Feminist in the Concert Hall

Composer of the Month: Young-ja Lee (1931- )

Composer of the Month: Young-ja Lee (1931- )

By Elizabeth de Brito Young-ja Lee’s impact upon Korean classical music is enormous, with a life full of firsts: the first female composer of Western classical music in Korea; the first female composer to study abroad; one of the first (if not the first) female...

Happy Birthday, Amy Beach!

Happy Birthday, Amy Beach!

She was born Amy Marcy Cheney on this day in Henniker, NH.  In celebration we are giving away copies of our critical edition of Mvt. II -- Alla siciliana -- from her Symphony op. 32, "Gaelic" -- please fill out this form to receive your PDF copy!  Supplies are...

Alma Mahler and #MeToo (oh, and Happy Birthday, Alma!)

Alma Mahler and #MeToo (oh, and Happy Birthday, Alma!)

By Liane Curtis To honor Alma Mahler on her birthday (she was born Alma Maria Schindler on 31 August 1879 in Vienna), I thought I would highlight some of her music, but also note the issue that 17 songs are all that survive of her compositional output, and consider...

Hidden Herstory – Benjamin Britten and his Female Contemporaries

Hidden Herstory – Benjamin Britten and his Female Contemporaries

By Elizabeth de Brito Benjamin Britten may be a great composer, widely considered the fourth ‘B’ after Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. But are you aware of these four extraordinary British composers with whom he associated? Dame Elizabeth Maconchy, Grace Williams, Imogen...

Link-Round-up August 8, 2022

Link-Round-up August 8, 2022

Hope your week is off to a great start! The continuing push for women conductors, and Marin Alsop’s role in supporting more recognition, training and opportunities for women in the field is noted in this review of the “Breaking Barriers” Festival at Chicago’s Ravinia....

Composer of the Month: Gaziza Zhubanova

Composer of the Month: Gaziza Zhubanova

Note from Liane Curtis -- as professional musicologist, I've been researching women composers for over 30 years.  So every time I learn about a composer I haven't heard of, I am reminded that we still have so much we need to do!  Our culture tended to marginalize...