Virtual Concert: Featuring Women Composers

THE CONCERT

“Welcome to our virtual concert. Today we will focus on women composers. These four women are just the beginning of a long list of talented female composers.”

“Ruth Crawford Seeger was a composer, a pianist, and an expert in American folk music. This piece of music is called Piano Study in Mixed Accents, and it is performed by Jenny Lin.”

“Our next piece of music is composed by Jessie Montgomery. She is a composer, violinist, and teacher. She lives and works in her hometown, New York City. She grew up listening to many different kinds of music, which influenced her composition style. She is still an active string player and often performs her own works.

“The piece we will listen to is called Starburst, performed by the Minnesota Orchestra. As you listen, think about the title. What do you think Starburst means? How does the music communicate that meaning?”

“Angélica Negrón (ann-HEH-lee-kah neh-GROWN) was born in Puerto Rico and now lives in New York. She takes a creative approach to instruments, sometimes using sounds from robots, toys, and even vegetables in her musical compositions. Yes, you heard that correct – vegetables!

“Today we will watch and listen to her piece Sembrar & Pasajero (sehm-BRAHR, pah-sah-HEH-roh). The composer is performing her own work here. It is the longest piece of the concert by far, and there is so much to watch!”

“Our final composer, Caroline Shaw, is a composer, violinist, and a singer. She was born in North Carolina and now lives in New York City. She composes for many different types of ensembles and won a very important prize for one of her compositions.

“Today we will hear a movement from one of Caroline Shaw’s string quartets, called Plan & Elevation. The string players begin by playing pizzicato, or plucking their strings.”

“Thank you for attending today’s virtual concert. We hope you enjoyed learning about a few notable women composers, and we hope you’ll share what you learned with someone else today.”

EXTEND learning

Choose one or more of the following activities to extend learning.

1. Pick a composer from this list of 10 women composers to compare to the four composers in this Virtual Concert.

2. Choose from this collection of podcasts and curated streams to continue learning about famous women composers.

3. Check out our listening lesson all about Jessie Montgomery and her Musical Influences.

FULL CONCERT PLAYLIST