Women in Music Festival: All-Higdon Concert, March 28

by | Mar 29, 2014

Sorry to have gotten behind in the blogging!  Here is last night’s concert, March 28. I love Jennifer Higdon’s music.  BUT I did have some trepidation that a whole concert of her music might be a bit much. My concern was needless.  The evening was completely...
Wang Jie on the Fast Track

Wang Jie on the Fast Track

by | Mar 28, 2014

In a relatively short time Wang Jie has made quite an impression on the classical music establishment. Last June the Orchestra of the League of Composers premiered Wang’s Oboe Concerto for the Genuine Hearts of Sadness, a work it had commissioned with funding in...

Madeline Dring

by | Mar 23, 2014

Madeline Dring (1923-1977) was an English composer born into a musical family, like so many women who would find any success in what was an otherwise unfriendly environment for female musicians.  Her talent was recognized early and nurtured—she began music lessons at...

Julia Perry: Neoclassicism at its Best

by | Mar 16, 2014

We’ve featured American composer Julia Perry (1924-1979) on this blog before, but the excellence of her music—and the neglect it still faces—bears more mention. Born in Ohio, Perry received support from her parents for her musical endeavors from an early age.  A...

Thea Musgrave: Britain’s Favorite Composer

by | Mar 15, 2014

Scottish-born Thea Musgrave (b. 1928) was a student of Nadia Boulanger and Aaron Copland, and during the course of her lifetime composed 12 operas (often featuring prominent female historical figures, like Harriet Tubman and Mary, Queen of Scots) and many orchestral...
Nkeiru Okoye

Nkeiru Okoye

by | Mar 11, 2014

Nkeiru Okoye was born in New York (1972), and growing up, frequently visited her father’s native Nigeria.  She won a song-writing competition at age 13, and decided to study composition seriously.   She received degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory (BA) and Rutgers...