This special afternoon of music and stories will feature women composers for the piano over a 250-year period. You’ll get to know Élisabeth Claude Jacquet de La Guerre, a musician in the court of Louis XIV of France; Marianna Martines, a favorite duet partner of Mozart’s; Florence Price, the first African-American woman to gain widespread recognition as a composer; and other composers representing a variety of time periods, from when Bach was two years old to the early 20th century. Like women today, these composers struggled with sexism, with imposter syndrome, with being mothers who were also artists, and with gaining professional recognition. Most of them wondered if they were really amateurs underneath it all. Yet they composed anyway. Prepare to be inspired!
According to audiences, Piano: An All-Woman Show is “astonishingly beautiful and informative,” combining “warm, wise, and funny curation” with “soulful and formidable artistry.”
This performance is designed to be especially accessible for students and will be followed by an informal Q&A session with the artist.
Saturday, August 24 from 2:30–5pm
CMC Concert Hall
Tickets: $20 General, Free for Students (present student ID at check-in)
Reserve tickets here
An audience favorite and quarter-finalist at the 2016 Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition, Brianna Conrey (www.briannaconrey.com) is known for her elegantly expressive interpretations of familiar standards as well as for “pushing the repertoire envelope,” resulting in “standout performances” (Theater Jones). Critics have praised her “glittering scales,” “sparkling voicing,” and “well-shaped, clarified vision.” Equally at home with words as she is with music, Brianna’s “magical,” “heartwarming” stories balance poignant observation with the “joyfully humorous.” Her writing focuses on modern womanhood, creativity, and family life, and has been featured in P.S. I Love You, Forge, and Human Parts.