Luck, Black Sisterhood, Loss, and Rediscovery: The Legacy of Florence B. Price (1887-1953) by Pam McAllister
ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY In our latest post in Melodia’s blog series, ‘The Women Behind the Music,’ author Pam McAllister explores the life and music of composer Florence B. Price (1887-1953) We begin with a stroke of luck. In 2009, Vicki and Darrell Gatwood bought a dilapidated fixer-upper outside of St. Anne, Illinois, an hour south of…
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Melodia Voices Reach for the Stars
By Jenny Clarke, Executive Director, Melodia As I read a recent article in Ms. Magazine, Together in Song: Women’s and LGBT Choruses Safely Thrive Amidst the Pandemic, in which Melodia was featured, I was reminded of Melodia’s journey during the past 18 months as Cynthia Powell, Melodia’s Artistic Director, and I, worked to keep Melodia…
Continue readingNina Simone – From Bach to Blues by Colleen Christi Willett
“I’m finally in Carnegie Hall, but I’m not playing Bach.” Nina Simone penned this line to her parents in 1964, referencing what would become one of her iconic performances at the famed music hall. At the time, Simone was enjoying burgeoning success and recognition as a jazz vocalist and pianist, and the Carnegie gig was…
Continue readingShining a light on Eva Jessye: African American Choral Artist (1895-1982) by Pam McAllister
In our latest post in Melodia’s blog series, ‘The Women Behind the Music,’ author Pam McAllister explores the life and music of African American Choral Artist Eva Jessye (1895-1982). Beginnings As she would later tell it, Eva Jessye was born in Coffeyville, Kansas on January 20, 1895, a bright Sunday morning, just as the “Amen…
Continue readingThe Women Behind the Notes series: The Flutists of Flutronix
Melodia’s founding commitment to rediscover and perform music composed for women’s voices and musical instruments has lead the group on a bold journey of discovery. Many works that have disappeared from the repertoire, their scores abandoned in dusty boxes and on sagging shelves, have been brought back to life by the Melodia singers and Cynthia…
Continue readingWomen Behind the Notes Series: Melodia Commissioned Composer Hilary Purrington Wins Major New Commission
Melodia Women’s Choir’s bi-annual Women Composers Commission Competition has brought to life new works by ten talented women composers so far, some at the beginning of their composing careers. The program was introduced by Melodia as a way to support women composers and expand the canon of new works for women’s voices. The winning composer…
Continue readingWomen Behind the Notes series – Nobuntu Acappella Quintet
Melodia Women’s Choir’s Women Behind the Notes series shines a light on women in music, with a focus on choral music. This is the first post in the series. The music of Nobuntu – one of very few all-female acappella groups from Zimbabwe – blends traditional Zimbabwe song, gospel and jazz. The five singers of Nobuntu, who grew up…
Continue readingChoral Singing in the Age of a Pandemic, by Jenny Clarke
It’s hard to comprehend how a music genre that unites people through music in a seemingly harmless and collaborative way has suddenly become one of the most dangerous activities a group of people can engage in. Recent reports emphasize that the close proximity of singers to each other and the force with which they project…
Continue readingThe Score is the Thing
Over the course of Melodia’s seventeen-year history, the choir has performed many rarely-heard works that were composed for women’s voices and instruments, pieces that have frequently disappeared from concert repertoire over the years. Often, the challenge with performing these works is obtaining the instrumental parts. This turned out to be the challenge in presenting two…
Continue readingSummer Singing with a Treble Twist
Summer months bring a massive shift in the choral world. As the last few concerts of the season close, it’s not just the music that fades away. Gone are the protracted and intense rehearsal periods when conductors and singers seek perfection for their long-anticipated concerts. As a choral singer, I experience a change, even a…
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