We’re here for another exciting week!!
Nisan Ak, conductor
On Saturday October 26, the woman-founded Turkish American Orchestra (TAO) will give its debut performance in New York’s Symphony Space under the direction Nisan Ak. Cofounded by Ak and technology executive Ulku Rowe, the orchestra promotes Western classical music by Turkish composers, Turkish classical music, and Turkish contemporary music in combination, and includes musicians from both Turkey and the United States. Including traditional Turkish instruments alongside those they typically appear in symphony orchestras, the group emphasizes their mission is “to enrich, delight, inspire, and connect diverse audiences and communities.”
Turkish American Orchestra, QR code
The concert features works by three Turkish women: singer/songwriter Sezen Aksu, Esin Aydingoz (whose cello arrangement of “Paint It Black” was nominated for a grammy in 2024), and Ilkim Tongur. Together, their work will take listeners on a journey that links Western Classical music, Jazz, Ottoman Classical music, and film music. Follow them on Instagram to keep up with their performing activities!
Dr. Samantha Ege, musicologist and pianist
Starting October 21 (OH that’s today!) the BBC’s Composer of the Week program on BBC 3 will feature the work of Margaret Bonds. The five programs are available online as well as on the radio. Guest musicologist and pianist Dr. Samantha Ege will join host Donald Macleod to share the biography and work of this pioneering African-American composer, specifically on her early life and musical training in Chicago.
On November 15, The New Orchestra of Washington will perform Camille Pépin’s The Sound of Trees and Joan Tower’s (b. 1938) Made in America on their program titled “Eroica Rising.” Among the artists it features will be Valeriya Sholokhova (cello) and Jo-Ann Sternberg (clarinet). The music of Joan Tower is already familiar to WPA readers, as her Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No.6 has featured in our recent reporting and is being played during the 2024–25 season by multiple orchestras in the United States. Below is a recording of Pépin’s L’image du jour #15, played at the 74e Festival international de musique de Besançon Franche-Comté in September 2021. A shorter piece than The Sound of Trees, it nevertheless gives good insight into the style and character of her writing.
In honor of American Archives Month (October), the Chicago Symphony hosted an #AskAnArchivist day and is featuring a number of women from its Rosenthal Archives on its website. Items of interest to WPA readers include: Marian Anderson @ 125 and Mildred Brown, the Civic Orchestra’s first female concertmaster.
Let us know what you’re listening to! Email us at [email protected].