Feminine Fusion

January 29, 2017: Women of Color (Performers)

by Diane Jones

January 23, 2017

Marian Anderson

“While it’s great when glass ceilings are broken, when it comes down to it, it’s going to be about us and the music we make, and the kind of integrity we have as players.”  – Astrid Schween

Women continue to make inroads into the world of classical music.  Yet women of color still make up a small percentage of working classical musicians.  Today you’ll meet six women who have either made a significant impact, or are poised to do so.  From Marian Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, to the first woman and African American to join the 70-year old Juillard String Quartet, you’ll hear wonderful music from these remarkable women.

“Women of Color – Performers”

Traditional:  America
Marian Anderson, contralto; Kosti Vehanen, piano
“Marian Anderson: Let Freedom Ring!”
JSP Records 683

Franz Schubert:  Ave Maria
Marian Anderson, contralto; Kosti Vehanen, piano
“Marian Anderson: Let Freedom Ring!”
JSP Records 683

Giacomo Puccini:  Vissi d’arte (from Tosca)
Leontyne Price, soprano: Members of New York’s Leading Orchestra, James Levine conducting
Deutsche Gramaphon 427386

Johannes Brahms:  Geistliches Wiegenlied
Jessye Norman, soprano; Sir Daniel Barenboim, piano; Wolfram Christ, viola
Philips 432731

Jessie Montgomery: Rhapsody No. 1 for Solo Violin
Jessie Montgomery, violin
“Strum”
Azica Records

Gordon Green:  Rhapsody for Cello and Electronics (excerpts)
Astrid Schween, cello; Gordon Green, electronics
“Rhapsody”
JRI Recordings J142

Shulamit Ran:  Mirage
Mid-Atlantic Chamber Players (Adrienne Harding, flutes; Christopher Nichols, clarinet; Eliezer Gutman, violin; Susan Lerner, cello; Julie Nishimura, piano)
Live Performance – used with permission

Run time:  58:41

Feminine Fusion highlights the roles of women in classical music.  Host Diane Jones brings you stories and music of the women who create, perform, and inspire.  Produced in the studios at WCNY-FM.