Celebrate July 4th With “Made in America”

by sarah | Jul 3, 2015

As those of us in the U.S. get the grill and lawn chairs ready to celebrate the 4th of July, why not take a few minutes to listen to some patriotic music? American composer Joan Tower was approached about completing a new work  in 2001 – but it wasn’t a...

Grieving and healing: Julia Perry’s “Stabat Mater”

by Liane Curtis | Jun 30, 2015

The U.S. continues to mourn the massacre of nine African Americans in a South Carolina church.  At the Rev. Clementa Pinckney’s funeral service, President Barack Obama drew on the healing power of words melded with music, as he sang “Amazing Grace.”  This was a...

Portrait of the Composer as a Young Woman

by Liane Curtis | Jun 5, 2015

As noted earlier, I’m performing in the BARS Concert June 6. I’ve written the program notes for the concert, and here they are! The three pieces on our program today are linked, as our title suggests, by all being composed when their creators were young...

WPA President as Orchestral Cellist

by Liane Curtis | May 21, 2015

“I’d like to play in that,” was my immediate reaction on hearing about the program planned for June 6, 2015, by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony in San Francisco.   I’d been communicating with BARS about how to obtain the score and parts for Ethel Smyth’s...

Remembering Margaret Garwood

by sarah | May 6, 2015

Philadelphia based composer Margaret Garwood has died at the age of 88.  David Patrick Sterns of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a thoughtful remembrance. She was interviewed by WRTI and profiled in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2010, shortly before the premiere of her...

Composers to Know: Laura Pettigrew

by sarah | Apr 28, 2015

Canadian composer Laura Pettigrew is internationally recognized for her compositions – which include works for voice, large ensemble, chamber ensembles, and film.  Pettigrew is also actively involved several organizations working for equal representation for...