Gena Branscombe Letter - October 1940

 

A letter dated October 31^st, 1940 written by Gena Branscombe.  Her penmanship is its usual “difficult to read” or “hard to decipher” words yet her message is of friendly warmth and happiness to have helped a friend of a friend. 

Written on The Branscombe Choral stationery, she is returning to a Mrs. Grambling a piece of autographed linen.  Autographed linen?  Someone had a hobby of collecting autographs on linen?  Intriguing!

 Collecting famous people’s autographs and letters was a popular hobby a century or more ago.  Once collected they were put in a scrapbook.  This letter was found in one of those books, though the autographed linen piece was not. 

 As Gena says, “What an interesting idea!”  My thoughts on that “idea” is someone was creating a table cloth of autographs, a blanket or making an artistic piece to be framed – my idea.

Who was Mrs. Grambling to whom the letter is addressed or Mrs. Davis who Gena mentions having given her the linen square to sign?  I have no idea though I am sure they were acquaintances.

Now in my possession is this charming 1940 letter authored by Gena Branscombe.

 

#BringingBackBranscombe

 

 

Will Wickham

 

“I’ve been a wedding photographer and worked in a winery, all to support myself as an artist.”  - Will Wickham

Are there people in any field of the arts who would not have a list of jobs they have worked to support the art that fills their soul and an art that allows them to share their creative beauty?  I would think not!

 My friend, Will Wickham, was recently honored in Times Square as one of the recipients of a grant from “Creatives Rebuild New York” (CRNY) which was a three-year, $125 million initiative that provided guaranteed income and employment opportunities to artists across New York State. 

On the very cold, blustery evening of Wednesday, January 15^th in Times Square, several of the recipients of these grants were honored.  A video of each artist was played on one of the huge screens.  Larger than life each artist told the story of the jobs that supported their art – a photographer, clothing designer, dancer, painter, and weaver.  All were recipients of grants from New York State that supported their art.  And, there was my friend Will Wickham.     https://fb.watch/xfHrlthXl8/

All of us in attendance for the video presentation and speeches were given an “Art Takes Work” winter hat!  We needed the hat to stay warm!  

Take a look at the website, www.ArtTakesWork.com to learn more about support for artists and the campaign partners. 

Living in the Elmira, New York area, Will is an entrepreneurial artist.  His genius of creating art to share with the residents of his surrounding area is exemplary.  Conducting three concerts a season with his Cantata Singers, they present programs of music composed by area composers including his own compositions.  All concerts are free and open to one and all.

In 2008 Will established the “Festival of Women in the Arts” which showcased women artists in the Elmira area including wine makers, fabric artists, poets and writers, presentations of all music genres, jewelry designers and more.  A highlight for me was to have been invited to open the first year’s festival performing my one woman show, “Life! Love! Song! A Visit with Gena Branscombe.”  What a special honor to be part of that community which has blossomed into 17 years of friendships created from that concert.

When The Gena Branscombe Project was creating a new orchestral score of the composer's dramatic oratorio, "Pilgrims of Destiny," we were struggling to enter the music note by note into the music program, Finale.  The concert was approaching and we needed as many people helping us with this tedious task.  Who offered to help?  Of course, Will Wickham!  With his talent using Finale, Will helped us reach our deadline of having the score ready for rehearsals and the performance.  Thanks, Will!

Composer, conductor, piano tuner, director of plays, playing in pit orchestras and teaching at a local college, Will Wickham is an all-around accomplished, down-to-earth artist well deserving of a grant to further his creative goals.  Job well done, Will!  Congratulations. 

                                            (photo credit: ATW: SiteImages)

#BringingBackBranscombe

Bringing Back Branscombe: A Woman Composer Lost - Now Found

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The Gena Branscombe Project is sharing the video of my speech, "Bringing Back Branscombe: A Woman Composer Lost - Now Found."  The speech was given at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music for their CCM Speaks showcase.

Enjoy listening to my 25 year journey working on the music and life of this wonderful woman composer.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ibOhjsMh0

#BringingBackBranscombe
 

 

Dalia Stasevska - Conductor

 In late August my Bar Harbor friend, Dr. Bill Horner, flew to Lahti, Finland to attend the Sibelius Festival.  Bill has become quite a Sibeliophile listening to the composer’s symphonies, tone poems and reading his biography.  Bill shared the diary of his trip that included his review of the three Sibelius concerts he attended.  Through his writing I learned of conductor Dalia Stasevska.  Bill admits to not having the credentials of a music critic, yet, his review of Maestra Stasevska is quite accurate, I am sure; “her conducting style spot on: her baton arm marked a tempo that even I could follow, and her left made long sweeping motions that imparted her evident passion to both her orchestra and to me.”

Another woman conductor has crossed my radar screen and one whose career is worth researching and writing about on my blog!

Dalia Stasevska was born Kyiv, Ukraine in 1984.  Her family moved to Finland when she was five. Her music training began on the violin and eventually she studied composition at the Tampere Conservatory in Finland.  Moving forward she continued her studies of violin and viola at the Sibelius Academy where conducting studies were afforded by pawning her violin.  

How she chose to be a conductor - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbMSFvX3mB0

Dalia has been appointed the Chief Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director to the International Sibelius Festival.  She is Principal Guest Conductor to the BBC Symphony Orchestra, made her BBC Proms debut in 2019 and in 2023 conducted the First Night of the BBC Proms. 

Below is the link to to that BBC Proms concert.  She begins conducting around 2 minutes. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT9IwYfTr7E&t=234s

Maestra Stasevska has conducted concerts with the world’s leading orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic. Chicago Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-OrchesterBerlin and the list goes on and on. 

Opera conducting is another of her musical passions leading productions at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Finnish National Opera and with the Kungliga Opera Stockholm. 

 

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky bestowed on Dalia the Order of Princess Olga of the III Degree for her contribution to international cooperation and upholding Ukraine’s prestigious historical and cultural heritage.  She and her brothers have actively raised donations for supplies given to the Ukraine people, delivering them in person. 

Dalia is married to the great grandson of Jean Sibelius, Lauri Porra, who is a Finnish composer and musician.  The couple has one child.

Known for her colorful conducting wardrobe - she is a colorful, spirited conductor as well; one who has masterfully led the world’s greatest orchestras.  Her baton technique radiates her passionate musical understanding to all who work with her. 

Another brilliant woman conductor is on my radar.  And, my thanks to my friend, Bill Horner, for making the trip to the Sibelius Festival!

#BringingBackBranscombe

Xian Zhang & the Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Among conductor Xian Zhang’s many accomplishments are eight seasons of being Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.  With the Philadelphia Orchestra she won a Grammy Award for the Deutsche Grammophon release Letters for Future.  As guest conductor she has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.   Quite impressive!

 Add to those accomplishments, she is the new Music Director of the Seattle Symphony having signed a five-year contract beginning in the 2025-2026 season.  Another land mark for her, Zhang is the first woman to lead a major West Coast orchestra. 

Congratulations to Xian Zhang and many thanks to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra for choosing a woman conductor who will lead your orchestra into the future.

 

#BringingBackBranscombe

Zeta Tau Alpha - Gena Branscombe

 

In August 2011 I wrote of Gena Branscombe’s initiation and membership in three professional fraternities, one of which was Zeta Tau Alpha.  Recently an article from “Themis of Zeta Tau Alpha” dated November 1, 1941, came into my possession.

In the article are two pictures of Miss Branscombe that I have previously never seen.  The picture of her holding a baton; with intensity she is in control ready to give a downbeat, her performers’ complete attention is obvious from the look in her eyes.  Let the music ring forth.  She is performance ready; she’s wearing a string of pearls!

 

The second picture was taken on the evening of her initiation into Zeta Tau Alpha which took place in Edgewater Gulf, Mississippi. 

 

Gena became an editor for the Zeta Tau Alpha song book.  Not only was she a national initiate, she was actively involved sharing her musical talent. 

 

The article is biographical describing her family, education and career. 

#BringingBackBranscombe

 

Bayreuth - 2024 - Women Conductors

 

The glass ceiling for women conductors is being shattered this summer when three women lead performances of Wagner’s operas at the Bayreuth Festival.  YES!

 

In  2021, Ukrainian Oksana Lyniv became the first woman to conduct at Richard Wagner’s theatre, Bayreuth.  Wagner initiated his company in 1876 ---- it only took 145 years for a woman to conduct there.  Maestra Lyniv debuted conducting “Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)” and has returned this summer to lead that same opera.

Simone Young, the first Australian conductor at Bayreuth, will lead performances of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” She is the first woman to ever perform those four wonderful operas at Wagner’s Bayreuth festival ---- 147 years after its founding.

 

French conductor Nathalie Stutzmann made her Bayreuth debut in 2023 leading performances of “Tannhauser.”  She returns this summer to lead an open air concert and “Tannhauser.”  

 

Congratulations to these three women conductors who have made an indelible mark on the music world.  Thank you to Bayreuth for helping to shatter the glass ceiling for women conductors.

#BringingBackBranscombe