< PreviousIAWM Journal Volume 27, No. 2 202136 es and multi-linear scoring on the album. Like eagles themselves, this music is in- spirational, but not simple. Argentinian composer Adriana Isa- bel Figueroa Mañas’ Tangominiatures is a brief, three-tango set with clearly etched melodies, zesty tango rhythms, and light, tasteful scoring. Each mini-tango, from “Nostalgias” to “Milongueando” to “La noche,” invites the listeners to get on their feet, while keeping their ears open for charming musical turns of phrase. The work is endearing from start to finish. Estonian, Latvian composer Dzinra Kurme-Gedroica’s Valse is a sheer gem. Sparsely scored, with paired melodic winds and lovely instrumental exchanges through- out, this piece becomes a classic for any quintet of this scoring. Harmonic beauty, excellent orchestration, and effective use of hemiolas only begin to describe the musical landscape of this highly listenable waltz. Chinese composer Zhang Wen’s Con- Verse creates an intriguing play on the title itself. This three-section work, each labeled with alternate formats of the title (Converse, conVerse, and ConVerse), seems to present different versions of stasis and movement. “Converse” begins with all voices remain- ing relatively static, moving slowly, then suddenly bursting into a colorful explo- sion. “conVerse” begins with spurts and then leads to rapid activity in con-rhythmic, homophonic textures. “ConVerse” presents solo instrumental statements, leading to highly varied instrumental textures, finally yielding to a musical whisper. There is both “con” and “verse” herein. Tbilisi, Georgian-born, Jordanian- based composer Agnes Dzodtsoeva-Bashi’s Ballet Simbad was the “first complete bal- let performed in Iraq” (liner notes). The two parts of the ballet included on the disc are “India,” skillfully-scored music inspired by the unusual colors of India, and the fast, march-like “Dance,” which features varied instrumental calls and responses. While all the other pieces on this al- bum are predominantly wind-based, with minimal piano presence, Australian Rae Howell’s Mind You Do begins with a pi- ano solo, played beautifully by Monique Ciola. This soliloquy, expressive of “in- ner thoughts…secret running commentary on life” (liner notes), displays both sorrow and hope, which is, indeed, the human ex- perience. The other instruments join in, creating a kind of jazz waltz, which carries the piece onward. One of the most listen- able pieces on the album, Mind You Do, is compelling to the very end. Lastly, Nigerian composer Edewede Oriwoh’s Play is exactly that. This short, melodic, highly attractive piece takes us to the very heart of Africa, with its throbbing bass pulse, short, attractive melodic frag- ments, emphasis on the fourth beat of each bar, and manner of letting musical materials speak for themselves, rather than develop- ing them. Oriwoh needs no more than one minute and 49 seconds to convince us that less is, indeed, more. We could hear Play repeatedly and still want to hear it again! What is most remarkable about this col- lection, besides the excellent choice of piec- es and the high caliber of the performances by each member of the Italian Ensemble Chaminade, is that all the composers found idioms that are personal as well as represen- tative of the cultures and musical contexts of their native and/or resident countries. One has the feeling of traveling widely, while always staying among friends, when listening to this admirable collection. Carol Ann Weaver’s genre-bending music cre- ates new fusions of roots and art music. Her compositions have been heard throughout North America, Europe, Africa, South Korea, and Paraguay, and are available on nine CDs and score publications by Cypress Press. She is Professor Emerita of Conrad Grebel/UWa- terloo, Chair of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, and Secretary of Canadian Association of Sonic Ecology. Her Sound in the Land Festival/Conferences at University of Wa- terloo have brought together international mu- sicians, scholars, and listeners. Catherine Lee: Remote Together Works for oboe, oboe d’amore, and Eng- lish horn performed by Catherine Lee. Redshift Records, TK489 (2021) ANNA RUBIN Catherine Lee’s CD Remote Together showcases her solo performances for oboe, oboe d’amore, and English horn. It is pub- lished by Redshift Records, an award-win- ning Canadian label specializing in con- temporary music. Lee is currently on the faculty at Willamette University and has performed widely in classical, contempo- rary, interdisciplinary collaborations, and free improvisation settings. She is a found- ing member of the Hannafin Duo alongside percussionist Matt Hannafin. The CD features Lee in haunting, elegi- ac works that highlight her beautiful phras- ing, ability to project a long melodic line, and considerable skill with microtonal shad- ing and multiphonic production. Through- out, her virtuosity is apparent. Alluvium, for oboe d’amore and fixed media by Taylor Brook, was composed for Lee and truly showcases her skills and artistry. The piece is based around the con- cept of microtonal drift, which occurs when modulating to different keys in an extended just intonation context. The tonic gradually diverges from equal temperament. The fixed media contains a series of precisely tuned microtonal modulations and seems derived from reed instrumental samples. Lee navi- gates the work’s tremolos, glissandi, tim- bral trills, and multiphonics with ease. The mood is one of serenity albeit with tension created by the close microtonal intervals. I found this piece to occupy the richest sound palette of the recording with its elegant drift between more and less consonant intervals. Julain Snow’s Red Eyes, Green Lion’s Teeth, Holden Heads, for oboe d’amore and fixed media, is inspired by backyard flies and dandelions. The fixed media is dominated by whimsical, prepared piano- like sequences and again features multi- phonics and microtonal variations in held tones with an occasional florid melodic line and distorted flare up in the accompa- niment. After a raw-sounding climax, the work closes delicately, as it began. Matt Carlson, synthesizer player and composer of Chaismus for English horn, writes that he “wanted to see what could be done with two melodic voices…coming one after another without much continuity or development” (liner notes). The oboe is the more active partner with the synth performer often playing one long or re- peated tone in a reed timbre per the Eng- lish horn’s melodic group. Chaismus is a literary device in which words or concepts are repeated in reverse order. In this work, a series of short duo melodies, bracketed by silence, are presented with variations in reverse chronological order. Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquita- ine and Silkys have specific programmatic intent, but without the program notes, the listener would not know that one is about Eleanor of Aquitaine and the other is about the life cycle of the domestic silk moth. There has been a longstanding tension in the classical tradition between so-called ab- stract work (traditionally, more highly val- ued) and programmatic music. With the ad-37 dition of “real world” sound, as Catharine Norman labels it, in electronic music, the listener is invited to hear specific associa- tions and narratives. Lee seems to be inhab- iting a kind of liminal territory between the abstract and programmatic, where the elec- tronic element provides elusive references. I will be interested to see if her future work with electronics and field recordings move her more in one direction or the other. Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquita- ine for oboe and soundscape was composed for the performer by Dana Reason and was created through a collaborative process. The oboe is in the foreground against an intermittent soundscape, which includes “manipulated field recordings, vocal sam- ples and bird calls” (liner notes). Roman- tic piano fragments appear occasionally as do noisy scrapes. About two-thirds into the piece, the noise element becomes more turgid, and a pulsing heartbeat occurs sev- eral times. Distorted vocal harmonies also distinguish the climax area, while the oboe floats above, serenely. The program notes indicate that the piece presents an “oscilla- tion of all the elements,” that it “traces the struggle between public and private life,” and that it is “the embodiment of being, sounding, thinking and becoming.” Silkys, for oboe and field recordings, was created by Lee in collaboration with Juliana Lanning. The oboe hovers above a noise-based texture in the mid-to-low register. Lee explores various microtonal shadings and multiphonics that suggest percussion. The work begins softly and gradually, the fixed media element becomes louder and then subsides. Suddenly, a loud, slowly-recurring percussive blow is inter- jected. The oboe then plays a lengthy, deli- cate multiphonics passage accompanied by a slowly morphing noise that continuously underlays the high oboe tones. This ele- ment morphs into a higher, whirring sound. Its wide spectrum contrasts well with the focused high tones of the oboe. The liner notes state that the material is recorded from the bombyx silk moth “through its de- velopmental stages and eventual metamor- phosis into an adult silkworm.” At times, the ambience of the oboe and the electronic sound is sonically very different—the oboe sounds rather dry and the electronic sounds “wet” and highly pro- cessed and reverberated. Some degree of re- verb, applied to the oboe, might have made the two worlds sound more connected. Anna Rubin is a composer of chamber and orchestral pieces and works that integrate acoustic instruments with electronic media. She recently retired from the University of Mary- land, Baltimore County. Her works have been performed in Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Rou- lette, and BargeMusic in New York City, on col- lege campuses, and at electroacoustic festivals and conferences. Recent commissions include those from Piano on the Rocks International Festival (Sedona, AZ). Carol Ann Weaver (music) and Connie T. Braun (poetry): Poland Parables Mary-Catherine Pazzano, vocals; Carol Ann Weaver, piano, hand drums, sound- scapes, Polish field recordings; Ben Bolt- Martin, cello; Michael Haas, recording engineer. LORAC Productions, LOR-028; SOCAN, Canadian Music Centre (2020) STEFANIA DE KENESSEY Song cycles are typically presented as mu- sical creations, but Poland Parables emerg- es out of an unusually deep and thoughtful collaboration between composer Carol Ann Weaver and poet Connie T. Braun. The piece springs from the Canadian-born art- ists’ dedication to honoring their shared Mennonite heritage. Named after the 16th- century Dutch priest Menno Simons, the Mennonites were mercilessly persecuted for believing in adult baptism; forced to flee their homes in Germany and Switzer- land, some relocated in Russia while others headed to North America, with a large con- tingent settling in Ontario. Like the Amish, from whom they separated in the late 17th century, the conservative branches of the Mennonite church require women to dress simply and to wear head coverings (making “escape to another culture…tempting,” in Weaver’s commentary). Unlike the Amish, however, Mennonites have not remained completely separatist; now numbering some 2.2 million worldwide, they are dedi- cated to pacifism and to good works. In the artists’ own words, Poland Parables pays homage to their ancestors, to “Mennonite people and their neighbors through the eyes of children and families before, during and after WWII in Poland and Eastern Europe. In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of WW II in 1945, Poland Parables speaks for many others whose stories are, unfortunately, all too similar” (CD booklet). More specifi- cally, the song cycle follows in the footsteps of Weaver, who traveled to Poland with her daughter to explore family roots and to visit numerous historic sites, including Warsaw’s Polin Museum and the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The horrors of persecu- tion, still visible in these locations, fostered a powerful remembrance of her own heri- tage. While the German Mennonite commu- nity in Poland was not interred by the Nazis, Weaver felt an overwhelming urge to serve as witness to universal human tragedy, both past and present: in her own words, “One would only wish that such a piece were not so timely” (CD booklet). The work arrives simultaneously as a CD, with performances by soprano Mary-Catherine Pazzano, cellist Ben Bolt- Martin, and the composer as pianist and percussionist—together with a 50-page booklet, featuring an initial preface by Braun (“On Creating Poland Parables”), a second essay by Weaver (“On Compos- ing Poland Parables”), followed by the printed versions of the nine poems that comprise the song cycle; these combine previously published poems with new ma- terial written specifically for this project. I should add that the booklet is beautifully produced, punctuated by striking, mostly black-and-white images taken by both Weaver and Braun, who also supplied the color photographs used on the cover. One surprising—and highly unusual— aspect of Poland Parables is that the po- ems, as printed, do not correspond precisely to the texts, as sung. In her preface, Braun mentions that “some of Carol Ann’s text ar- rangements contain only fragments of po- ems,” and the table of contents for “Poland Parables—the Music” (p. 22) contains the following warning, presumably from the composer: “Note. While all vocal songs are based on poetry by Braun (as listed), the texts in each song are ‘versed’ and at times slightly rearranged by the composer in order to match the shaping, rhythm, and scope of the music.” This means that try- ing to read the poems while listening to the music—as one might read the libretto of an opera—will not work, since textual phrases are omitted, repeated, and often substantially rewritten. The exception is song No. 9, “Shadows of the Moon,” which prints Braun’s poem (p. 43) immediately followed by Weaver’s “versed” version of the same poem (p. 44), but even this revised version is not completely accurate, as it is missing the phrase “over the earth,” sung in the third couplet. Although perhaps prohib- Reviews: Compact Disk and Digital RecordingsIAWM Journal Volume 27, No. 2 202138 itively expensive, it would be informative to provide the reader with a side-by-side overview of Weaver’s renderings of all of Braun’s poems. The structure of Poland Parables is idiosyncratic and an artful combination of tradition and innovation. There are nine lyrical songs for voice and piano, but the fourth piece is simply a soundscape of found sounds, recorded and compiled by Weaver. The composer plays hand drums in the third song, overdubbed on her own piano part; a cello appears from the fifth song onwards; the voice doubles itself in several songs, weaving beautiful duets. In short, Poland Parables is a studio creation, which is perhaps unsurprising, given the pandemic. One can only hope that addi- tional resources will be made available for live performances in the future. The musical style of Poland Parables is a refreshing mixture of varied sources and influences. While situated generally in the camp of “art song,” it is yet reminiscent of 1960’s folk music, tinged with echoes of Joni Mitchell and kindred singer-song- writers. Weaver’s melodies are invariably lyrical and grateful for the voice (singers: please take note); her text setting is sensi- tive both to meaning and to verbal rhythm, evincing an excellent sense of prosody; her harmonies tend to be triadic and clear, sometimes sweetly tart from added sevenths and flattened thirds. More importantly, she manages to capture the heartache and trag- edy of her subject matter through music that is nonetheless a pleasure to hear—no small feat, as she acknowledges in her preface: “The task of composing song after song of sadness, loss, and trauma was indeed daunt- ing….This could not be a piece with false hope, shallow happiness, or facile joy.” A few words about the all-Canadian team behind this impressive CD: Carol Ann Weaver is an accomplished, versatile composer; a Professor Emerita at the Uni- versity of Waterloo, she is listed as having taught “composition, piano performance, African music, women’s music, jazz and groove music, contemporary music, Men- nonite music and arts, music and the envi- ronment,” a testament to her astonishingly wide array of interests and abilities. Connie T. Braun is a poet, memoirist, speaker, and instructor whose areas of interest and exper- tise include Mennonite Studies and Creative Writing, focusing on themes of “family history, ethnicity, immigration/emigration, loss, (dis)placement and (dis)location.” While regrettably little information is provided about the wonderful performers, they are equally accomplished. Soprano Mary-Catherine Pazzano sings both art songs and jazz standards, and her perfor- mances on this disc are exemplary, with a lovely, clear, bell-like sound. Moreover, her diction could not be more superb: each and every syllable, each and every word is clearly articulated. An impressive achieve- ment. She is sensitively supported by Ben Bolt-Martin, principal cello with the Strat- ford Shakespearean Festival of Canada, a member of the Festival Quartet of Stratford, and the director of Instrumental Chamber Ensembles at University of Waterloo. Poland Parables is a deeply engaging, emotionally compelling, musically satisfy- ing, beautifully produced work. It is highly recommended. Stefania de Kenessey is a composer working in a wide variety genres and venues. Her radi- cal operatic reimagining of Tom Wolfe’s classic novel The Bonfire of the Vanities (www.bon- firetheopera.com) updated the story of greed and corruption to the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange. She is Professor of Music at the New School and has served as the Dean of Eugene Lang College, undergraduate division, and Chair of the MA in Liberal Studies at the graduate level. She is the founding president of the IAWM. www.stefaniadekenessey.com Danaë Xanthe Vlasse: Mythologies Seven songs for two soprano soloists and instrumental ensemble. Cezanne(August 2021) MARY DAWOOD CATLIN In times of darkness and unrest, people turn to the arts to escape the harshness of reality. It is in these moments that musi- cians such as Danaë Xanthe Vlasse pro- vide dreams of hope and beauty as in her Recent Compact Disc and Digital Recording Releases Bold Beauty: Songs of Juliana Hall Molly Fillmore, soprano, and Elvia Puccinelli, piano. The disc includes Letters from Edna (eight songs on letters of Edna St. Vincent Millay), Syllables of Velvet, Sentences of Plush (seven songs on letters of Emily Dickinson), Theme in Yellow (six songs on poems by Amy Lowell, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Carl Sandburg), and Cameos (six songs on poems by Molly Fillmore). Blue Griffin Records, BGR559 (September 2021) Beneath the Sky Zoe Allen, soprano, Christopher Allen, piano, with Levi Hernandez, baritone. The recording offers songs about childhood, motherhood, family, and hope for the future by Juliana Hall, Missy Mazzoli, and Florence Price, as well as Charles Ives, Nico Muh- ly, Samuel Barber, Steven Lutvak, Maury Yeston, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, Aaron Copland, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Georgia Stitt. Shokat Projects, IDBLM344545 (September 2021) Dúa de Pel: Madéra de pájaro The CD Madéra de pájaro (Mother of the Bird) features songs arranged, created, and performed by the Madrid-based duo Dúa de Pel: the composer Sonia Megías and the poet Eva Guillamón. The music is inspired by Spanish folklore and incorporates influences from classical, popular, folk, and world music. (https://duadepel.com/escucha/) Odradek Records (2021) Natalia Rojcovscaia-Tumaha: Sympho-Suite “The Master and Margarita” The Sympho-Suite “Master and Margarita” is a programmatic work for two solo violins, piano, youth choir, orchestra, and actors based on the homonymous novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. Its composer, Natalia Rojcovscaia-Tumaha, finished the manuscript in 2019. Parts I and II of the three movements that comprise the work were recently released on digital format. Part I: https://soundcloud.com/natalia_rojcovscaiatumaha/master-and- margarita-part-1. Part II: https://soundcloud.com/natalia_rojcovscaiatumaha/master-and- margarita-part-2. Ania Vu Two of Vu’s works were selected by the Petrichor Records’ Call for Recordings for their series titled “New Music by Living Composers” (2021). Against Time is featured on the Solo Piano CD, Volume 1, and Tik-Tak is on the Chamber Ensemble Works CD, Vol- ume 3. For more information, please visit https://www.petrichor-records.com/catalogue. 39 new album, Mythologies, which she wrote and co-produced. The album features an international ensemble of world class mu- sicians and technicians: two sopranos and a chamber ensemble as well as an artist, a graphic designer, engineers, and produc- ers. Inspired by her father’s Greek heri- tage, Vlasse tells a story of ancient kings, heroes, and divinities, and of the destruc- tive nature of seduction and lust as well as the divine power of true love’s destiny. She writes that her music presents the “crisis of faith and morality, and the junction of fate and free-will” (liner notes). Mythologies is a powerful work that grabs the listener from the first notes and does not let go. “Sirens,” the first track, sets the tone and the haunting mood of the album. The lyrical melodic lines and the conversational counterpoint between the piano and sopranos are playful and evasive, dissonant, and harmonious. The tension, as it builds towards the musical apotheosis, is reminiscent of the artistry quintessential to Vlasse’s unique musical signature. She takes the listener through every emotion and state of being—from the siren’s irre- sistibly seductive song to the stalking and dramatic death of the sailor, and from the contrabass flute’s evocative and solemn introspection in “Poseidon & Odysseus” to the effects of the mythological drug of forgetfulness in “Nepenthe,” with its deep feelings of loneliness from which eman- cipation can only be achieved through the magic potion of the gods, which delivers the sweet elation of forgetfulness and true unshackled euphoria. This album is a journey into magical, mythical, and timeless dreams. It is brought to life by the musical ensemble’s profound understanding of the work’s artistic integrity and by Vlasse’s compositional mastery, cre- ativity, and musical storytelling. It is a sig- nificant work of great emotional depth and imagination. Mythologies attempts to pro- vide an answer to the existential questions of the modern information age; it offers a juxtaposition of an ancient realm brought to life in our hyper-computerized world. Album credits go to sopranos Hila Plit- mann and Sangeeta Kaur; flautist Wouter Kellerman; pianists Danaë Xanthe Vlasse (who also plays the lyra), Brendan White, and Robert Thies; violinist Lili Haydn; vi- olist Virginie d’Avezac de Castéra; cellist Éru Matsumoto; percussionists Nadeem Majdalany and Emilio D. Miler; artist Greg Spalenka for the album’s artwork; graphic designer Greg Burne for the booklet; engi- neers Gerhard Joost, Nick Tipp, and Silas Brown; and producers Emilio D. Miler and Danaë Xanthe Vlasse. Mary Dawood Catlin is a pianist, writer, histo- rian and doctoral candidate in Music and Mu- sicology at the Sorbonne (Paris). Celebrating the 40th Anni- versary of the Association of Canadian Women Composers/ L’Association Compositrices Canadiennes The IAWM congratulates the ACWC/ACC on its 40th anniversary! PATRICIA MOREHEAD The Association of Canadian Women Com- posers is the only professional association of women and women-identified compos- ers and musicians in Canada. It actively supports music written by Canadian wom- en, promotes its members on its website, and publishes a bi-annual Journal high- lighting activities and articles of interest. To celebrate this special anniversary, the Association planned a number of events, but many of them had to be held online be- cause of Covid-19. One of the most impor- tant facets of the celebration is the monthly playlist, compiled by Amanda Lowry and posted on the website. Each month, a differ- ent performing configuration is showcased; for example, in January, music for small ensemble was featured. A few of the special events held this year are discussed below. 2021 ACWC/ACC Initiatives Fund This special 40th Anniversary Initia- tives Fund offered a number of opportuni- ties for members such as developing special anniversary projects, creating documen- taries, or writing and recording new com- positions. The winners were announced on March 31, 2021: Véronique Girard, Emily Hiemstra, and Thais Montanari. Véronique Girard is a visual and sound artist, an educator, and a vocalist whose work has been showcased at film festivals and concerts in Quebec and internation- ally. Her project, “Mentorat – Université de Montréal,” is a mentorship project for students from the Université de Montréal; it was initiated by the Cercle de Composi- tion (CeCo) de l’Université de Montréal (UdeM) in partnership with the ACWC/ ACC. This project offers a unique chance to men, women, and gender nonconforming students from University to work directly with one of three composer-mentors from the ACWC/ACC: Cecilia Livingston, Lieke van der Voort, and Sophie Dupuis. Partici- pants benefit from the support of their men- tor as they initiate and develop a new musi- cal composition or a sound art project. Emily Hiemstra’s “Solo Viola Com- missioning Project 2021” involves a call for scores from ACWC/ACC composers for solo viola pieces, which Hiemstra will per- form and video record for presentation on the ACWC/ACC website. This project will support the music of the members, and it will also allow for wider ACWC/ACC pro- motion. Hiemstra is a composer and violist whose music has been performed through- out the USA and Canada. As violist, she has performed at festivals around the world including the Banff Centre for the Arts and the North American Viola Institute. Thais Montanari’s project,“Moi-Es- pace Public,” consists of a series of videos created by people who identify as women and wish to share their personal experience of how they express themselves and behave in different public spaces, including virtual ones. It brings together collaborative work between the Montreal-based composer Thais Montanari and Brazilian composers Nathália Fragoso and Sara Lana, whose work as artists has been affected by the pan- demic reality and the lack of assistance for the artistic class in Brazil. The videos will have images and sounds inspired by the statements of those composers. The project hopes to capture the vision of women in arts within the pandemic context, encourag- ing them to express themselves creatively and with courage. Thais Montanari creates interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, often including political and social ideas. Her work mixes instrumental and everyday sounds, as well as music and images. Soundscapes and More Panel The Panel, which was held online on May 15, featured Emily Hiemstra’s inter- views with three composers in the innova- tive and ever-changing field of soundscape/ electronic music: Hildegard Westerkamp, Tina Pearson, and Carol Ann Weaver. They REPORTS FROM SISTER ORGANIZATIONS Reports from Sister OrganizationsIAWM Journal Volume 27, No. 2 202140 discussed their personal stories, what drew them to the field of electronic music, their challenges, their creative process, and how they view the future of electronic music. Hildegard Westerkamp is well known for her works that bring in the acoustic en- vironment, while Tina Pearson is an inno- vative composer whose work often focuses on breath, attention states, and altered per- formance practice. Carol Ann Weaver, who is on the board of the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology, has written numerous works using environmental sounds and field recordings. “Muses Today”: Women in Music Festi- val, Moscow, Russia The “Muses Today” international pan- el discussion was held on May 22 as part of the Women in Music Festival in Russia. ACWC/ACC members Carol Ann Weaver, Janet Danielson, and Bekah Simms partici- pated along with German, French, and Rus- sian contributors. Weaver reported that the panel focused on women’s work in music, internationally. She spoke about the history and scope of Canadian women’s music and the ACWC/ACC and its anniversary cel- ebrations. Danielson talked about several earlier prominent Canadian women com- posers: 17th-century Ursuline nuns and 20th-century composers such as Barbara Pentland and Violet Archer. Simms spoke about her compositional work in general as well as about her piece Skinscape, for flute and electronics, which was performed at the festival concert. The Canadian ambas- sador to Russia addressed the panel. August Tunes of Passion The August Tunes of Passionconcert series participated in the anniversary cel- ebrations by including a performance by the Canadian “on the ’Hat” ensemble, with performers Marnie Setka-Mooney, soprano; Diane Berry, flute; and Kathryn Le Gros, piano. Their concert, which was streamed on August 28th, featured works by ACWC/ ACC members Leila Lustig, Sylvia Rick- ard, Christie Morrison, and Diane Berry. Fall 2021 As part of the anniversary celebrations, the ACWC/ACC held an online panel en- titled “Indigenous Song ‒ Healing, Rec- onciliation, Partnership” on November 2, featuring Jean Becker(Inuk), Kelly Laurila (Sámi),Beverley McKiver, (Anishinaabe), andKaren Sunabacka (Métis). They dis- cussed their backgrounds and the impor- tance of song and music in healing and reconciliation. For more information, visit the anniversary webpage: https://acwc. ca/2020/06/03/acwc-40th-anniversary/. For additional information about the history of the organization, the members, and various events, see the Spring 2021 is- sue of the ACWC/ACC Journal. Report from the ACWC/ACC DIANE BERRY The ACWC/ACC has had a busy year cel- ebrating their 40th anniversary, despite the challenges presented by covid. In the spring, the board approached the Franco- phone members of the organization, asking them how they felt about the French trans- lation of the name. Many organizations such as ours are looking more closely at the language we use and how we express ourselves. The French name has been L’Association des Femmes Compositeurs Canadiennes, but our Francophone mem- bers felt they would prefer L’Association Compositrices Canadiennes. Since then, various members have been working on changing the name on the website, on our forms, on our SoundCloud account, and on our various social media pages. Julia Mer- melstein created a beautiful new banner for the website in the process. The ACWC/ACC board is also un- dergoing some changes. Janet Danielson stepped down as treasurer and Amanda Lowry was acting treasurer until the August annual meeting, where she was officially voted treasurer. At the same meeting, a new board position was created, that of social media coordinator. The first person to hold that job is Emily Hiemstra, who comes to it with great enthusiasm. In January of 2022, Carol Weaver’s term as chair will be over, and Julia Mermelstein will be stepping into the position. After being elected at the an- nual meeting, she talked about some of her goals for the future of the ACWC/ACC. Ju- lia would like to bring more voices into the conversation, to connect with other organi- zations which share our goals and values, and to bring the ACWC/ACC to a larger au- dience. While the new year brings the end to the celebration of our anniversary year, we are looking forward to an exciting and interesting future. The anniversary page on our website (https://acwc.ca/2020/06/03/acwc-40th- anniversary/) will continue to be avail- able in the first part of 2022, where there are links to the three panels that were held, some of the streamed concerts, some of the interviews with members, and the monthly playlists. Join us on our very active Face- book page: Association of Canadian Wom- en Composers (ACWC/ACC) or follow us on Twitter @ACWComposers 2. Report from Japan TAEKO NISHIZAKA The Italian Baroque music ensemble Dis- corsi musicali celebrated the 400th an- niversary of the birth of the distinguished composer and nun, Isabella Leonarda (born September 6, 1620). The perfor- mance, originally planned as a live concert in 2020, was delayed until April 2021 and was presented online because of Covid-19. The concert began with a talk by the leader of the ensemble, Naomi Sasaki, and the ensemble performed selections from Leon- arda’s Sonatas, op. 16, for strings and con- tinuo, and works for voices with accom- paniment: Litanie della B. V. Maria, two motets, and Magnificat from Salmi Con- certati. One advantage of an online concert was that instead of only one performance, we were able to enjoy this musical treasure repeatedly for more than a month! A Pauline Viardot-García 200th birth- day anniversary concert was held on July 18, her exact birthdate, at Oji Hall in To- kyo. Several songs and piano pieces, in- cluding the song Sérénade and its piano arrangement, were superbly performed by Pauline Viardot-García, self-portrait (Pauline Viardot in Baden-Baden und Karlsruhe, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, 1999)41 mezzo-soprano Mutsumi Hatano and pia- nist Takehiko Yamada. The song L’enfant et la mère-Dialogue was especially im- pressive. The text was reminiscent of Schubert’s setting of Goethe’s Erlkönig, but Viardot’s composition was entirely different from Schubert’s. Incidentally, to prevent infection, every other seat had a sign on it, which, interestingly, displayed a copy of Viardot’s amusing self-portrait. She is wearing a bandage over her nose, which is swollen from an insect bite. The sign reads, “Pauline asks: Please ensure safe distance and do not sit here.” The pic- ture was an imaginative and effective idea of the organizers, Midori Kobayashi and the Society for Popularization of Unknown Composers, because the bandage served as a reminder to wear a mask. Viardot was also the topic of a special online meeting of the Women and Music Study Forum on August 18. Takako Mi- yazaki, who had presented a concert devot- ed to this composer in March, talked main- ly about her piano pieces and songs from the viewpoint of a pianist, and she included video clips from her concert. Miwa Mizu- koshi, a mezzo-soprano and music scholar, discussed Viardot’s early career as an opera singer in the context of her musical family, the remarkable Garcías. The meeting con- cluded with an animated discussion about Viardot’s music and the social aspects of her life as well as a paper by Midori Ko- bayashi, which she had previously sent to members, with information regarding her extensive research on Viardot’s music. Taeko Nishizaka is a member of the Women and Music Study Forum in Japan. Association of Women in Music, Kragujevac, Serbia OLIVERA VOJNA NESIC The main goal of the Association of Wom- en in Music in Kragujevac, Serbia, is to promote music by women composers and all the artists who perform their works. The Association, which was established on June 17, 2003, works closely with the Foundation Adkins Chiti: Donne in Musica in Fiuggi, Italy, with the support of the Cul- ture Unit of UNESCO, Venice office. The Association is a member of the Honorary Committee and a participant in the Foun- dation’s projects such as the Education and Culture Program and Women in Music Uniting Strategies for Talent. The Association organized the first women in music symposium in the Bal- kans region: Women in Music International Symposium, 2011, and it was also the first in the region to issue a publication devoted to women’s contributions to the history of music in Serbia: Women and Music in Ser- bia, sponsored by the Foundation Atkins Chiti. The principal authors were Jelena Novak, Ivana Neimarevic, Olivera Vojna Nesic, and especially Vojna Olivera Nesic (on the Foundation’s staff in Italy). The Association sponsors interna- tional competitions, which are held in various Serbian cities, for performers and composers regardless of gender, national- ity, or country of origin. The International Festival of Women in Music─Donne in Musica, within the Youth for Justice and Peace projects, also sponsors concerts of young artists. The competition jury is inter- national; the current members are Violeta Dinescu, Germany; Cruz Lopez de Rego Fernandez, Spain; Albena Petrovic, Lux- embourg; Haitham Sukkarieh and Agnes Bashir, Jordan; and Marko Nesic, Serbia. In past competitions, participants were from Europe, USA, Asia, and Australia. For additional information, contact vojna- nesic@gmail.com. Olivera Vojna Nesic is an award-winning composer, a full professor at the University of Priština in North Kosovo, and Artistic Director of the Association of Women in Music. New York Women Composers Inaugural Spring/Summer Series of Tutti Virtual Meetings ANN WARREN, VICE PRESIDENT In early 2021, NYWC members found themselves (like many other artists) lost, upset, and confused as we shared a collec- tive grief due to depressing reports about the pandemic. Needless to say, we longed to get back together. We missed hear- ing live performances and were saddened as we watch some of our favorite venues disappear forever. Yet, being the creative types that make the music world thrive, we have faced adversity in many ways. So, we came to terms, having spent months and months in various stages of lockdown while doing the best that we could. As we were starting to see a light that may lead us to experience that first down- beat of live public performances, and un- til we are able to be together in person, NYWC created a spring/summer series of Tutti virtual meetings, where we could keep our creative juices flowing, connect with our peers, interact, and share the tal- ents and strengths of its members. In May 2021, Svjetlana Bukvich led Tutti - Verse 1, with a focus on composing music for dance. She offered practical ad- vice about creating music in contemporary dance. An exciting discussion followed with composers who are drawn to technol- ogies that hold a promise for the attainment of flow or for an uninterrupted and immer- sive experience in art. In June 2021, Leanna Primiani led Tutti - Verse 2, emphasizing the use of samples and digital recording/production techniques when composing music for film, especially the use of various DAW programs and equipment. Her discussion about how to transition from composing concert music to composing music for film and TV was especially inspiring. In July 2021, Juliana Hall led Tutti - Verse 3, which highlighted the use of texts in the composition of art songs. Members discussed song-related resources for learn- ing more about song composition: how to choose appropriate texts as well as develop professional connections in the song world. In August 2021, Whitney George led Tutti - Verse 4, the final meeting of the se- ries, which featured composing music for opera and the different sensitivities neces- sary to have music be both the narrative drive and the scenery in a production. The extensive discussion covered topics from sculpting leitmotifs to creating immersive sound worlds to where to start! Now, as autumn arrives, we are see- ing the performing arts come back to life! NYWC members are looking forward to emerging with an innovative reinvention interacting Tutti in person with the hands and strengths of many, making opportuni- ties to get back to work creating and par- ticipating in interesting arts. Seed Money Grant Program for 2020 and 2021 MARILYN BLISS, PRESIDENT In 2020, coping with the unprecedented pandemic and the lockdown, which dealt a severe blow to our communities and to concert life, the New York Women Com- posers had to reformulate procedures for our 2020 Seed Money grant program. The good news was that we were able Reports from Sister OrganizationsIAWM Journal Volume 27, No. 2 202142 to continue our Seed Money program with funding for seven grants. Since we real- ized that very few applicants would be able to put together concrete proposals by our original June deadline, when there was such uncertainty as to when venues would reopen, we decided instead to offer the grants in two phases with later application deadlines, to include an option for online/ streaming performances, and to extend the project completion date by six months. We also added a one-year extension for those 2019 grant recipients who were affected by the sudden lockdown in early 2020. With these new guidelines, and in view of the global scope of the pandemic, we decided to offer awards in Phase 1 for international applicants, and Phase 2 for U.S.-based applicants. Phase 1 grants were given to three international applicants: vio- linist Moonkyung Lee with guitarist Jang- heum Bae; cellist Roger Morelló Ros; and harpsichordist Luca Quintavalle. Phase 2 grants were given to four U.S. based applicants: violinist Audrey Wright; flutist and Artistic Director of the Flauto d’Amore Project Ginevra Petrucci; clari- netist and hichiriki player Thomas Piercy; and soprano Rose Hegele. We are delight- ed to say that three of these four grant re- cipients have already completed their con- cert projects. In 2021, we were able to return to our single-phase procedure for both interna- tional and U.S-based applicants. The 2021 grants were awarded to seven applicants: Welsh baritone Jeremy Huw Williams; Quintocracy Wind Quintet; Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble; double bassist Joel Braun; tenor Aram Tchobanian; Hyper- cube Ensemble; and the Marsyas Trio in the U.K. Women in Nineteenth-Century Czech Musical Culture KATHARINA UHDE Two enriching and important musical events, both titled Women in Nineteenth- Century Czech Musical Culture, were hosted by the musicology department of the Institute of Art History, Czech Acad- emy of Sciences, Prague.Part 1 (October 23-24, 2020) featured an international digital workshop, and Part 2 (March 30, 2021) encompassed a celebratory concert and accompanying events. The concert and workshop brought together international speakers, professional musicians, academ- ics, and a large, international audience. They were organized by two members of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dr. Anja Bunzel and Dr. Markéta Kratochvílová, and the Sophie Drinker Institute (Bremen, Germany). Funding was provided by the Czech Academy of Sciences. Part 1. The Workshop In five online conference sessions, spread over two days, twelve speakers presented topics that revealed the rich landscape of music making by women in the Czech region during the 19th century. Session I focused on individual figures in the first half of the century, and Session II explored the lives and works of individual figures in the second half of the century. 1 Session I featured two papers by Dr. Claudia Behn and Dr. Markéta Kabelková (chair: Dr. Milada Jonášová); Session II includ- ed papers by Dr. Jana Lengová and Dr. Anja Bunzel (chair: Dr. Václav Kapsa); Session III traced the activity of Czech women and their music abroad, with three papers by Blanka Šnajdrová, Dr. Viktor Velek, and Anastasia Ve- dyakova (chair: Dr. Anja Bunzel); Session IV featured three papers on specific Czech musical practices in the first half of the 19th century by CONFERENCE AND FESTIVAL REPORTS It is noteworthy that the twelve speakers—scholars from Czech, Ger- man, Slovakian, Russian, Finnish, and Italian backgrounds—offered a valuable international perspective and a bilingual approach (conference languages were English and German). Such dialogical ac- ademic events are rare and result in a pro- cess of mutual enrichment, which is par- ticularly refreshing given the traditionally not-always-permeable worlds of German and Anglophone musicology. Further- more, by organizing an event about Czech music in two non-Czech academic lan- guages, Dr. Bunzel and Dr. Kratochvílová brought Czech scholarship, and, above all, 19th-century Czech women in music to the attention of a large audience of Eng- lish- and German-speaking scholars from around the world, thereby contributing to a significant exposure of neglected music and composers. Part 2. The Concert and Accompanying Events Women in Nineteenth-Century Czech Musical Culture, Part 2, included the fol- lowing: 1) Guest talks by Dr. Tat’ána Petrasová (Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences) and Prof. Susan Wollenberg (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University). 2) A response by Dr. Anja Bunzel. 3) A book launch of The Songs of Jo- hanna Kinkel: Genesis, Reception, Con- text (Boydell & Brewer, 2021)by Anja Bunzel. 2 4) The concert. Dr. Henrike Rost, Annkatrin Babbe, and Prof. Freia Hoffmann (chair: Dr. David Vondráček); and Session V was dedicated to the explora- tion of particular Czech musical practices in the second half of the century, offering talks by Dr. Risto Pekka Pennanen and Paolo Munaò. e book is reviewed in this issue. Dr. Tat’ána Petrasová’s talk, entitled “What I missed when I first met Johanna Kinkel,” drew on her rich knowledge of salon culture in the Czech lands and be- yond. She brought together her research interests in art and architecture, including [musical] salons, the Biedermeier culture, and concepts of death in nineteenth-centu- ry Czech culture. Prof. Susan Wollenberg’s talk, “Sur- veying Three Decades of Women Com- posers,” provided a reflection on “recent growth of women’s studies in musicology” and the official book launch, concluding with a toast. In her response to both papers, Dr. Anja Bunzel thanked the speakers and those involved in seeing her book through to publication, and she also introduced the performers and composers of the concert. In her monograph, Dr. Bunzel discuss- es the Lieder of the thus-far, often-over- looked, nineteenth-century female com- poser, Johanna Kinkel (1810–1858). She explores Kinkel’s output through the lens of her musical activities, output, published discourse, networks, and reception. Kin- kel, a pianist, poet, teacher, author, mother, and wife, published close to eighty Lieder before 1850 plus treatises on singing and pedagogical and fictional literature. Although surely all the participants would have enjoyed an in-person event, this book launch, which acknowledged Dr. Bunzel’s scholarly achievement, was, nevertheless, a truly festive occasion. It concluded with a discussion and a round of questions, followed by a brief intermission and the concert. The concert itself was a happy event for those who appreciate miniature works that are seldom (or never) heard. The concert’s subtitle, svadlé listí (Withered 43 Leaves), was chosen because these pieces and the leaves on which they were written have “withered” through time, waiting to surface; in addition, “Withered Leaves” is also the title of one songs (by Ema Destin- nová) on the program. The program included a variety of miniatures from the early 19th century through the early 1900s with works by the following composers: Elise von Schlik (1792-1855), Gabriella von Deym (dates unknown), Josefina Brdlíková (1843- 1910), Marie Madierová (dates unknown), and Ema Destinnová (1878-1930). Dr. Bunzel commented that her perspective for this concert centered on “intersections be- tween musical composition, literature, and performance; between Czech and interna- tional composers from the Czech lands and abroad; and between musico-literary inno- vation and concepts of musical spaces.” The opening piece, “Impressions” from the Musical Autograph Album of Elise von Schlik, introduced audiences to the highly professional performance level by Vanda Šípová (soprano), Barbora de Nunes-Cambraia (mezzo-soprano), and Jiří Knotte (piano), which characterized their performance during the entire pro- gram. The music in Schlik’s album was available as a consequence of a social practice whereby “visitors could leave small compositions and/or types of person- al greetings for Schlik in the album.” The concert included a performance of many of the songs; the lyrics were provided in the original language and in translation. Second on the program was Schlik’s Drei Lieder, op. 1 and the first Lied of Drei Lieder, op. 6, all sensitively rendered by Nunes-Cambraia and Šípová, respectively. Gabriella von Deym’s duet, Tvá láska, was a concert highlight with its uninhibited forward drive alternating with lyrical re- flection. Josefina Brdlíková’s pieces from Písně VI (1896) were next. She is a par- ticularly fascinating figure; her network in- cluded “such literary and political figures as Jaroslav Vrchlický, Sofie Podlipská, and František Palacký, in whose salon she also performed piano pieces” (Dr. Bunzel). Marie Madierová’s five songs opened the listener’s ear to the immense richness of Czech 19th-century music with its folk and dance elements and its quick juxtaposition of diverging characters. The program continued with two pi- ano selections by Brdlíková: Humoreska and Dumka; the latter is a slow Czech folk dance from Album skladeb klavírních, part I (1897). Jiří Knotte performed both selec- tions with intimate feeling. The program concluded with a selection from Ema Des- tinnová’s 12 písní “Zahrada srdce” (1910). The general impression that the concert left was that of a fresh breeze. New sounds, some possibly never performed in front of an audience, were shared with a group of enthusiasts and friends of Women in Nine- teenth-Century Czech Musical Culture. This reviewer is a particular friend of academic and cultural events that attempt to bridge Eastern and Western European dis- courses. A conference such as this, which offers a dialogue and an exchange across different cultures, is a treasure in a world threatened by separatism and nationalism. Katharina Uhde, DMA, PhD, Associate Profes- sor of Music at Valparaiso University (Indiana), is the author of The Music of Joseph Joachim (Boydell & Brewer, 2018). She has edited two compositions and written chapters, articles, and encyclopedia entries related to Joachim. As a violinist, she has won prizes in competi- tions, released several CDs, and has recorded virtuoso violin works by Joachim with the Ra- dio Orchestra Warsaw. She has also received several grants. The frauenkomponiert Festival 2021 KARLA HARTL Preamble: In the spring of 2018, I traveled to Basel, Switzerland, for my first (and the festival’s third) edition of the frauen- komponiert (women composers) festival. I still remember the four days filled with organ music and chamber music concerts, some of them most memorable. One event, however, the orchestral concert featuring Agnes Tyrrell’s Overture and Amy Beach’s Gaelic Symphony, performed in the com- pany of works by two contemporary com- posers, Alma Deutscher and Heidi Baader- Nobs, stands out in my memory. Conductor Jessica Horsley and her orchestra, L’anima giusta, both based in Basel, presented a concert that was a true climax of this trail- blazer festival, which was, at that time, and still is today, one of the very few festivals in the world to promote both chamber and orchestral music composed by women. I remember mentioning the Basel con- cert, the festival, and its appreciative au- dience in my interview for Czech Radio 3 later that year. We were discussing contem- porary festivals and their lack of risk tak- ing and sense of adventure when it comes to the untrodden territory of women’s mu- sic. I praised the Basel festival highly for venturing into this still largely unknown repertoire and for promoting not only con- temporary women composers but also the historical ones—all those forgotten women whose art can provide a much needed con- text for women’s music of today. Indeed, in Basel, the women composers are not only doing well but they thrive. And how the festival has grown in just six years! From a one-day event in 2015 to a three-day program a few years later to ten additional days in June 2021! Despite the pandemic, this year’s festival was able to present some of its concerts to a live audi- ence as well as to music lovers everywhere for those performances that were streamed live via the festival’s YouTube channel. The June 6th orchestral concert, en- titled “Pioneers of the Century,” featured four innovative women composers of the last century, Polish Grazyna Bacewicz, British Ruth Gipps and Dorothy Howell, and American Florence Price, as well as the contemporary Swiss composer Cécile Marti. Four of the five works featured in the program were Swiss premieres. To the great delight of the performers—conductor Jessica Horsley and the Basel Sinfoniet- ta—the event was attended by a live audi- ence. It was also live streamed to the world via YouTube. The BBC Concert Orchestra was origi- nally scheduled to play, but owing to the pandemic, it was unable to participate in the festival, so the Basel Sinfonietta stepped in and saved the day admirably. The concert opened fittingly with Grazyna Bacewicz’s energetic Uwertura (Overture), composed in 1943. Next came the centerpiece of the evening, Symphony No. 2, op. 30, in one movement, by Ruth Gipps, which was per- formed to perfection. Interestingly, the sym- phony has a connection to Basel—not only was the composer’s mother from Basel, but at one point in the symphony, during Tempo di Marcia, the audience could also hear, in the piccolos, a musical reference to their town’s annual carnival, Basler Fasnacht. The symphony was followed by a con- temporary composition, Wave Trip, from 2011, in which Cécile Marti experimented with the spectrum of sound, bringing the first half of the concert to a close. The sec- ond part of the program began with the delightful Koong Shee Ballet, from 1921. This work by Dorothy Howell, inspired by an old Chinese tale of forbidden love, was given an imaginative reading by the Conference and Festival ReportsIAWM Journal Volume 27, No. 2 202144 orchestra. The enterprising program ended strongly with Ethiopia’s Shadow in Amer- ica, a programmatic poem in three parts from 1932 by African American composer Florence Price. Written to commemorate the plight of those who fell victim to the slave trade in America, and their struggle to survive in a foreign land, the work was long considered lost until it resurfaced in 2009. It received its first hearing six years later in the United States; the Basel Sin- fonietta’s brilliant performance was the Swiss premiere of this moving work. It was not surprising that this outstanding program was received with typical warmth and enthusiasm by the Basel audience. The June 25 Chamber Music Concert, performed by the members of the L’anima giusta orchestra, presented two twentieth- century composers: Claude Arrieu and Thea Musgrave, and one historical composer— Louise Dumont Farrenc (1804-1875). The concert opened with Arrieu’s five-move- ment Wind, a joyful and playful piece that proved to be an instant audience pleaser. The program continued with a much more demanding work: Space Play Concerto, from 1974, for nine instruments, by Scot- tish composer Thea Musgrave. In this piece, players are to share the function of con- ductor, as each in turn leads the rest of the group. The piece was originally composed for the London Sinfonietta, so that all of the ensemble’s brilliant players could have a chance to freely express their independent musical personalities. L’anima giustaplay- ers did not hesitate to follow their example. The program ended with a historical piece— Nonet, for string quartet and wind quintet, in E-flat Major, op. 38, by Louise Farrenc. This brilliant nineteenth-century composi- tion, full of instrumental colors, had a per- sonal significance for the composer, who was the only female professor of the Paris Conservatoire at the time she composed it. As the story goes, after its hugely successful premiere, Farrenc confronted the director of the Conservatoire, Daniel Auber, about how much less she was being paid than her male colleagues. He immediately agreed to raise her salary to parity. The frauenkomponiert Festival, with its unique programming, still occupies a solitary place among the many European festivals. Yet, it has been highly successful, and it continues to be as relevant as it was at the time of its inauguration Karla Hartl is founder and chair of the Kapralova Society, a Canadian music society based in Toronto, Canada, dedicated to promot- ing Czech composer Vitezslava Kapralova and other women in music. She is co-editor of the Kapralova Society Journal. IAWM NEWS Winners of the IAWM 40th Search for New Music Competition MICHELE CHENG, CHAIR The IAWM is pleased to announce the winners of its 2021 Search for New Music Competition. The competition recognizes the ac- complishments of IAWM member composers and fosters IAWM’s goal of increasing awareness of the musical contributions of wom- en. IAWM hopes that performers around the world will see this as a resource for their own concert pro- gramming. This year we received 87 submissions from 19 countries. Special thanks to the adjudicators: Anothai Nitibhon, Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh, Anthony Branker, Emily Doolittle, inti figgisvizueta, Julie Herndon, Jhoely Garay, Kirsten Volness, and Maja Linderoth, and to the sponsors of the prizes. The winners in the various categories are listed below. For additional in- formation, see the IAWM website. Ruth Anderson Commission Prize ($1,000), for a new sound installation with electro-acoustic music. Winner: Jocelyn Ho for Women’s Labor: Embedded Iron. Participants include Mar- garet Schedel, Robert Cosgrove, Omkar Bhatt, Matthew Blessing, Niloufar Nour- bakhsh, and Chelsea Loew. Women’s Labor: Embedded Iron is a feminist-activist project led by Jocelyn Ho. The project repurposes domestic tools to become new musical instruments by using embedded technologies. The colleagues interrogate domestic work—a gender-un- equal economy that happens in private— through performance and interaction in public. The instrument, embedded iron, is based on an early-20th-century wooden ironing board and an antique iron built using ultrasonic, LIDAR, and spectro- scopy technologies with machine learning. The public is invited to “iron” fabrics in an interactive installation, including their own pieces of clothing, to make music, re- valuing reproductive labor through sound. Two new compositions have been com- missioned in concert performance: House- work Lock (her) Down by Jocelyn Ho and Margaret Schedel and Greyscale by Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Chelsea Loew. These were premiered in-person at NYC Governor’s Island and were presented by Harvestworks in September 2021. Honorable Mention: Molly Jones for Security Blanket Christine Clark/Theodore Front Prize ($500), sponsored by Christine Clark of Theodore Front Musical Literature, Inc., for a large chamber work (for 9+ instru- ments) and/or orchestral work; it may in- clude a soloist (vocal or instrumental). Winner: Chenyao Lifor Peony Pavilion- LI HUN Peony Pavilion-LI HUN, for ensemble with two vocal parts, is based on the classic Chinese Kunqu Opera, The Peony Pavil- ion. The work attempts to describe dream- ing: awakening from a dream and the soul leaving the body. The mezzo-soprano and the bass soloists represent two wandering IAWM Annual Concert The IAWM Annual Concert took place at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 2021, at 7:30 pm. Works by the winners of the Con- cert Call for Scores competition were performed: Tatev Amiryan, Praise the LORD Ashi Day, For Whom the Dog Tolls Anne Heg, Vocal Fantasy Gyuli Kambarova, Sonata Concer- tante Bonnie McLarty, When the Rain Comes Catherine Reid, I’m Falling Hannah Selin, Alf’s Labyrinth Karen Walwyn, “Mother Emanuel” from Charleston Suite For biographical information about the composers, see the fall 2020 issue of the IAWM Journal, pp. 46-47, and the IAWM website.45 souls throughout the piece, and their lyr- ics are limited to only two sentences be- ginning with “The summer threads that fluttered in the clear sky were blown into the quiet courtyard by the breeze.” Each word in the text is divided and prolonged into small syllables; the intent is to create a mysterious and illusory image. Honorable Mention: Caroline Bor- dignon for Iridescent Flares I Honorable Mention: Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti for with eyes the color of time Miriam Gideon Prize ($500), sponsored by the late Lucille Field Goodman, to a composer at least 50 years of age for a work for solo voice and 1-5 instruments. Winner: Leanna Kirchoff for Arias from Friday After Friday The Arias from Friday After Friday are excerpted from an opera-in-development called Friday After Friday. In the opera, a series of vignettes illuminate political and personal perspectives of women liv- ing at the epicenter of the ongoing Syrian war crisis. The libretto by Rachel J. Peters is inspired by numerous sources including memoirs and articles by Syrian and West- ern-born journalists and a variety of docu- mented as well as in-person interviews with Syrian citizens. Scored for soprano, flute, violin, and cello, the arias offer poignant stories of how five particular women have coped with violence, poverty, and disloca- tion that has been created by the war. Libby Larsen Prize ($300), sponsored by Libby Larsen, to a composer who is cur- rently enrolled in school for a work in any medium. Winner: Tao Li for Wu Ren Kan Ji Wu Ren Kan Ji is derived from her art song, Gu Yan Er, originally for soprano, clarinet, and cello. While she extracted and further developed musical ideas from the original art song, this new piece is another interpretation of the poem. As reflected by the title Wu Ren Kan Ji – translated “no one to give to” – this piece emphasizes the isolation and desperation of the poet at the loss of her husband and the realization that she will live the rest of her life in loneli- ness. The poem she originally set in Gu Yan Er, and used in this piece as a driving story, is by Chinese female poet Li Qingzhao (1084-1151). This poem is part of a series of poems written to mourn her husband. Honorable Mention: Darcy Cope- land for c a s c a d e s Pauline Oliveros New Genre Prize ($300), sponsored by Claire Chase, for a work incorporating an innovative form or style, such as improvisation, multimedia, non-traditional notation, open instrumen- tation, or new performance practices. Winner: Hedra Rowan for nothing’s wrong, now you’re beside me again Rowan said that she “got a new voice” in 2021, and her work, nothing’s wrong, now you’re beside me again, is the first full exposition of it. The work encompasses a selection of tracks that catalogue voice training, fine tuning of the instrument, first sentences, and first songs. She used cali- bration tools from the musical Evita and Orlando de Lassus. Honorable Mention: Amy Brandon for Boundary Honorable Mention: Jewel Dirks for Living With My Donkeys PatsyLu Prize ($500), sponsored by Patsy Rogers and the late Lucille Field Good- man, for a new musical work in any form or instrumentation by Black and underrep- resented women. Winner: Eunseon Yu for Shimcheong Shimcheong is a character in a Kore- an folk tale about a devoted daughter who sacrifices herself for her blind father. Shim- cheong-ga is based on the tale in the form of Pansori, which is a Korean traditional genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. This composition depicts four scenes from the Shimcheong- ga, imitating unique vocal techniques and ornaments used in the performance of Pansori: Scene 1, On her way to the In- dangsoo sea; Scene 2, She throws her body into the sea; Scene 3, Missing her father un- der water; Scene 4, Opening her eyes and reuniting with her father. The performer can also add optional exclamations, called Chuimsae, which are made by a drummer and the audience in the traditional Pansori performance to praise the singer. Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize ($300) for a Jazz composition of any dura- tion for an ensemble ranging from a small group to a big band (4-17 instruments). Winner: Yu Nishiyama for Retrospections Retrospections is a piece she wrote when she had difficulty finding the mean- ing of living her own life, She could not find hope. While writing this work, she was thinking about the Sunzu River, symbolic of the river on the way to the afterlife, and parts of her life flashed before her eyes. The composition was recorded for the Yu Nishi- yama Big Band album A Lotus in the Mud and is expected to be released in 2021. Honorable Mention: Ellen Kirkwood for [A] part 3 - Greed and Climate Change Alex Shapiro Prize ($500 and mentorship/ consultation with Alex Shapiro), sponsored by Alex Shapiro, for a work of any dura- tion for large ensemble wind band requir- ing a conductor, with or without a soloist, acoustic or electroacoustic, published or as yet unpublished. Winner: Andrea Reinkemeyer for Smol- der Smolder for Wind Ensemble (2019) was commissioned by a thirteen-school consortium of conductors and ensembles led by Brant Stai and the Sherwood High School Wind Ensemble. Due to the chang- ing climate, devastating forest fires are in- creasingly common. Though the surface fire is doused, it can smolder underground for up to a year and, given the right conditions, it can reignite. Climate change is one of the top issues among America’s youth, and there is a growing discontent with inaction on this front. With this in mind, the piece unfolds through a brooding and dynamic arch form. She wrote this piece to honor the young performers who will deal with these complex issues for the rest of their lives. Prize of Distinction: Jennifer Bellor for Bordello Nights Judith Lang Zaimont Prize ($400), spon- sored by Professor Zaimont, for an extend- ed instrumental composition—large solo or chamber work—by a composer at least 30 years old whose music has not yet been recorded or published. IAWM 2021 Education Grant Congratulations to Aluma Sadick Bashir, who has been awarded the 2021 Education Grant for her project “Music is Female.” This inspiring project will enable her to program masterclasses highlighting the work of female mu- sicians across a range of genres. The three-day program, for students from ages four to eight who live in Nsambya, Uganda, aims to inspire young girls to engage in music making. It will provide an opportunity for students to connect and share their own creativity by per- forming for each other. Nicole Murphy, chair, and jury members Kerensa Briggs and Wanda Brister Rachwal IAWM NewsNext >