Paniz Far Youssefi, conductor
Here’s some recent news for your Monday!
On November 14th, Paniz Far Youssefi became the first woman to conduct the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. It’s a significant achievement in its own right, but even more when one considers how much women’s professional and cultural lives are still heavily restricted in Iran. Adding that this was a public performance before a mixed-gender audience makes it even more remarkable. She described afterward: “When I stepped onto the stage, I noticed that all eyes were on a woman conducting the orchestra, and I felt an immense responsibility.” She led the 50-piece Tehran orchestra through a program of music by Franz Schubert, Jean Sibelius and Aram Khachaturian.
Joan Tower, composer
On November 20th the Curtis New Music Ensemble launches its 2025–26 series in Gould Rehearsal Hall. Its program We the Artists celebrates America’s 250th birthday and the diversity that makes up its rich culture. The program features works inspired by Indigenous, African American, and South American heritage. Works by acclaimed American composers include: Clarice Assad’s Canções da America, Carlos Simon’s Giants, Valerie Coleman’s Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes, Sofia Gubaidulina’s Letter to the Poetess Rimma Dalos, and Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6 were all chosen to fit the All-School theme: “Bold Experiments: Reflections on Music and Democracy.” The ensemble will give a second performance on November 21 at The Arnhold Center in New York City as part of Curtis on Tour, the school’s Nina von Maltzahn global touring initiative.
On November 23rd, the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale will perform Amy Beach’s The Canticle of the Sun on their program Songs of Joy. The program of works for choir, soloists, and orchestra will also include works by Dvořák and Mozart, and will be performed at Harold Miossi Hall at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on the Cal Poly campus. Beach’s work is a musical setting of thirteenth-century text by St. Francis of Assisi. It enjoyed two premieres, one with organ (1928) and one with orchestra (1930). The option for organ performance has made the work enduringly popular with smaller choirs as well as larger festival choirs.
Below is a recording of Beach’s Canticle of the Sun, performed by the Concert Singers of Cary Symphonic Choir and the Mallarmé Music – Orchestra (directed by Nathan Leaf) in April, 2023.
Dr. KuanFen Liu, conductor
On November 23, 2025 the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra (Ventura, CA) will perform its second concert of the season, Women in Classical Music, at the Ventura First United Methodist Church. The concert features work by three women composers: Germaine Tailleferre’s Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra, Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in D minor, and Emilie Mayer’s Symphony No. 7 in F minor. Pianist Natasha Kislenko is the featured soloist, and artistic director Dr. KuanFen Liu leads the orchestra.
Dr. Liu is “a passionate advocate for women in classical music. She has established a lasting legacy in Ventura County. served sixteen years as Music Director of the Chancel Choir at the First United Methodist Church of Ventura and is the founder of both the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra and the Channel Islands Choral Association. Through these organizations, she has expanded access to classical music, created meaningful opportunities for emerging artists, and nurtured young voices throughout the region.” (Conductor bio)
On November 23 the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra of Bloomington, MN will perform Florence Price’s Concert Overture No. 1 on a program that also includes music by Dvořák and Vaughan Williams. The Concert Overture (1939) is based on the spiritual, “Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass,” and is a fantastic example of Price’s late-career voice.
Below is the 2025 recording of Price’s Concert Overture, performed by the Württembergische Philharmonic Reutlingen conducted by John Jeter.
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