This week we remember the life and work of Pauline Viardot (1821-1910). A French composer, educator, and mezzo-soprano of Spanish descent, Viardot had an extensive performing and compositional career beginning at a young age. Lucky enough to find family support in...
This week marks the 104th birthday of American composer and conductor Peggy Stuart Coolidge (1913-1981). She began her career as a concert pianist, but turned to composition when a student at the New England Conservatory. Though her early works are for piano, most of...
This week we are remembering the life and work of British composer and soprano Liza Lehmann (1862-1918). Born into a privileged family, Lehmann was given the opportunity to study music from a very early age in voice and composition. Her teachers included Hamish...
Saturday, June 24, is the 101st birthday of American composer and music educator Ruth Shaw Wylie (1916-1989). Born in Ohio, Wylie grew up in Detroit and considered herself to be, “a fairly typical Midwestern composer”. After earning her PhD in composition at...
Saturday, June 17, would have been the 98th birthday of Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006). Ustvolskaya studied at the Leningrad Conservatory and was a pupil of Shostakovich who was a champion for her works, even though her style evolved to be distinctly...
Today (May 31) is the 213th birthday of composer, educator, and virtuosic pianist Louise Farrenc (1804-1875). A celebrated composer in her time, she was the student of Muzio Clementi and Anton Reicha. She had tremendous support of her family, which led to an...
