womenperformhers

featuring music composed by women

 

About womenperformhers:

womenperformhers was formed in 1982 with the goal of performing and promoting the repertoire of music composed by women. For centuries the music of women composers was ignored, yet womenperformhers found no dearth of quality music in this genre. Happily, in recent decades women composers have flourished, providing yet more music for us to present.

womenperformhers has delighted audiences and critics alike with music from the past as well as new pieces. We encourage female composers, poets, artists with commissions and performances. Lyrics for compositions often include commissions from local poets.

While committed to performing the works of women composers, concerts frequently include chamber music from the standard repertoire.

A typical womenperformhers recital might include:

• Clara Schumann
• Les Six, with emphasis on Germaine Tailleferre
• Local and nationaly known composers like;
  Maura Bosch, Sarah Miller, Carol Barnett, Sherry Wohlers Ladig, Jeanie Brindley-Barnett, Erica Foin and Libby Larsen.

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womenperformhers

Soprano
Nancy Cox has been singing and teaching in the Upper Midwest for more than 30 years. She has appeared in concert with Concentus Musicus of Minnesota, Musica Antiqua, Musica Primavera, Ex Machina, and the Lyra Concert. As a soloist, she has appeared in Poland, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany and France. In addition to singing with womenperformhers, she is frequently heard in the Twin Cities with Jim Reilly, piano. She teaches singing in the music department of Minneapolis Community and Technical College, conducts voice workshops throughout the Twin Cities, and also maintains a private teaching studio where she coaches singers and other voice users of all styles and levels of ability.

 

Violin
Judith Eisner a founding member of womenperformhers, has taught violin at MacPhail Center for Music since 1986. Judith is a versatile performer in many styles, including classical, Baroque, klezmer, Irish, and French Canadian. She has arranged music for English Contra dances for many years. Judith presently works with Eisner's Klezmorim and Dance Revels Moving History. She holds a music degree from University of Connecticut. When not playing her violin, Judith might be found walking around city lakes, knitting, learning yiddish, or playing her accordion.

Clarinet
Isla Hejny received her Doctor of Musical Arts in clarinet from the University of Minnesota. Active as a music educator, she taught at the University of St. Thomas and College of St. Catherine for many years. In addition to many solo recitals, she has performed at the conventions of International Clarinet Association and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors. Her articles have been published in both The Clarinet and the NACWPI Journal.

Cello
Molly Wilbur received a four year scholarship to the University of Wisconsin, where she graduated with a BA in music. She was also granted a scholarship to the Institute for Advanced Musical Studies in Sion, Switzerland. Besides playing assistant principal cello in the Victoria Symphony Orchestra of British Columbia, Ms. Wilbur-Cohen has played in several orchestras in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Virginia.

Piano
Guna Skujina studied at the University of Minnesota with Bernhard Weiser (piano), Heinrich Fleischer (organ) Arnold Caswell (choral conducting) and Louise Guhl (piano pedagogy). She has been a member of the faculty at MacPhail Center for Music since 1974 teaching piano to students of all ages. Guna has performed on the MacPhail/Walker Art Center chamber music series, with "sfz" the MacPhail Center new music ensemble, with Evelyn Lee in the Schubert Club Metropolitan Artists series and accompanied numerous soloists in the Latvian Concert Association of Minnesota concert series. Presently Ms. Skujina is Director of Music at the Latvian Ev. Lutheran Church of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Viola
Stella Anderson holds a B.M.E. from Indiana University at Bloomington, IN, where she studied with William Primrose and David Dawson. She maintains a large class of violists and violinists at MacPhail Center for the Arts and Macalester College. She is also a chamber coach for the Augsburg College Suzuki Institute. In the summer she teaches at the Sartory String Quartet Institute and performs with the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra and the Superior String Alliance Festival Orchestra as principal viola in Marquette, MI. Ms. Anderson is a past president of MN ASTA and recipient of the 1995 MN ASTA Master Teacher Award. She is also an Artist Member of Thursday Musical, a board member of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies and the newly merged MN ASTA with NSOA (MNSOTA). Ms. Anderson is a native of Hawaii and she enjoys visiting the lovely isles as a break from Minnesota's six months of winter!

F.F.I. Call: 651-690-4936
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