Category Archives: Education
Nine Fantastic LGBTQI+ Classical Music Groups in Oregon
LGBTQI+ pride in Oregon has a long history, dating back to 1975 when 200 people gathered in the South Park Blocks near Portland State University for what would be Oregon’s first Pride celebration. The creation of space for LGBTQI+ individuals has gone through countless evolutions both in Oregon and worldwide. In this article, we’re featuring …
Nineteen Black Composers You Should Know
In this article, we highlight nineteen powerful voices in our musical community. Their voices and stories are essential parts of the tapestry of our musical lives. We invite you to carry their music and stories with you, today and every day. Photo courtesy of Chari Glogovac-Smith’s website
Classical Music Inspired By Young People
Some of classical music’s most charming repertoire has been music for, or about, children. Some classics, like Schumann’s Kinderszenen and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, are familiar favorites with audiences of all ages. In this list, we’ll explore a few familiar children’s pieces, as well as some lesser-known gems inspired by young people.
Champions of Music
This piece is dedicated to the unsung champions of classical music: the friends and encouragers who have come together to help the arts thrive. In this list, we’ll meet arts patrons, composers’ roommates, community leaders, aunts, teachers, choir directors, and letter writers. Each, in their own way, gave the support that was needed for music to …
Composers at Home
Many people are at home right now – working from home, studying at home, isolating at home. Have you wondered what self-isolation would have looked like for classical composers? Let’s explore some historical images and meet some Composers at Home.
What is Art Song?
Today we call them art songs, but when this specific genre first appeared in the late 18th century, they were simply “songs,” nearly always scored for what is now a classic combination: piano and voice. At the time, the Industrial Revolution was helping to create a new class of music lovers. The new Middle Class …
Seven Instrumental Pieces Inspired by Poetry
“Music and poetry have ever been acknowledg’d Sisters, which walking hand in hand, support each other; As Poetry is the harmony of Words, so Musick is that of Notes; and as Poetry is a Rise above Prose and Oratory, so is Musick the exaltation of Poetry. Both of them may excel apart, but sure they …
Five American Women Conductors You Should Know
Women are helping to shape the sound of classical music right now, as musicians, artists, and most certainly as conductors. Here are some of our favorite American women conductors. Marin Alsop Marin Alsop is an inspiring and powerful voice, a conductor of vision and distinction who passionately believes that “music has the power to change …
Women Composers from the Middle Ages to the Baroque
Throughout Western music history, women have produced innovative, moving compositions, and the realm of early music is no exception. In this list, we’ll profile nine of the many pathfinding women who composed from the Middle Ages to the High Baroque.
10 Contemporary Women Composers You Should Know
If you’re familiar with the history of classical music, you may know that historically classical music hasn’t been the most welcoming field for women, and there is a long way to go before women classical composers of today are performed and recognized at the same level as their male peers. That said, here are some …
