Friday, March 8, 2024

2024 Scholarship Announcement

The Gena Branscombe Project
is
proud to announce that 
applications for its
2024 scholarships 
are now open!

Go to our website:



 

#BringingBackBranscombe

Monday, March 4, 2024

Boston Landmarks Orchestra


 

Thank you to the Boston Landmarks Orchestra for creating and making available this video about Gena Branscombe!  Click on the hyperlink below.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59uVv5awSQA

With Miss Branscombe's close ties to Boston, I hope that some day the orchestra will program her "Pilgrims of Destiny."  

#BringingBackBranscombe

Friday, February 16, 2024

Colleges of the Fenway Orchestra - Festival Prelude/Festival March

 

On Monday, February 12th, the Colleges of the Fenway Orchestra rehearsed Gena Branscombe’s 1914 piece, “Festival Prelude/Festival March.” 

 


What made this rehearsal special?  It is the first rehearsal and soon to be first performance of the original orchestration of this piece in over 100 years.  And, to add more to this explanation, the original orchestral work is in Miss Branscombe’s manuscript at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.  From scanned photos of the manuscript, the piece was transcribed into Finale, note by note by note, for the rehearsal to happen! 

 Damali Willingham, The Gena Branscombe Project’s 2020 Composer scholarship winner, took on the task of re-creating the score from its original instrumentation.  When a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Damali arranged this same piece for wind ensemble and conducted the performance in Spring 2022.  Damali is one talented musician and a wonderful, positive person! 

 


Thanks to Dan Ryan for programming Gena’s “Festival Prelude/Festival March” for the Colleges of Fenway Spring concert on Wednesday, March 27th.  Thanks also to his orchestra for their dedicated work leading up to their performance. 







                                                                    Gena Branscombe 

#BringingBackBranscombe


Tuesday, February 6, 2024

"Antonia: A Portrait of a Woman" - Antonia Brico

 

Writing about symphony orchestra conductor Antonia Brico (1902-1989) for the second time is quite the honor.  This past Saturday, February 3rd, at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City, I attended a showing of the 1974 Academy Award nominated documentary film,  “Antonia: A Portrait of a Woman.” In the audience on Saturday were the movie’s producers and directors, Judy Collins and Jill Godmilow, who spoke of their experiences making the documentary.

In the late 1970s, the movie was shown on PBS, which I watched because I had met Dr. Brico in 1977 when she conducted a concert for a summer string program at the conservatory in Cincinnati.  What you see of her in the movie is exactly who she was in real life; a dedicated musician, exacting in rehearsals, thoughtful and kind. 

 “Antonia: A Portrait of a Woman,” has been remastered and is available to watch on YouTube.  After you click on the hyperlink, take 57 minutes to learn about this remarkable woman conductor who broke down barriers in the 1930s and faced  discrimination her entire career. 




There is always a connection to Gena Branscombe in my blog!  In the small world of classical music Miss Branscombe and Antonia Brico’s lives crossed paths.  Gena organized a meeting, gala concert and dinner for the New York Matinee Musicale in December 1935.  She engaged composers Amy Beach and Marion Bauer as well as Antonia Brico as speakers for the event. 

 
#BringingBackBranscombe

Friday, January 19, 2024

Charlotte Kay Russell

 The Gena Branscombe Project and #BringingBackBranscombe congratulate our Board member, Regan Russell, and her husband, Howdy, on the birth of their beautiful daughter, Charlotte Kay Russell.  Born on January 15, 2024, this bundle of joy weighed 7 lbs, 14 ounces.  


Welcome to the world Miss Charlotte and we know you will be a big supporter and fan of Gena Branscombe's music.  


#BringingBackBranscombe

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Journal of the IAWM – International Alliance of Women in Music

 


This month’s Journal of the IAWM,  International Alliance of Women in Music, featured an article about The Gena Branscombe Project’s 2023 scholarship winners. 







Congratulations to Brittney Benton, Hannah Nacheman and Roslinde Rivera. 

Keep watching for announcements of the 2024 Gena Branscombe Project scholarships!



#BringingBackBranscombe

Friday, December 15, 2023

Hail Ye Tyme of Holie-dayes (A Chrystmasse Song)

 

Chrystmasse seasons filled with joy, sadness, melancholy, sentimental remembrances, thankfulness for gifts received, gatherings of friends and family are what nearly every person experiences during their lifetime of Holie-dayes. 


For Gena Branscombe there were many of those same experiences.  In her December 14, 1917 letter to her publisher Mr. Schmidt she wrote,

“There is a foretaste of what the years will bring – this Christmas – a poignancy that has never existed before.  And just now we are waiting for later news of my cousin Gerald – who was severely wounded and gassed a few days ago.  I wish you could have seen the two older babies frolicking in the snow – this afternoon with their cheeks like peonies.  They’re both so huge that they can hardly both sit on their used –to-be capacious sled – and when their wicked mother would give an unexpected pull – one or the other would roll merrily off.  They are great fun.”


Miss Branscombe wrote of her cousin who was fighting and was wounded in Europe during World War I.  Concern, worry, sadness turns to her recounting of the joy she experienced playing in the snow with her two oldest babies, Gena and Vivian. 

In various other letters to Schmidt she wrote of Chrystmasse travel to Methuen, MA to spend the holie-dayes with her husband’s family.  Or a Chrystmasse trip to Methuen was thwarted due to “Gena had Grippe – and while she was able to be out a day or so before Christmas – we didn’t dare risk it …”  (December 26, 1915 letter).  Another letter explains she had no time to send out cards or have a picture taken of daughter Gena because she was out of town playing concerts. 

Now why the two different spellings of the word Christmas/Chrystmasse or the word Holie-dayes?


As a composer, Gena Branscombe added her Chrystmasse song to the published and performed repertoire in 1912.  With poet Kendall Banning the two combined talents to write “Hail Ye Tyme of Holie-dayes.”  Mr. Banning’s poetry harkens back to olde English which I am sure delighted Miss Branscombe.  A sprightly, upbeat tune acknowledging love, laughter, fun, follie, garb worn by the poor and Noblesse.  Encouraging songs of happiness will help rid sorrow and madrigals for all because Chryst will be with ye alle! 

 

“Hail Ye Tyme of Holiedayes” published by the Arthur P. Schmidt Co. of Boston  sold well and was performed frequently by famous singers David Bishpham, Laurence Tibbett, Norman Joliffe, Penelope Davis and many others.  Miss Branscombe arranged the solo song for women’s chorus, SATB and TTBB.  Even more sales were made.  Royalties to help with Chrystmasse expenses were received with glee and thankfulness.







While we have worked to bring Gena Branscombe’s music into the 21st century, I want to express my my heart-filled thanks to the Branscombe/Tenney/Phenix family for their gifts of support, kindness and generosity.


Enjoy the sentiment of the Holie-dayes poem

Hail Ye Tyme of Holie-Dayes  (A Song of Chrystmasse)

Kendall Banning, poet,   dedicated to David Bispham

 

Hail Ye tyme of holie-dayes,

Mistletoe and Hollie;

Love and laughter, feastings after,

Beckon fun and follie.

 

Simple folke in humble garbe,
Noblesse in their golde,

Hail to-day, in brave array.

Chrystmasse as of olde.

 

Sing but songs of happiness,

‘vaunt ye thoughts of sorrow;

Troublings cease in tyme of peace,

Cares will seare ye-morrow

 

Simple songs for lowlie friends,

Madrigals for halle;

Reste ye, Chrysten gentel-folke;

Chryst be with ye alle!

 

 #BringingBackBranscombe