Music & Culture
Classical Music Posts
Women’s History Music Moment: Mary Terey-Smith
The conductor Mary Terey-Smith made music history here in the Pacific Northwest, as a result of a political revolution half a world away. This Hungarian-born music talent, student of Kodaly at the legendary Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, hadn’t been out in the working world very long when the 1956 Hungarian Revolution turned her into a refugee.
Women’s History Music Moment: Barbara Strozzi
Barbara Strozzi changed the face of vocal music with her stunning and emotional song collections.
Born to a famous poet and librettist, she was encouraged to follow her artistic talents from an early age and received a musical education from other famous Italian composers.
Strozzi wasn’t afraid to experiment. She made a big name herself in the 17th century, writing songs for sopranos and mezzos, and collections of non religious music; songs and texts that have lived for 400 years.
Women’s History Music Moment: Louise Farrenc
Louise Farrenc inspired the world and demanded what she deserved – something we can all aspire to.
A musician, composer and teacher ahead of her time, she gained fame as an incredible performer, wrote award winning music and taught at the Paris conservatory for 30 years as the only woman on staff in the 19th century.
On A Remote Island, A Music School Flourishes
As pianist Mahani Teave was poised to launch her international career, she remembered the moment when the first piano arrived on her remote island. It was 1992, she was nine years old and the instrument landed on Rapa Nui, or Easter Island as it was named by Europeans. Best known for its mysterious, sentinel-like stone statues, the island lies some 2000 miles off the coast of Chile.
The Mid-Columbia Mastersingers Go Virtual
When the pandemic abruptly put an end to live concerts and musical theatre last year, performing arts groups had to scramble to re-invent themselves online. For the Richland-based Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, that meant changing the way they hear themselves.
Women’s History Music Moment: Margriet Tindemans
Maestra Margriet Tindemans made history as a performer of early music. The Pacific Northwest was her home for the final three decades of her influential career, but she started as a child violinist in a 1950s European youth orchestra. Born in the Netherlands, Tindemans developed mastery on all manner of medieval, renaissance and baroque string instruments, adding her authoritative performances to early-music ensembles worldwide. When a concert tour brought her to Seattle in 1986, she fell in love, decided to stay, and began her historic impact on the musical life of the Pacific Northwest.
