On Saturday, February 8th, the Sarofim School of Fine Arts held “A Recital to Celebrate Women Composers” in the Alma Thomas Theater, where SU’s professors Hai Zheng, Kiyoshi Tamagawa, and Bruce Cain showcased the works of various female composers from across history. 

All the pieces performed that night featured the talents of Hai Zheng on the cello and Kiyoshi Tamagawa on the piano, alongside the vocal talent of Bruce Cain for the song “Walk with Me” by Margaret Bonds. “Walk with Me” has a special distinction in this collection due to the fact that, to this day, the song has remained unpublished, despite being over sixty years old. The Sarofim School of Fine Arts has been given permission to present this song prior to its publication date, which will finally happen later this year, courtesy of Hildegard Publishing Company and John Michael Cooper. If you wish to learn more about the story of this historic  song and its composer Margaret Bonds, please check out the program for this performance here.

The night opened with “Adoration” by African-American composer Florence Beatrice Price, in honor of Black History Month, followed by “Romance of Hsiao and Ch’in” by Chinese composer Chen Yi. Next was Amy Beach’s “Five Pieces” in tribute to her accomplishment of being the first successful female composer, followed by the most recent composition of the night: Jessie Montomery’s “Peace” from 2020, representing her impact on the modern classical music scene.

After a brief intermission was the aforementioned “Walk with Me” leading into Jennifer Higdon’s “Nocturne”, with Higdon being another acclaimed modern classic composer. Following Higdon was the second multi-movement piece of the night, Nadia Boulanger’s “Trois Pieces”, which displayed the talent of a composer and teacher who taught many of the 20th century’s great composers and musicians, such as Aaron Copland and Elliot Carter. 

Finally, ending off the night was “Sicilienne” and “Hymne a L’amour” by Maria Thereisa von Paradis and Edith Piaf, respectively. Prior to performing these last two pieces, professor Hai Zheng took a moment to speak about the music and their composers before dedicating this performance of “Sicilienne” to her former colleague Star Varner, who had passed away due to terminal brain cancer early last year.  

If any of the music performed tonight piques your interest, I highly recommend you go check them out for yourself and pay tribute to these women who continue to pave the way for musicians and artists throughout the world with their music and stories.