women composers Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Music Moment: The Boulanger Initiative

By Gigi Yellen March 23, 2023

Quick: name a classical music composer. Chances are, the first names that come up are not women. Now there’s a new database that opens up centuries of women composers, linking their names to stories, performing scores, and recordings Continue Reading Music Moment: The Read More

Passing The Baton: Professor of Flute and Music History Dr. Sophia Tegart

By Anjuli Dodhia June 17, 2021

The last time orchestras had a regular concert season, few works by female composers were played. In fact, less then 9% of music programmed by the top orchestras in the U.S. were by women composers. Where are all the women? Dr. Sophia Tegart, professor of flute and music history at Washington State University is making sure they take a prominent place in her classroom. Read More

Women’s History Music Moment: Mary Terey-Smith

By NWPB Music March 19, 2021

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. Read More

Women’s History Music Moment: Barbara Strozzi

By NWPB Music March 15, 2021

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, Read More

With Her Recording Series ‘Rising Sun,’ Lara Downes Re-Centers Black Composers

By NPR News March 9, 2021

Lara Downes. Her recent album, Phenomenal Women, featured recordings of compositions by Black female composers whose legacies have been overlooked by the classical establishment. CREDIT: Max Barrett/Courtesy of the artist

Lara Downes will release a mini-album every month, for as long as she can keep it up, to highlight overlooked and forgotten compositions by Black artists in the classical music tradition. In honor of Women's History Month, its latest entry focuses on some overlooked and under-appreciated bodies of work by women composers and performers. Read More

Central Park Is Alive With The Sound Of Music, Thanks To An App With A Changing Soundscape

By NPR News October 27, 2020

Created by Pulitzer-winning composer Ellen Reid, Soundwalk lets visitors score their socially distanced walks around the park with an ever-changing, GPS-sensitive soundtrack. Continue Reading Central Park Is Alive With Read More

A New Album Re-Creates The Work Of The 1st Known Female Composers In America

By NPR News July 25, 2020

The Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County, Pa., created conditions for its inhabitants to become the first known female composers in America. CREDIT: Doug Kerr/Courtesy of the artist

Women rarely received credit for their creative work in Colonial America. But with a new album, one scholar is reviving the works of the women who lived and composed at the Ephrata Cloister. Continue Reading A New Album Re-Creates Read More