News and music to start your week!
The San Diego Union-Tribune profiles the life and work of composer Gabriela Lena Frank, pictured above. The article discusses her identities as a disabled woman of color (being of Peruvian, Chinese, and Lithuanian heritage). The composer’s work is being presented at La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest 2021
Composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery speaks to Julia Adolphe about her creative work and the process of anti-racism, in Adolphe’s podcast about creativity and mental health – Looseleaf Notebook. Watch the conversation on YouTube, or just listen in through SoundCloud, streaming below:
The New York Times features the life and work of Nadia Boulanger – not just as the highly regarded teacher of so many, but also as a conductor and a composer. Learn more about her life, see photos of her younger years, and tune into a playlist of some of her works. The article is a prelude to the Bard Music Festival, which will feature Boulanger, the first focus on a woman in its three-decade history.
Continuing the discussion of the discrimination faced by Asian musicians, Van Magazine explores more personal stories from contemporary musicians, exploring the ways in which racism continues to be rampant and systemic in classical music. The NYTimes has also been exploring the issue.
Learn more about 19th c. composer Augusta Holmès and the challenges she, and her contemporary women composers, faced in tearing down systems set up to prevent them from pursuing a career in music. Dan Reifsnyder shares a guest post at Hypebot about her life and work.
Musica femina munich has awarded its 2021 commission to Croatian-born composer Sara Glojnaric. The work will be premiered by the Munich Chamber Orchestra in 2022/23 and is funded by the City of Munich.
What did we miss? What are you reading? Let us know at [email protected]