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Music Podcasts

Women composers have historically been left almost entirely out of the classical music canon, and still struggle today to have their work heard. Join Elisabeth Blair as she speaks with composers from around the world about their lives and their music.

Location:

United States

Description:

Women composers have historically been left almost entirely out of the classical music canon, and still struggle today to have their work heard. Join Elisabeth Blair as she speaks with composers from around the world about their lives and their music.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Patricia Martínez

9/27/2019
Composer Patricia Martínez on sexism in Argentina, the visual power of performance, and surviving the production of an opera.

Duration:00:23:40

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Eleanor Alberga

8/30/2019
Eleanor Alberga on the value of persistence, racism as a form of insanity, and using music to exorcise fear.

Duration:00:28:32

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Elizabeth Lain

7/27/2019
Composer Elizabeth Lain discusses the independence that sample libraries afford, the self-defeating nature of elitism, and how classical music's relevance hinges on the inclusion of marginalized voices.

Duration:00:23:43

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Ayumi Okada

6/28/2019
Composer Ayumi Okada on speaking through music, the courage needed to move to a foreign country, and the importance of not compromising your creative voice.

Duration:00:26:10

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Mara Gibson

5/31/2019
Composer Mara Gibson on map-making, escapism, and taking inspiration from poetry.

Duration:00:25:13

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Kaley Lane Eaton

4/27/2019
Composer and sound artist Kaley Lane Eaton depicts an immigrant's experience in the Pacific Northwest in 1915, discusses the pressure on young women to prioritize being "sexy and noticed" over being creative, and explores how grief is stored in the lungs.

Duration:00:30:11

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Alondra Vega-Zaldivar

1/26/2019
Composer Alondra Vega-Zaldivar on humor, storytelling, and the vital roles artists play as philosophers and messengers.

Duration:00:23:55

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Reena Esmail

11/30/2018
Composer Reena Esmail on mentorship, music as sustenance, and the wisdom of preparing for “wild success.”

Duration:00:31:03

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Jenn Kirby

10/26/2018
Irish composer and musician Jenn Kirby on learning music theory as an adult from “kiddy” workbooks, breaking a sweat in a laptop orchestra, and how to enjoy music you hate.

Duration:00:27:50

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Judith Shatin

8/31/2018
Composer Judith Shatin talks about visiting the inside of a coal mine, working with early mainframe computers, and blooming where you're planted.

Duration:00:28:41

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Emily Doolittle

7/27/2018
Emily Doolittle on transcribing whale songs, crafting faux bird calls, and dealing with the cultural attitude that women can learn from "the great masters" but cannot join their ranks.

Duration:00:28:09

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Sakari Dixon Vanderveer

6/13/2018
Composer Sakari Dixon Vanderveer on composing in middle school, the saxophone as a wild animal, and daring to be visible.

Duration:00:23:51

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Bobbie-Jane Gardner

5/25/2018
British composer Bobbie-Jane Gardner on music inspired by cooking, Noam Chomsky, and the city of Birmingham.

Duration:00:29:36

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Andrea Reinkemeyer

4/26/2018
Andrea Reinkemeyer on the beauty of detail, adventures in linguistic misunderstandings, and choosing your mentors carefully.

Duration:00:23:42

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Nicole Murphy

3/22/2018
Australian composer Nicole Murphy on teaching in the outback, the ambiguity of music, and the benefit of being oblivious.

Duration:00:25:22

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Elizabeth A. Baker

1/2/2018
Elizabeth A. Baker on falling in love from the point of view of a neurotransmitter, making music from bicycle parts, and the legacy of Nina Simone.

Duration:00:29:28

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Dganit Elyakim

11/27/2017
Composer Dganit Elyakim on nuclear ducks, the gendered art of bargaining, and composing as a process of writing love songs.

Duration:00:27:21

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Lauren Sarah Hayes

10/12/2017
Composer and improviser Lauren Sarah Hayes on making and experiencing sound — in a mausoleum, next to a waterfall, and through specially built furniture.

Duration:00:27:54

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Marga Richter

9/29/2017
Composer Marga Richter on how her family rearranged their lives to support her path, what it was like being the only woman composer in her Juilliard class, and where music might come from.

Duration:00:25:40

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Aftab Darvishi

7/24/2017
Composer Aftab Darvishi speaks about blending musical traditions, having her work deemed "feminine," and the state of new music in Iran.

Duration:00:25:13