“Singing Sunflowers” by Alison Cimmet, 2021, paper, collage & acrylic paint on canvas
The concert “Legends, Legacy & Longevity” on Sunday, March 5, will showcase female composers from the mid-19th century to the present, heralding International Women’s Day on March 8. The performance, at 4 p.m. at Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in Ardsley, is the second of three chamber music concerts presented annually by the nonprofit cultural organization RiverArts.
The 90-minute program includes pieces by Clara Schumann, Nadia Boulanger, Lili Boulanger, Amy Beach, Hilary Tann, Kim D. Sherman, and Thea Musgrave.
Doug Coe, producer of the chamber music series, described the concert as tracing “some of the history of women composers down through the years.”
“Clara Schumann was looked up to by all subsequent women composers,” Coe said. “The Boulanger sisters made a huge impact, both as composers and Nadia as a teacher of composition. Thea Musgrave studied with Boulanger; Kim Sherman studied with Musgrave. So, we will get to hear three generations along a continuing strand of pedagogic continuity.”
“It is appropriate to celebrate the work of these female composers, yes, but actually their work was chosen for its beauty and vibrance,” said cellist Peter Seidenberg of Hastings, the artistic director of the chamber music series. “Their music transcends all boundaries, including those of gender.”
In addition to Seidenberg, the program features Allison Charney (voice), April Johnson (violin), Craig Ketter (piano), and Tomoko Uchino (piano). Charney has participated in the RiverArts chamber music concert series five times; she has also interviewed Musgrave for WQXR Radio and collaborated with Sherman. The vocalist shares Seidenberg’s sense of the “transcendent nature of the music” they will perform.
“These are definitely stand-alone works, and so it shouldn’t matter if the composer was male or female,” Charney said. “Still, a concert like this could be inspiring to all those young female composers who are just starting. And, there are so many established women composers, making a selection for this concert was tortuous.”
Seidenberg said he had “great fun” doing the arrangements.
“There is every possible combo of instruments — violin, cello, piano — and as we will have two pianos, certain sections will have four hands with each of the other instruments,” he said.
Sherman, a Manhattan resident, will be at the concert. Welsh-born Tann, who was also scheduled to attend, passed away on Feb. 8, at age 75, in upstate New York. She was the John Howard Payne Professor of Music Emerita at Union College in Schenectady.
“I was shocked and so very sad,” Seidenberg said. “We had been in touch so often this past year and she was always gracious and helpful.”
For RiverArts executive director Josh Suniewick of Hastings, the concert is an example of the organization fulfilling its mission to bring the Rivertowns communities together and give them multidisciplinary art forms.
“It is also an exciting way to commemorate International Women’s Day,” he said.
Following the performance there will be a discussion moderated by RiverArts’ “Artist Conversation” producer Marie Louise Miller of Hastings. For general admission tickets, which cost $40, as well as information about reduced-price tickets, visit riverarts.org. St. Barnabas is located at 2 Revolutionary Road.
