Pauline Viardot, like many other women featured this month, was fortunate to be born into a musical family. Born in Paris in 1821, Viardot (nee Garcia) has Spanish ancestry. Her parents were opera singers and fostered her talents as a singer, though she was also a...
Lili Boulanger’s life ended tragically on March 15, 1918 – 93 years ago today. The younger sister of Nadia Boulanger, Lili was a child prodigy and accomplished a great deal in her short 24 years. Born and raised in Paris to a musical family, she repotedly tagged along...
I recently wrote about the news from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra that they are making a concerted effort to include and recognize the contributions of women musicians in their 2011-2012 concert season. Just days after the BSO news was announced, I learned that...
Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) was born in Italy to a prominent family. She entered a convent at the age of 16, which was common for upper-class daughters at the time, and gained local fame for her compositions. She was a rather prolific composer, which is significant...
Augusta Holmès (1847-1903) was born in Paris to Irish ancestry. Though she was prevented from studying at the Paris Conservatory, she did take lessons privately and studied with César Franck. She first published her compositions under the pseudonym Hermann Zenta, but...
