News and music to start your week!
Sorry to be late with our update, we’re just back from Minneapolis, where huge things are happening at the Minnesota Orchestra with Maestro Sarah Hicks! A few weeks ago, the hip-hop artist Dessa live-recorded an album with the orchestra, a first for a hip-hop artists and a major symphony to collaborate in this way. Then just his weekend, April 13, Hicks led the orchestra in Amy Beach’s “Gaelic” Symphony (op. 32), a brilliant performance, and the first by the orchestra of this work in 102 years! Hicks, together with violist and commentator Sam Bergman, offered insights, and the orchestra offered some excerpts that examined and contextualized Beach’s great work. Among the issues raised were the reality of sexism having a role in shaping the canon, and also the careers of female musicians, both in the past as well as the present. We’ll report more on this important event soon, so watch this space!
Samantha Ege
We celebrated Florence Price’s birthday last week with a wonderful outpouring from musicians and scholars around the world, grateful to the invigorated interest in her life and works! Don’t miss the significant and engaging article about Price by Samantha Ege in the Kapralova Society Journal!
And speaking of Florence Price, we were excited to hear about the plans for a Florence Price Festival, to take place in Washington D.C. in August 2020! AND it promises to be annual!
Many years ago we wrote about the exciting and innovative commissioning project violinist Hilary Hahn embarked on: 27 new encore pieces for violin and piano written by 27 hand picked composers from around the world, including established as well as up-and-coming women. We are thrilled to now learn about the release of the publication of all of the works. What fantastic new repertoire! Read more at Violinist.com
The Guggenheim Foundation has announced their 2019 fellows! Find the full press release here. Among the winners in music composition are Suzanne Farrin, Zeena Parkins, Katharina Rosenberger, and Jen Shyu.
NewMusicBox shares news about a new endowed residency program for underrepresented composers through the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra.
Music critic Tim Smith observes on his blog that his beloved Baltimore Symphony Orchestra may be going backwards rather than forwards on the diversity issue, while at the same time other ensembles and events are making so much progress.
Missed attending the Women Composers Festival of Hartford? Get a recap (and exciting photos!) of the event at their website.
Be sure to tell us what we missed! [email protected]