A Look at Dame Ethel Smyth

Remembered for her political work as well as her compositions, Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) was an inspiring and impressive figure in Britain throughout her lifetime. Though she received resistance from her family as she pursued a career in music, she was rather...

Hilary Hahn Commissions New Works

Award winning violinist and former child prodigy, as well as active soloist, Hilary Hahn has recently announced a new project, commissioning 27 new encore pieces. The news was released on her professional website. Hahn reportedly sought to increase and diversify the...
Remembering Beatritz de Dia

Remembering Beatritz de Dia

The first installment of women you should know (but probably don’t) is Beatritz de Dia (c. 1140- c. 1175). More commonly known today as Countessa (or Comtessa) de Dia, she is the most remembered of the trobairitz (female troubadours), and wrote courtly love songs....
Artist Profile: Johanna Beyer

Artist Profile: Johanna Beyer

The Performing Arts Department of the Library of Congress publishes a semi-regular blog titled In the Muse. The blog has great information featuring items that are held in D.C. and are available for perusal. A Music Cataloger at the LOC, Laura Yust, was a recent...
June Boyce-Tillman Premiere

June Boyce-Tillman Premiere

British composer and educator June Boyce-Tillman just premiered a new work in honor of Julian of Norwich(appropriately) at the Norwich Cathedral. Though the premiere managed did not appear even as a blip on the radar of music journalists, the work or performance did...

Alex Ross, Works by Women and the NYPhil

That the New York Philharmonic has a poor history of including women composers in their season offerings isn’t news, at least not to Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy or those of you who have been following our work.  Data from repertoire reports (which I wrote about here...