Feminist in the Concert Hall
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
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
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
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...
2022-23 Repertoire Report: Are the top-level US Orchestras committed to Diversity?
While several other organizations now produce reports on the programming by orchestras in regard to diversity of composers, WPA started with our annual report in 2008, and we have consistently focused on the same set, the top level of U.S. orchestras. This provides...
Link Round-Up: July 25, 2022
Africlassical blog brings us lots of good news! We always love hearing what Jeri Lynne Johnson and Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra are up to (pictured, Johnson at left leading a workshop) – fantastic news that they have been awarded a Mellon Foundation Grant for their...