Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Maestra Ruth Reinhardt

 

Over the years of writing my blog I have discovered and promoted women conductors.  It has been a joy learning about these women, their education, the path they took to get where they are, which orchestras and opera companies they have conducted and more.  Each time I find a new woman conductor I want to write about her and share her on my blog.  Words are my way of promoting these wonderful musicians.

 

Ruth Reinhardt has been appointed Music Director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.  She is the fifth music director in this orchestra’s  80 year history and the first woman conductor to hold the position! 



 With a deep interest in promoting late 20th century and early 21st century European women composers she has conducted works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Kaiija Saariaho, Lottta Wennäkoski as well as Daniel Bjarnsason and Thomas Ades.  She has not forgotten the symphonic greats leading orchestras in performances of Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, Stravinsky and Bartok!

 

Studying violin and composition in Zurich, she furthered her conducting studies at Juilliard under the tutelage of Alan Gilbert and James Ross.  For two seasons she was assistant conductor with the Dallas Symphony and a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

 

Maestra Reinhardt has conducted the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony. Stockholm Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic and many more! 

 

Her inaugural concert with the Rhode Island Philharmonic is  Friday, September 19th when she conducts Gershwin’s “Cuban Overture,” Billy Childs “Diaspora: Concerto for Saxophone” featuring Steven Banks, and ending the concert with Brahms, “Symphony No. 4.”

 

Congratulations to Maestra Ruth  Reinhardt and wishing her many years of wonderful music experiences with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. 


#BringingBackBranscombe

 

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Florence Macbeth, Coloratura Soprano

 

The summer of 2023 I completed transcribing what I thought were all of Miss Branscombe’s letters to her publisher, Arthur P. Schmidt.  As I wrote in my blog of that July, it was a journey of dedication to her legacy as well as an eye-opening learning experience of her humanity, business acumen and musical genius.  Also in those letters her every day life of emotions, ups and downs, raising children, losing her husband and two daughters came alive. 

One problem arose as I transcribed the letters from 1910-1954, somehow I had missed scanning the years 1921 and 1922.  Well, we’re all human when under time constraints.  I missed those two years.

My recent trip to the Library of Congress allowed me the time to right my mistake.  I scanned the folders of letters from 1921 and 1922.  Returning home I began to transcribe those two years of letters. Doing so allows me to travel back to that era, imagining her life’s experience at that moment and I read with interest Mr. Austin’s replies.  Mr. Austin worked for the Arthur P. Schmidt Company.   In the years leading up to and following the death of Mr. Schmidt in 1921 he was the main correspondent to all of the composers the Schmidt Company published.

 In her letter dated September 1, 1921, Gena requests that Mr. Austin send soprano Florence Macbeth a copy of her song, “The Best is Yet to Be” in the high key.  I stopped typing as I had never heard of Florence Macbeth.  Who was she?  Relying on a quick Google search, I learned Florence Macbeth (1889-1966) was born in Mankato, Minnesota, a place where her musical training began at an early age  which led to an international career.



 She became a star at the Chicago Opera Company and the Metropolitan Opera.  Her high coloratura voice has been reported as being effortless with an ability to move between her lowest register to her highest notes without a break in sound.  She concertized regularly in Europe and the United States.


What’s interesting about Miss Branscombe’s 1921 letter is three years prior to that letter, Florence Macbeth made her New York City Aeolian Hall debut in March 1918.  On that program she performed songs of women composers of the day including Mana Zucca, Harriet Ware, Rosalie Hausman and Gena Branscombe.  These women composers were friends, colleagues and well known in their era.  The New York Times reviewer highly praised Miss Macbeth for her choice of an artistic recital of charming songs! 


Here is yet another famous singer who over 100 years ago performed Miss Branscombe’s music on her concert tours.  How did Gena and Florence meet?  How did they connect for Gena to introduce or give Florence her songs and then have her perform them?  Questions are unanswered!


#BringingBackBranscombe


Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Lauren Koszyk, David Carlton Adams, Laura Clapp - The Gena Branscombe Project's 2025 Scholarship winners

 Here are the winners of the 2025 Gena Branscombe Project scholarships.  Read their bios and see what a talented group of people won the scholarships.  


Lauren Koszyk is an arts administrator, collaborative pianist, and educator based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, pursuing her Master of Business Administration in Music Business and Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano at the University of North Texas. She works with leading arts organizations including the Cliburn, Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, and the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society, and she serves as Assistant Artistic Director for CollabFest, the first international conference dedicated exclusively to collaborative piano. As an educator she cultivates inclusive, empowering learning environments and was named a 2023 Top Piano Teacher by Steinway & Sons. As a pianist, she has performed across Austria, Canada, Italy, and the United States, including engagements with Illinois Festival Opera, Midwest Institute of Opera, Musiktheater Bavaria, Opera on Site Inc., Opera Seme, and University of North Texas Opera.


David Adams is a composer, performer, teacher, and organizer who composes, performs, and presents new instrumental, vocal, and electronic music spanning contemporary chamber music, opera, improvisation, rock, and more. A doctoral student of composition at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, David teaches music theory at Peabody and has one year left in his doctorate. His works have been performed by leading new music ensembles, sometimes featuring David as a singer, electronicist, or fretless electric guitarist. A co-founder of New Uncertainty Collective, he builds creative relationships and fosters musical community while trying to help the world toward becoming a little healthier and a little more whole.


Laura Clapp is a graduate student in choral conducting at the University of Michigan, where she directs the university’s prison outreach choir, Out of the Blue. Prior to graduate studies, Laura worked with Voices of Hope, a Minneapolis-based prison choir organization, as a recipient of the Yale Glee Club Service Through Music Fellowship. While in Minnesota, Laura also co-directed StreetSong, a choir for people who have experienced homelessness, and directed the choir at Peace United Methodist Church. Laura has served as a soprano and teaching artist with Border CrosSing and currently plays violin in a string quartet at U-M. During her time as an undergraduate student at Yale, Laura served as a student conductor of the Yale Glee Club and a researcher for the New Muses Project, contributing to their database of women and BIPOC composers.

Among a large group of highly qualified applicants, these winners stood out for their clear dedication to the mission outlined by The Gena Branscombe Project: promoting equity and inclusivity in music. Each will receive a $400 cash prize and recognition across the web.

CONGRATULATIONS, ALL!


#BringingBackBranscombe


Tuesday, September 2, 2025

The Gena Branscombe Project 2025 Scholarship Winners


And, The Gena Branscombe Project 2025 Scholarship winners are:

Lauren Koszyk - Arts Administration
David Carlton Adams - Composer
Laure Clapp - Conductor

Congratulations to these talented and dedicated people!  




 #BringingBackBranscombe

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Library of Congress- Music Reading Room - Gloves

 

Walking into the Library of Congress Music Reading Room on Monday, August 4th, this was the scene at the request counter.....research gloves hung out to dry.




Brittle, old and deteriorating paper manuscripts, scores, pictures and articles often must be preserved and protected by wearing white gloves.  Human hands with their natural oils and hand cream could make these treasured items weaken or fall apart, thus the gloves.

Over the weekend, these gloves had been washed and were now drying on the counter top.  Visiting researchers would be wearing the gloves in the next few hours.

Ah, the life of a researcher!


#BringingBackBranscombe



Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Library of Congress - August 2025


 Gather four people together; discuss dates for travel to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC - August 4, 5 and 6; plan for our individual research projects with our collective interest in the archives of publisher Arthur P. Schmidt of Boston; alert the Library of Congress we will be there on said dates – all this planning created a memorable three days in our nation’s library.

(John Adams Building - Library of Congress)

 Who were these four people?  Dr. Derek Strykowski who is authoring a book about Arthur P. Schmidt, his life and his impact on music publishing in America; Linda Johnson, great granddaughter of Arthur P. Schmidt with her interest in reviewing all the business records and letters from which she would learn more about her great grandfather; Dr. Regan Russell who wrote her dissertation on Gena Branscombe’s 150 art songs was reading women composers' letters written to Schmidt and then, well, me who you know has an interest in Gena Branscombe and whose publisher was Mr. Schmidt! 






Paul Sommerfeld, Senior Music Reference Specialist, knowing we were descending upon the Music Reading room assembled a display of items from the Arthur P. Schmidt Publishing Company archives.  Business ledger books, a photo of Schmidt’s home in Boston, an Amy Beach manuscript score and much more.  Joining us that first day was Robin Rausch, former Head of Reader Services, Music Division who is now retired.  Robin and I have known one another for nearly 17 years.  

 

Now it was on to our research.  We filled out our request slips for various items from the Schmidt archives, once the boxes arrived we settled into our individual research.  Stopping for lunch we were joined by Melissa Wertheimer, former Music Reference Specialist and now Senior Digital Collections Specialist for Web Archiving. 


 A few years ago Melissa presented a lecture on the first women composers who joined the National League of American Pen Women in 1924.  There we were over lunch -  Paul, Robin, Melissa, Regan, Derek, Linda and myself sharing our lives and music interests. 

(from left to right - Linda Johnson, Kathleen, Melissa Wertheimer, Regan Russell, Robin Rausch, Derek Strykowski)

Back to researching, then, dinner where once again lively conversation abounded despite our exhaustion from all we had read and photographed.  Sleep was, oh so, welcome that evening.

More of the same research on Tuesday and Wednesday - Schmidt boxes being called to our reading tables, sharing those boxes with one another, sharing our special finds.


(left to right - Kathleen, Paul Sommerfeld, Linda Johnson, Derek Strykowski)

From those three days spent at the Library of Congress we came away having made new friends with like-minded interests.  We are thankful for the experienced, helpful and kind group of Music Specialists at the Library. Their knowledge of the collections in the Library is unbeatable.   They have the ability to move from reading table to reading table offering advice to one person working on an 18th century subject or another person researching a music theater collection and there we were working on Arthur P. Schmidt. I use this word honestly, these Music Specialists are amazing. 



(Note the picture behind Mr. Schmidt, top row, second from the left - Gena Branscombe - the very picture that was in her file in the Schmidt archive - see below)
 


Frequently I will say that using the internet for research is great, yet, when you befriend a librarian, their knowledge of your subject matter opens up a wide super highway of research materials which they happily share with you. Human contact….never forget the importance of human contact in our technology driven society.


#BringingBackBranscombe

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Women's Philharmonic Advocacy


With special thanks to Dr. Liane Curtis of the Women's Philharmonic Advocacy for the opportunity to author an article promoting Gena Branscombe's instrumental works.  The mission of The Gena Branscombe Project is to encourage performances of these works. Spread the word that these scores are available!  Enjoy the read!


https://wophil.org/composer-gena-branscombe-exploring-her-music-with-orchestra/?doing_wp_cron=1752931492.9277789592742919921875 



#BringingBackBranscombe

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Another Gena Branscombe Piano Music Publishing Announcement

 



The music of Gena Branscombe, beloved composer, conductor, and advocate for women in music, is published again after being lost for decades. Through years of research, editing, and collaboration, The Gena Branscombe Project and One Eye Publications have brought these long-lost gems back to life, with more to come!

 

🎵In a Fairy Garden

🎵Two Sketches for Pianoforte

🎵Four Ballet Episodes

 

It's not just about her fantastic music, it’s about legacy. This milestone helps ensure Gena’s voice is heard again and supports the future of music: a portion proceeds go towards our The Gena Branscombe Project scholarships for rising conductors, composers, and arts administrators through our nonprofit. Now in our 6th Year!

Please, explore these editions, share with a pianist, buy a gift for a friend, and help us keep this momentum alive.

https://www.oneeyepublications.com/shop

 

#WomenInMusic #GenaBranscombe #MusicHistory #PianoRepertoire #HistoricRevival #MusicScholarships #EquityInClassicalMusic #MusicEducation


#BringingBackBranscombe

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Gena Branscombe's Piano Music - One Eye Publications



What an exciting announcement to make and one that has made a dream and vision come true!

One Eye Publications in collaboration with The Gena Branscombe Project is announcing the publication of three of Gena Branscombe's piano music collections:  In a Fairy Garden, Two Sketches for Piano Forte, Four Ballet Episodes!

Working with Eleanor Gummer of One Eye Publications has been a wonderful experience which has formed into a professional friendship.  Thank you, Eleanor.

Go to:  www.oneeyepublications.com to order these delightful piano pieces. 

There will be more of Gena's music to be published in the future.  

 

#BringingBackBranscombe

 

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Jennifer King, piano - SOUVENANCE

 

In late March I received an e-mail asking me to review pianist Jennifer King’s recording, Souvenance.  I highly recommend listening to this recording, not just once, but many, many times.





Congratulations to Jennifer on a beautiful presentation of Romances, Nocturnes and a Meditation composed by eight women composers.

https://www.jenniferkingpiano.com/

https://lnk.to/souvenance

You can buy or stream the recording on almost any platform.  Enjoy!





Here’s my review:

Nineteenth century French Impressionist painters created works of art depicting night.  Their use of darkly hued colors affects our senses.  Not to be outdone, French Impressionist composers took up the word “Nocturne” and began creating short works, that similar to the paintings, created the sense of night employing the colors a pianist infuses in their playing. 

Jennifer King’s newly released CD; Souvenance is a delectable presentation of Nocturnes, Romances and a Meditation composed by eight women.  Much like the Impressionist painters, King paints each composer’s interpretation of night with sensitive colors and attention to details of phrasing and dynamics.

Clara Schumann’s “Notturno” and Fanny Mendelssohn’s “Nocturne” explore the darker side of night which reflects their personal life.  Clara’s, without doubt, expresses the composer’s life as the stable caretaker of seven children and the primary wage earner in her marriage to Robert Schumann. Night may have been her time to process her worries, fears and compose new works.  Clara’s nocturnal troubles are portrayed with a haunting opening melody played by King with tender attention to the melody and eighth note bass line rocking that gives rise to a desire for hopefulness.  Mendelssohn’s struggle with the inequality brought upon women composers of her day is presented with a melancholy melody supported by minor chords and a rustling sixteenth note pattern that moves between the dreamy bass lines and into the upper reaches of the keyboard that sparkle with the excitement of the night and perhaps her joy of expression through composing.

French composers Mel Bonis and Cecile Chaminade ‘s Nocturnes, Romances and Meditation are a bounty of memorable, lilting melodies and even some humor.  Ms. King‘s lyrical playing gives calming, unrushed voicing to the rustling bass lines while the melody floats above.  Her sensitivity to balanced dynamics from pianissimo to forte is subtle never over emphasizing changes yet they gently flow. 

Not only did British born composer Ethel Smyth push for a woman’s right to vote in England, she also pushed the boundaries of form in her Nocturne. Moscow born Sophie Eckhardt-Gramatté’s “Caprice II Nocturne – Gut Ruhe” stretches the feeling of nocturne beyond the romantic form.  

King captures Smyth’s wonderment of night.  Dark moments lead into a sparkling atmosphere with delicate phrasing and voicing for the canon to be identified and heard.  With Echardt-Gramatté, Jennifer King performs the unrest with authority and understanding of how the composer expressed her experiences of night.  Both Nocturnes are wishes for a good rest.

Delightfully, a jazz nocturne is included on this recording.  Dana Suesse’s “Jazz Nocturne” begins with a melody played by the right hand then opens into lush chords that support the melody.  Tuneful and jazzy, King’s playing is fun, energetic rhythmically and creates the sensation of sitting in a jazz night club of years gone by.  

A Joni Mitchell inspired tribute, taking her as a mentor to keep fighting through life’s trials and tribulations.  Holding Joni Mitchell in esteem, this “Blue” and the other seven  composers, whose lives were described in their music, have been brought to life in this heartfelt tribute Souvenance.

 

Kathleen Shimeta
Co-Founder & Chair
The Gena Branscombe Project

#BringingBackBranscombe

 

 

Friday, May 16, 2025

Nelson Ojeda Valdés

 

There in front of me was a Facebook ad  - “Women of Romanticism” - concert to be held at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on March 12, 2022.  

 Hmmmm, that caught my interest, sounded interesting and I should probably attend.  I purchased a ticket not knowing any of the performers yet the composers Fannie Mendelssohn Hensel, Cecile Chaminade and others were familiar to me. 

As I sat through the concert all I could think was, “Meeting these talented and gifted performers is going to happen.  We will, some day in the future, collaborate on a Gena concert.”  That was just the beginning of what now is three years of friendship and concertizing.  


After the concert I approached soprano Stefanie Izzo introducing myself as an authority on Gena Branscombe.  Stefanie is an authority on women composers….. a lot of women composers, yet she had not heard of Gena.  We agreed to be in touch to discuss Gena songs for her to perform.

 



Then I approached the organizer of the concert, pianist Nelson Ojeda Valdés. The first thing out of my mouth, “We need to have coffee.”  Then, I handed him my card and introduced myself.  We agreed to be in contact.



Little did I know Nelson is a coffee-aholic!  My offer of having coffee definitely interested him!  Weeks later we did meet for coffee.  Our conversation never let up because neither of us is shy! 

 Over the course of that first coffee meeting, I shared the Gena Project development and our wish to begin offering concerts.  Listening carefully, Nelson proceeded to guide me through the process of creating programs, how to approach venues, communication skills for all of this, then performers and fees. 

 To say the very least, I was and continue to be in awe of Nelson Ojeda Valdés, who is a true creative music entrepreneur!  Here is a person who knows what concerts he has created and will be performing nearly two years in advance.  Each program is diverse from the previous program.  Do you know anyone who would arrange for five pianists to join him for a performance of Steve Reich’s piece, “Six Pianos?”

It’s not the performance of that incredibly difficult piece, it’s knowing five other pianists who are willing to take on that piece, scheduling rehearsals where there must be SIX pianos in one room and once you begin playing making sure everyone is on the same measure at the same time.  One of his next concerts was all Faure music, a Christmas season concert to play the piano four hands version of the Nutcracker Ballet Suite and on and on.  Only Nelson! 


With thanks to Nelson, The Gena Branscombe Project presented its “Bringing Back Branscombe to the Upper West Side” concert at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.  His guidance for this concert was invaluable.  His performing Gena’s music with great sensitivity was amazing whether he was a collaborator with an instrumentalist or playing a solo piece!





 We meet for coffee every once-in-a- while, we laugh quite a lot, share our upcoming events or travels and enjoy one another’s company.  Not only is Nelson a great concertizer and organizer, he also teaches private piano lessons, is a church organist and on occasion does a second or third Sunday service.  His daily schedule is packed with his own practicing, performing, teaching and creating new concerts knowing all the details that must be handled. 

 Recently, Nelson sent me a program from his church.  Each Sunday in March, Women’s History Month, he played a piece by a woman composer.  Included were Gena Branscombe, Fannie Mendelssohn Hensel, Wanda Landowska, Amy Beach and Florence Price!  Not only did he play their music, he also wrote short bios of each composer that gave the congregation insights into each woman’s music and life!   

and 


Nelson is a force of nature, driven in the most positive way to create music experiences for one and all.  He’s a great mentor and I thank him as often as possible for his guidance and ideas.  I remind him, “You’re the best!”  And, he is. 

 Onward to more Gena concerts!  Thanks Nelson for being my friend and mentor.


#BringingBackBranscombe

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Extended deadline for Composers and Arts Admin

 


Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Coffee with TGBP Scholarship Winners

 


For the past five years The Gena Branscombe Project has awarded an annual scholarship to up-and-coming Arts Administrators, Conductors and Composers.  It has been an honor for us to support the winners who are completing their formal education, who need help progressing into their professional careers or who need tools of the industry to enhance their work.

 

The Project has made it our mission to stay in touch with our winners.  We gather information about their concerts, compositions and activities to update on Facebook and Instagram pages.  All of our winners are doing great things.

 

Over the past two weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting three of our winners here in New York City.  What a joy to be with them in person, hearing their stories, their hopes and accomplishments, then, talking about life in general.

 


First, I met our 2024 composer winner, Emily Clements, for coffee and a nice long chat.  Several days later I attended a performance of a scene from her opera “Letters to Lily” presented by the Brooklyn based Off-Brand Opera.  Emily has completed Act I of her opera and is working to complete Act II. 

 






Second, I attended the first workshop reading of the musical “Sharp” composed by our 2022 composer winner, Ally Bellhaven with book by Jake Nielsen. 


Their musical was presented at New York University as part of their Master’s degree program.  Wonderful singer/actors gave life to this musical reading.



 


Third, Dan Ryan and I had brunch with our 2020 conductor winner, Damali Willingham.  We have worked with Damali since she was an undergraduate at Berklee College of Music where this wonderful conductor arranged Gena Branscombe’s orchestral piece “Festival Prelude/March” for wind ensemble, then conducted a performance of it.  We had a great time catching up on our lives and careers. 

 To have met in person with three of our 15 winners was a treat.  We have met in person with a few other winners.  At some time in the future we look forward to meeting all of these incredibly talented recipients of our scholarships. 

We will be announcing our 2025 scholarship winners in the next few months.  Stay tuned!



#BringingBackBranscombe