National Opera Association Conference

 

Good news to share.

 The Gena Branscombe Project will be represented at the National Opera Association conference in Boston, MA, January 6-10, 2026. 

Emily Clements, the Project’s 2024 Composer scholarship winner and her co-librettist, Bonita Bunt, will discuss their original opera-in-progress, “Letters to Lily”, for the New Works Expo.

Dan Ryan and I will participate in the Poster Session displaying the history of The Gena Branscombe Project that includes our mission of awarding scholarships to up-and-coming composers, conductors and arts administrators, sponsoring Bringing Back Branscombe concerts, publishing the composer’s nearly forgotten music and bringing awareness of her oratorio, “Pilgrims of Destiny” as well as her orchestral works.   

We look forward to being at the conference and meeting all the attendees. 

#BringingBackBranscombe

Joseph Platt & Gena's Sheet Music Cover

 

Over several months of letters in 1922 were discussions between Miss Branscombe and Mr. Austin at the Arthur P. Schmidt Company of Boston.  The subject matter:  a set of songs Gena Branscombe wrote for her daughters.  She desperately wanted the “Un-improving Songs for Enthusiastic Children and One for Sleepy Time” to be published for the Christmas season sheet music market. 

Proofs of the songs were mailed between Gena and Mr. Austin.  With the Christmas season deadline fast approaching, there was a Post Office delay in the corrected proofs being delivered in a timely fashion.  Anxiety haunted the composer.

Yet, what came as a surprise in these letters was the discussion of who would create the sheet music cover art work.  When sheet music was the rage, the covers for the music were colorful and eye-catching.  A talented designer was a must!

Gena’s friend, Mrs. Elise Nevins Morgan of Methuen, Massachusetts, recommended her artist friend, Joseph Platt, for the job.  Quite surprised at the suggestion of such a famous artist of the era, Miss Branscombe agreed Mr. Platt would be the right person for the job.  

In 1922 the Arthur P. Schmidt Company would pay artists $25.00 to design cover art.  Mrs. Morgan offered that if Mr. Platt charged more than $25.00 she would pay the difference.  What a kind gesture and one that demonstrates Mrs. Morgan’s support of Gena’s musical talent and her on-going success in selling her music.

Mr. Joseph Platt, indeed, was famous.  He had designed the interior movie sets for “Gone with the Wind,” “Rebecca,” and “Lady of Burlesque.”   Industrial design, painting murals, magazine covers, office design and creating the Whitman’s sampler chocolate box were among his many commercial artistic accomplishments. 

And, he designed a cover for Gena’s songs!  After submitting several preliminary sketches to Miss Branscombe and Mr. Austin for approval, changes were made.  The final cover work was sent with a bill for $25.00.  Such a famous artist accepted $25.00 for one cover when his other work garnered thousands of dollars.

His cover art defines the four songs in this collection with charming sketches.  On the upper left of the cover are the three Maidens from Japan, in the middle Sprightly Mrs. Grasshopper and her friend Mrs. Caterpillar are having tea, then the misbehaving Birthday Party attendees.  The song for Sleepy Time is at the bottom with a child nestled in her bed. 

 

#BringingBackBranscombe

The Importance of Thank You Notes

 

For nearly two years the law firm Foster Garvey has worked with The Gena Branscombe Project.  A team of lawyers guided us through the process of becoming a 501(c)(3), non-profit, filing all the necessary paperwork with the State of New York, advising us on all the annual financial forms to be filed, copyright law and much more.  Their team was professional, encouraging, patient and generous with their time.

All the work I listed above was done pro-bono.  We were aware that every meeting they held with us could have been billing hours for the lawyers.  Yet, they showed their commitment and dedication to supporting us.  

Our initial connection with Foster Garvey came through one of my neighbors who approached partner Hilary Hughes asking if she would be interested in helping us.   A meeting was set up to discuss the needs of The Gena Branscombe Project.  Within days we met the lawyers who became our team!  We knew we had the best team of lawyers helping us through this legal process.  

 Recently, we wrote Hilary Hughes and our team of Foster Garvey lawyers a thank you note.  Yes, it was the old fashioned hand written thank you sent through the mail!  Hilary Hughes response to us was:

“Just wanted to send you a note to thank you for taking the time to send the team a thank you note.  We don’t receive those often, so they are greatly appreciated!  We were happy to be able to help!” 

 

Appreciative of our thank you note, yet, what is interesting is her comment that they don’t receive thank you notes very often.  When highly qualified professionals offer their knowledge, guidance and talents pro-bono, why would people fail to write the words, “thank you”? 

 

The importance of thank you notes….hand written thank you notes…..think about it.

 #BringingBackBranscombe

Two Gena Branscombe Project Scholarship Winners Meet

 

For six years The Gena Branscombe Project has awarded scholarships to up-and-coming Arts Administrators, Conductors and Composers.  Our winners have proven themselves as music scholars, conductors whose talents raise performance standards and leaders of organizations where they involve their local community to participate in the arts.  Most of all, they are caring people whose mission is to make the world a better place.

 One of our missions has been to stay in touch with our winners.  We meet them for breakfast, coffee or lunch when they are in New York City or Boston.  Wonderful conversations have taken place where we learn of their personal and professional goals.  We attend their concerts and events. 

One other joy in this mission is introducing the winners to one another.  Recently Damali Willingham (2020 Composer winner) and Braeden Weyhrich (2024 Conductor winner) met at Georgia State University where Braeden will be conducting her Master’s recital on Thursday, October 9^th which will include a Gena Branscombe piece.   The reason they met? 

 

Several years ago while a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Damali arranged Gena Branscombe’s orchestral work, “Festival Prelude – March” for wind ensemble.  They also conducted the work leading the Berklee Wind Ensemble in performance. 

Recently Damali traveled to Georgia where they met Braeden. Damali worked with the Georgia State University's Symphonic Wind Ensemble advising and coaching the musicians on the details and musical nuances of “Festival Prelude – March”.  What a great collaboration.

Two Gena Branscombe Scholarship winners working together and #BringingBackBranscombe”.  The Gena Branscombe Project could not be more proud of these talented musicians. 

#BringingBackBranscombe

Bringing Gena Branscombe Home - August 15, 2026

The Gena Branscombe Project along with One Eye Publications and the Picton United Church are happy to announce the "Bringing Gena Branscombe Home" concert. The concert will be held at the Picton United Church in Picton, Ontario on Saturday, August 15, 2026. We honor Miss Branscombe's Canadian heritage with a program of her Canadian compositions. We hope you will join us to celebrate Miss Branscombe's musical homecoming!

To say the very least, we are thrilled that Miss Branscombe's music will be heard once again in her beloved hometown of Picton.  Included in the program will be her songs with poetry by her mother Sara Allison Branscombe and Canadian poets Arthur Stringer and Katherine Hale.  Her piano pieces composed while living in Picton and scenes from her unfinished opera "Bells of Circumstance" will be performed.  

#BringingBackBranscombe

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 20^th century and early 21^st 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 19^th 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

 

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