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
In a
Fairy Garden
