentored by Ingrid Laubrock); Home by Alicia Erlandson (mentored by Javier Diaz); and Professions for Women by Haeon Lee (mentored by Judith Clurman, and with text by Virginia Woolf).
Rachel Kelly, tubist
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has appointed Rachel Kelly as its principal tuba player — the first time a woman has held the position in the orchestra’s 75-year history. Her appointment began earlier this year following a blind audition. She has played with orchestras throughout Australia, including: the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the Tasmanian Symphony. Before her orchestral career she studied at the Queensland Conservatorium and the Australian National Academy of Music, and performed as a soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony and the Queensland Conservatorium Orchestra. We look forward to hearing gorgeous sounds from the TSO tuba section under Kelly’s leadership!
On December 5, 2024 at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (Memphis, TN) an all-women ensemble from Iris Collective presented their concert “Resonating Herstory: Powerful Women in Art and Music“—a program of music by women composers as part of the Power and Absence exhibition. The ongoing exhibition presents art that explores themes of power and visibility in the lives and social roles of women in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The concert, which was staged within the exhibit, was designed to explore intersections between art and music by presenting music composed and performed by women alongside the art.
For those who can’t get enough Christmas music, Alternative Classical has published a Spotify and YouTube playlist of Christmas choral music by female and non-binary composers. They have a companion article to go with it, which includes links to buy sheet music as well as introductions to their chosen pieces. Featured composers include WPA favorites like Errolyn Wallen CBE, Libby Larsen, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, and Florence Price, as well as some faces that may be new to listeners like Kerry Andrew and Becky McGlade.
Let us know what you’re listening to! Email us at [email protected]