An article published by New Music Box on Sept. 1, 1999, celebrates The Women’s Philharmonic as one of twenty orchestras that are making a special commitment to new American music. Author Andrew Druckenbrod notes that TWP
… has commissioned 35 works since its first concert in 1981, the preponderance of which are by American composers. Highlights from the past decade include Katherine Hoover’s Two Sketches, Tina Davidson’s They Come Dancing, Victoria Bond’s Urban Bird, Hilary Tann’s From Afar, Cindy Cox’s Cathedral Spires (1993), and five works by Chen Yi: Antiphony (1994), A Set of Chinese Folk Songs (1994/96), Symphony No. 2 (1993), Tang Poems (1995), and Chinese Myths Cantata (1996) which resulted in a recording for New Albion
… The Philharmonic has won 14 ASCAP awards for programming contemporary music,… And in 1993, it won the ASCAP John S. Edwards Award, for strongest commitment to new American music.
… the grandest plan of all for the Women’s Philharmonic is its Fanfares project. Calling it “the single largest commissioning of new music by women composers ever,” the orchestra will pick 10 composers to write fanfares to the new millennium. The idea is to “capture the musical voices of …the best women composers working in America today, both those with national and international reputations as well as emerging artists.” Three of these works (by Jennifer Higdon, Cindy Cox and Mary Jeanne Van Appledorn) will be played in the 1999-2000 Season.
The Fanfares Project was indeed grand! The eight completed works are listed on this archived webpage.
And here is Jennifer Higdon’s Fanfare Ritmico
And Chen Yi’s Tu (Burning) (arranged for wind ensemble)
Thanks for following our TBT series of tributes to The Women’s Philharmonic!