Women’s History Month

Posted on February 23, 2020

All Classical Portland highlights women composers and artists year-round, and in March we like to take a closer look at the many contributions that women have made in classical music. Here’s a look at what’s coming up on All Classical Portland this March, in recognition of Women’s History Month. All broadcast times listed are Pacific Time.

Recommended reading: Five American Women Conductors You Should Know, Nine Black Women Who Changed Opera Forever, 10 Contemporary Women Composers You Should Know, Women Composers from the Middle Ages to the Baroque

photo collage of women

Kick-off to Women's History Month!
March 1, 7am-10pm

All Classical Portland begins Women’s History Month with 15 hours of continuous music created entirely by women composers, conductors, and artists. Photo credits, left to right: Angela Brown courtesy of Denver Urban Spectrum, Caroline Shaw by Kait Moreno, Marin Alsop by Grant Leighton, Gabriela Lena Frank courtesy of UT Austin.

Played in Oregon
March 7, 1pm

Host Brandi Parisi presents music by pioneering and contemporary women composers from Amy Beach to Caroline Shaw and points in between, from a concert called Vive La Femme with Mousai remix, and a 2019 Chamber Music Northwest concert featuring Miró Quartet

Featured Music
Vive la Femme concert by mousai REMIX
process by K.R. Palka, a commission by mousai REMIX
Piano Quintet in F Sharp Minor by Amy Beach
Poem for String Quartet by Rebecca Clarke
Entr’acte by Pulitzer-prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, performed by Miró Quartet, from a Chamber Music Northwest concert in July, 2019.

photo of mousai remix
photo of Dijana Ihas

Where We Live, Oregon Music Educator of the Year
March 13, 5:15pm

Host Andrea Murray introduces us to Dijana Ihas, the 2021 Oregon Music Educator of the Year, in this Where We Live segment on Saturday March 13 at 5:15pm. Photo credit: Dijana Ihas by Sankar Raman

The Concert Hall
March 13, 7pm

Join John Pitman for this special edition of The Concert Hall, featuring:

Clara Schumann:  Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Holly Mathieson, conductor

Ethel Smythe:  Serenade in D Major
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra; Odaline de la Martinez, conductor

Florence Price:  Symphony No. 4 in D minor (1945)
Fort Smith Symphony ; John Jeter, conductor

Jennifer Higdon:  Oboe Concerto (2005)
James Button, oboe; Nashville Symphony; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

Alma Mahler: Laue Sommernacht (Mild Summer Night); Bei Dir Ist Es Traut (With You I Am Safe)
Angelika Kirchschlager, mezzo-soprano, and Helmut Deutsch, piano

Photo of Rachel Portman

The Score, Changing the Playlist
March 20, 2pm

Edmund Stone pays tribute to women composers on The Score with interviews with leaders of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and great scores by some of the most acclaimed creators of film music, including Wendy Carlos’ “The Shining”, Lisa Gerard’s brilliant work in “Gladiator”, and Rachel Portman’s Oscar-winning “Emma”. Saturday, March 20 at 2 pm with an encore broadcast on Sunday, March 28 at 2 pm. Photo Credit: Rachel Portman by Giles Keyte

Where We Live, Marin Alsop
March 27, 5:15pm

Host John Pitman talks to internationally-renowned conductor Marin Alsop about her passion for mentorship in her work with the Taki Concordia Fellowship. The Taki Fellowship is a two-year award that primarily includes intensive coaching and mentoring with Marin Alsop and other music industry professionals.

woman conducting with text on top of image
S. Renee Mitchell

Harmonizing with Joy
March 31, 12pm

Tune in to hear S. Renee Mitchell’s reading of her poem, Harmonizing with Joy, which was commissioned by All Classical Portland in 2020.

S. Renee Mitchell is also well-known for her years as a columnist for The Oregonian, where she was nominated twice for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and named the No. 1 newspaper columnist in five western states by the Society of Professional Journalists regional chapter. Today, she is best described as a Creative Revolutionist™, which includes being a keynote speaker, novelist, educator, playwright, spoken word poet, lyricist, curriculum designer, and multi-media heARTivist.

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