News and music to start your week!
The American Composers Orchestra blog, SoundAdvice, featured a conversation with Joan Tower last week in honor of their performance of her work, Chamber Dance. The piece was included in a concert entirely of work by women composers titled “Phenomenal Women”. Learn more about the event, which was held on Friday at Carnegie Hall, here.
Nina Young was interviewed by SightLines about her new position as Assistant Professor of Composition and the Director of the Electronic Music Studios at the University of Texas’s Butler School of Music. She’s also the first woman in the composition faculty at the institution.
And to round out the list of women composers, NewMusicBox spoke with Bun-Ching Lam about her career, where she calls home, and how she composes. As usual, Frank Oteri has a fantastic and long conversation – and the website includes images and video, which you can also see below:
It’s a great season for performances of Dame Ethel Smyth’s music! Arcadian Opera (of Stowe, UK) recently performed The Wreckers, getting this positive review. Interestingly, the music director of this production is Justin Lavender, who sang the tenor lead of Mark in the 1994 performance of the opera at the Proms (the live recording was was released on CD and has been re-released by Retrospect Opera!)
Smyth’s Mass was performed at the Three Choirs Festival In July, to enthusiastic reviews, praising the work’s “glorious culminating finale, … and the affirming joy of D major.” Another major performance takes place on Nov. 15, by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. That will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
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